Well the countdown to Christmas has officially started here. The kids are super excited after St. Nick stopped by sometime late last night. They had left their stockings on the table before bed and woke up to a big surprise!
They had been talking about our previous St. Nicholas Day celebrations and how they forgot to put their stockings out last year… Oops!
Don’t worry… that heater was not on ‘HEAT’ as we only have the flames going this morning but it has been doing great job at keeping us warm and cozy so far.
St. Nick did not disappoint with a variety of small toys, coloring books, and other holiday items plus a tiny bit of candy. He also left a couple of new books and a holiday music cd for them. They are looking forward to a midday snack of gingerbread cookies and hot cocoa too!
He didn’t forget about the grownups either and even left a small gift for Nanny J and Papa O. He left Momma some much needed kitchen items, some holiday jewelry, and CHOCOLATE!
Santa had even decorated a little bit and put these cute covers on the chairs.
And he must’ve met up with the UPS man at some point to grab our new Advent wreath for us. It had been stuck in delivery status as the driver couldn’t locate our house.
It is so much prettier than it looked on the internet! I had a hard time deciding what color to get but thought this was a good choice even though it isn’t the traditional Christmas colors. Now we are just waiting for the candles to arrive. After all this excitement it was time for breakfast:
This year I added the chocolate chips to the pancakes while on the griddle for our Santa Claus Pancakes. I forgot to pick up some fresh strawberries and blueberries so we made do with what we had here. I also didn’t realize that Mr. Jacob had added a couple of extra chocolate chips to Santa’s beard… lol!
**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!
Mornings:
We Start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.
Don’t have a flag? Grab one HEREand print it out to put up somewhere… you could even let the kids make a flag to proudly display. Amazon also has some little ones like this one HERE and HERE.
After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.
This one came from Lakeshore Learning.
We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
Week 6: Chapters 16, 17& 18 (Fire in the Chimney, Pa Goes To Town, The Tall Indian)
In this section the family is talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pa went out hunting and found some turkeys. He knew where they would be when the holidays came up so he was thinking ahead and preparing for the holidays in advance.
These events could also benefit from a yearly routine. In our home we keep a Holiday & Party Binder. This helps us prepare for holiday events and party events that we may have coming up.
Every time we host a party we jot down notes and follow the routine we have written down. There are notes telling us how far in advance we need to order things to make sure we get the items we need. This helps to keep everything going smoothly and easily. It also helps us to enjoy the party when the day comes and to spend time with our family and friends while making great memories.
Does your family have a routine for handling holidays?
Make a list of things that you normally do for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Jot down some things that you would like to do but never have time for.
Work with a parent to decide when and what you need to work on to get prepared for the big day.
Think about things that may need done around the house before the holiday as well like:
Sometimes you may not have a mop or the floor may just need a good cleaning that can only be done by hand scrubbing. This would be using what we might hear as ‘elbow grease’.
How to hand scrub a floor:
Sweep the floor well before hand scrubbing.
Move anything that can be moved to make the job easier.
Gather your supplies:
bucket
hot water
cleaner
scrub sponge or scrub brush
gloves, optional
old towels
Measure the cleaner into the bucket.
Add hot water until half full.
Start in one corner and begin scrubbing in a circular motion, working your way around the room going towards the door.
Rinse out your scrubber as needed.
You may want to use an old towel to wipe up extra water.
Check the floor for any missed spots.
Empty the bucket.
Rinse the bucket and scrubbers.
Put away your supplies.
When the floor is dry you can put back any items you moved before you started.
3. Character
We will be focusing on OBEDIENCE this unit. If you don’t have the book we used you can go HERE and download a lesson plan guide to use in your home.
Memorize: Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. – Colossians 3:20
We will be studying obedience during this unit. What is obedience?
Watch this video to learn about Philippians 2:5-11.
What do you think this scripture means?
If Jesus humbled himself we should too. verse 7
Verse 8 says he humbled himself and became obedient. It is humbling to be obedient but Jesus wants us to be humble.
Do you know what the opposite of humble is? Pride
How was Jesus rewarded for his obedience? He was exalted and honored.
Ask God to help you be obedient and humble like Jesus was.
Ma and Laura acted quickly when there was a fire. Would you know what to do if there was a fire in your home?
Watch this fire safety video:
Discuss what you learned.
Come up with a fire safety plan and practice it.
2. Burn Treatment
After the fire was out Ma checked Laura for burns but she wasn’t hurt. This was a good thing.
We have learned about fire safety but sometimes we might find that we have accidentally gotten burned. Let’s learn about how to treat a burn:
Discuss what you have learned.
3. Games/Outdoor Play
Pa told them about the geese and turkeys he saw while out hunting and brought back some ducks for dinner. Have you ever watched the birds flying south for winter? If not, maybe you can keep an eye out for them in the Fall.
**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!
Mornings:
We Start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.
Don’t have a flag? Grab one HEREand print it out to put up somewhere… you could even let the kids make a flag to proudly display. Amazon also has some little ones like this one HERE and HERE.
After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.
This one came from Lakeshore Learning.
We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
Week 2: Chapters 4, 5 & 6 (Prairie Day, The House on the Prairie, Moving In)
Routines are essential for a successful household.
In this section we read about how Ma kept everything running smoothly while they were building the house even when she was hurt. They had a routine for getting moved in and set up as well.
Watch this video to see how one woman moved, built her own cabin, and started her new homesteading life.
Discuss what you’ve learned.
What steps did she go over?
Do you think if others follow her steps that they can homestead too? Why or why not?
What does she say about baby steps?
She seems very happy, would you like to try this?
2. Ways to help around the house like Laura
Emtpying the trashcans.
How to empty a trash can:
Collect all the trash from each room and carry it to the kitchen trash can.
Remove the full trash bag and dispose of it properly.
Clean out the trash can, if needed.
Replace the liner/bag.
Take the empty wastebaskets back to where they belong.
Do you know where the trash cans are in each room? Do you know where the trash bags are kept? If not, ask a parent to show you.
3. Character
We will be focusing on OBEDIENCE this unit. If you don’t have the book we used you can go HERE and download a lesson plan guide to use in your home.
Memorize: Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. – Colossians 3:20
We will be studying obedience during this unit. What is obedience?
Do you remember what obedience means?
Do you remember what your family rules are?
Have you been praying for God’s help?
Watch this video about Genesis 22:1-18
What did God ask Abraham to do?
Did Abraham obey God?
How many times did God have to ask him?
Did Abraham question God?
What did God promise Abraham for his obedience?
We need to pray that God will help us to obey the first time we are told just like Abraham did.
4. Manners
– Read through the next four pages of Emily’s Everyday Manners and discuss the manners shown in the pictures:
Using the magic words:
Please
Thank you
You’re welcome
Excuse me
Use your manners everyday with family, friends, and everyone you meet.
5. Memory Verse
We will be memorizing Psalm 8 during this unit study. Print it HERE.
Work on memorizing a verse during the week for a special prize.
Verse 2: Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.
Protected: PROTECTED: Little House On The Prairie Answer Key Links**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!
Mornings:
We Start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.
Don’t have a flag? Grab one HEREand print it out to put up somewhere… you could even let the kids make a flag to proudly display. Amazon also has some little ones like this one HERE and HERE.
After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.
This one came from Lakeshore Learning.
We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
Week 1: Chapters 1, 2 & 3 (Going West, Crossing the Creek and Camp on the High Prairie
Talk about the importance of routines. We will be talking a lot about routines during this unit. Routines are simply a tool that help us to be more successful in our everyday lives. They are a set of steps that we follow on a regular basis to achieve our goals. Routines help everyone to know what is expected of them and when. This can help wi th frustrations that we face in our daily lives.
Ma kept to her routines even though things were very different. One big difference was the way she had to cook meals. This is a good skill to learn whether you like to camp or in the event of an emergency. Answer the questions below:
What things mentioned were part of their normal routine?
Why do you think Ma kept to these routines?
Watch this video on why routines are so important to kids:
Discuss what you have learned.
What routines help you the most?
What areas do you think you need better routines for?
We like to use the FlyLady app on our phone to keep track of our routines.
2. Ways to help around the house like Laura
We are going to talk about straightening up around the house.
These basic steps can be used in any room of the house.
How to straighten up a room:
First we need to pickup the items that don’t belong in the area/room. ex: Shoes, clothes, toys, etc.
You can use a laundry basket to pick up stray items and to carry them to where they belong.
Pick up all the trash in the area.
Put the trash where it belongs.
Check for spills and other messes.
Clean up messes as you find them.
Pick up piles and stacks of papers or books.
Put everything where it belongs.
Carry dirty dishes to the kitchen
Put them in the sink or other designated place.
Straighten DVDs and bookshelves.
Everything should be facing out so it can be read easily.
Fold blankets and put them where they belong.
Straighten and fluff pillows.
Straighten anything else that is out of place.
Wipe down anything that needs cleaned.
Ask what cleaner should be used.
Sweep or vacuum the floor.
Check the room over before leaving.
Do you know where everything goes? If not, be sure to ask a parent or older sibling to show you where to put everyting.
Watch this quick video and discuss what you learned:
3. Character
We will be focusing on OBEDIENCE this unit. If you don’t have the book we used you can go HERE and download a lesson plan guide to use in your home.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. – Colossians 3:20
We will be studying obedience during this unit. What is obedience?
Obedience means to willfully, promptly, and cheerfully do whatever a person of authority (ex: parents, teachers, or God) asks you to do.
Being obedient. This may not seem like a big deal but there could have been some serious consequences had Laura and Mary not obeyed Ma when crossing the river.
Why do you think it was so important for Laura and Mary to be obedient?
And Jacob… lighted upon a certain place, … and he took the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. – Genesis 28:10-11
Read a book about camping. Record the Title and Author on your Reading Log.
You may also want to get a notebook to keep track of all the interesting things you will be learning.
Camping can be a very fun experience, if you are prepared.
Learn about Herbs.
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. – Genesis 1:29
You will need a good book about herbs. Record the Title and Author on your Reading Log.
**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!
Our school week is usually completed in 4 days. We use a Loop Schedule where we work for a designated amount of time on each subject before moving on to the next. After their work is completed for the day the kids are allowed to have independent studies were they can study whatever their little hearts desired.
Our 5th day is an optional day that we use to complete unfinished work or for other activities as we choose.
Please click HERE for a list of resources that we have purchased from Amazon and other suppliers.
Click on the links below for the series you would like to view/use. I will update these links as we get them finished.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
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