Little House on the Prairie Art Project Ideas
Crafts Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder for a Homeschooling Unit Study
Aug 30, 2009
Many Little House on the Prairie [HarperCollins] homeschooling resources suggest cooking projects, and certainly Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books have plenty of scope for cooking. For a more complete unit study, however, art projects can be incorporated into the study.
Make a Cinnamon Stick Log Cabin
Glue cinnamon sticks together with royal icing to make a log cabin. Use one long upright cinnamon stick to make a chimney. The royal icing can be coloured with cinnamon or cocoa for the “glue”, and left white to cover the roof with “snow”. These log cabins keep for some time, smell delicious and make beautiful Christmas ornaments.
Little House on the Prairie Sewing Projects
Depending on the children’s skills and ages, a number of sewing projects can be based on Laura’s books. Try:
- an apron, like Laura wore at Mrs Brewster’s
- a nine-patch quilt (or mini doll’s quilt for a quicker project)
- a handkerchief, like the one Ida gave Laura for a wedding gift
- a rag doll like Laura’s Charlotte
- a button string, like Laura and Mary made for Carrie
- a braided rug
- a sunbonnet
- a fur (or faux fur) cape and muff, like Laura’s Christmas present at Plum Creek
Farmer Boy describes Almanzo’s mother weaving and dyeing cloth. Making homemade dyes is a fun homeschooling project, and the dyes can be used on bought calico or homespun if the facilities for trying out weaving aren’t available.
Little House on the Prairie Hairstyles
Girls with long hair may enjoy copying the hairstyles Laura described in the books, complete with pink or blue ribbons according to hair colour! As a young girl Laura wore two braids; as she grew up she put her hair up into fancier braided buns. Homeschoolers may enjoy having friends around to braid each others’ hair, perhaps followed by a tea party in the style of Laura’s birthday party at Plum Creek.
Ma also used rag curls to curl Laura’s hair in Little House in the Big Woods. Rag curling is simple but takes several hours for the curls to set.
Make a Braided Straw Hat
The description of Ma’s straw-braiding technique is clear enough to act as instructions. If straw cannot be found, the braiding technique could still be used on raffia. Younger homeschoolers might find placemats or coasters easier to make than hats.
Make a Cornhusk Doll
Cornhusk dolls were common playthings for children during Laura’s childhood.
Make a Laura Ingalls Wilder Town
Use cardboard boxes, paper, toothpicks, fabric scraps and other odds and ends to recreate a miniature town from Laura’s era. The town could include a church, schoolhouse and general store as well as Laura’s house. Another option is to create a miniature “little house in the big woods”, or a recreation of the county fair from Farmer Boy. Children might like to mould props – wheelbarrows, pumpkins and so on – out of polymer clay or incorporate furniture from dolls’ houses into the scene.
Think creatively to tie the interests of a child into the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. A homeschooler who loves calligraphy may enjoy writing compositions with pen and ink; an older child with an interest in historical fashion may like to use the descriptions of Mary's college dress to create her own pattern for a smart pioneer dress. Other children might be more interested in drawing the plans for a farm like Almanzo's or making a miniature covered wagon out of wood and canvas.
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