These lessons were made to go along with ‘By the Shores of Silver Lake‘ written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are planning to go through the whole series and I am keeping track of the different topics we are learning about here on my blog. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have! Continue reading “By the Shores of Silver Lake: PE, Health, and Safety Lessons”
I know I just recently posted about a bad dream I had but yet again I have another topic that we really don’t want to think about. Just recently a story made the news in our area about a young child who had wandered out and the result was a tragedy.
The babysitter had fallen asleep and the little one wandered out the door without her knowing. In our area we have a lot of retention ponds as we have a lot of wet areas and when it rains the extra water needs somewhere to go. Many of these ponds are fenced in but there are many that are not.
This little guy somehow managed to find his way to a pond that wasn’t fenced in and he fell in. No one knew he was missing until it was too late. A family has lost something that can never be replaced and a whole community is grieving.
The news has countless stories of children who have wandered away from home. Sometimes they are searching for days before they find them. Other times they never find them at all and the searches are called off. For every happy ending, it seems that there are a few with tragic endings.
I know how hard it is when you have young ones. They love to explore and they love to be outside. Even older children love these things too but generally, they have been taught some safety rules. Then you some of the special needs children, like one of mine, who are drawn to the water. They will do anything to get to the water and all they can think about is how much it is to play in the water. It can be very challenging to help them overcome their urges. Continue reading “Do you have a wanderer?”
These lessons were made to go along with ‘On The Banks Of Plum Creek‘ written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are planning to go through the whole series and I am keeping track of the different topics we are learning about here on my blog. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have!
On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or subject 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.
Drinking unpurified water can sometimes make you very sick.
Did you know that Square Dancing is a good exercise for helping you to have strong bones?
If you haven’t already signed up for classes have your parents check for a local club near you.
**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.
–Thank you!
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!
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.
Here is our lesson plan for the week:
We plan to use this FREE Lapbook to go along with our study.
Read Chapters 1, 2 & 3
Chapter One:
Chapter Two:
Chapter Three:
Additional Reading:
Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.
Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.
Older Kids:
Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.
Younger Kids:
Using Spencerian Penmanship go over the instructions on p. 1-4
We will be making a journal to record some of our pioneer adventures in. The link to the journal will be HERE.
Choose one prompt below:
**Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.
Group:
Older kids:
Younger kids:
You can work on a lesson in your Ray’s Arithmetic Books or other math workbook. (The lessons below reflect what we worked on.)
You may find it easier to buy a Math Workbook to work through as you go along with the study.
Rotate through these activities:
We plan to use parts of this FREE UNIT STUDY AND LAPBOOK as we learn about the Plains Indians.
They talk about taking the ferry across the river. Watch this video to see an example:
Everyone can watch this quick video. Older kids can do a little more research.
We will be using the following books with our studies:
We will be using Explore Simple Machines!: With 25 Great Projects for this study.
What are Simple Machines?
Watch this video for more information:
What is Force?
Watch this video for more information:
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:
Watch this video on why routines are so important to kids:
We like to use the FlyLady app on our phone to keep track of our routines.
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:
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:
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?
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.
– Read through the first three pages of Emily’s Everyday Manners and discuss the manners shown in the pictures:
We will be memorizing Psalm 8 during this unit study. Print it HERE.
Cooking On A Stick: Campfire Recipes for Kids
Practice these until you finish this unit study and then we will move on to another new skill.
Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids’ Guide
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
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
A Kid’s Herb Book: For Children of All Ages
Horses were very useful in many ways during the pioneer times. This game doesn’t involve horses but is a fun game to play.
You can find more Native American crafts and activities HERE , HERE, HERE and a FREE printable coloring book HERE.
2. Horse Crafts
3. You could start making a Pioneer Life Diorama to depict the book scenes.
2. Listen to the sounds of nature at night:
**This post may contain affiliate links to some of the products and resources that we have used. These are provided at no extra charge to you and help to support our blog and family if a purchase is made through these links. -Thank you!
These lessons were made to go along with ‘The Little House On The Prairie‘ written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are planning to go through the whole series and I am keeping track of the different topics we are learning about here on my blog. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have!
On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or subject 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.
Horses were very useful in many ways during the pioneer times. This game doesn’t involve horses but is a fun game to play.
Cool Outdoor Activities: Great Things to Do in the Great Outdoors
Mr. Edwards did jumping jacks when Pa played the fiddle. Do you know how to do a jumping jack?
Laura enjoyed watching all of the animals on the prairie and mentioned the many different types of birds she saw. You can take turns naming the birds while playing this game.
Click HERE to read about the Plains Indian’s diet.
Did you know that Square Dancing is a good exercise for helping you to have strong bones?
If you haven’t already signed up for classes have your parents check for a local club near you.
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.
When they heard the scream at night Pa thought it may have been a neighbor needing help. He soon realized it was a panther and came back home quickly.
Laura and Mary played games with each other and Baby Carrie. Try any of the games listed below or choose your favorite game to play. These would be really good games for when you are stuck inside the house.
You can find more games and activities in this book:
We learned about how the Fever n’ Ague was spread by mosquitoes but do you know how other diseases are spread?
We have read and researched about the Indians. Did you know that many Indians died from diseases that were brought by the newcomers? Let’s learn about some of these diseases.
In this section of the book the family had trouble sleeping. Do you remember why? Do you know why sleep is so important?
The story mentions several time that Pa used his tobacco pipe. Do you know what tobacco is and how harmful it could be to you?
Check out some of the games that the Native American children may have played with the links below:
Some of these games may be fun to include with your Indian Party.
At the end of the book the family was moving again. I’m sure they didn’t have seatbelts but Ma and Pa made sure the girls knew what they needed to do to stay safe while traveling. What safety rules should you follow when in a vehicle?
Riding in the wagon was probably pretty boring at times and I’m sure the girls needed something to keep them occupied. Have you ever played Rock, Paper, Scissors with your friends? If not you can learn how to play this game and many other skills at SkillTrekker.com. How about this modified version:
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