pioneer crafts

Step Back in Time with These 12 Little House on the Prairie Gift Ideas

December 13, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Do you need some great Little House on the Prairie gift ideas for someone who is a big fan of the Ingalls clan? Also, look at my page Little House on The Prairie Unit Study and Fun Punched Tin Lantern for more activities.

Little House has had what some would call a cult following.

It made its debut as a book in 1931 and the same for the series that first aired in 1974.

Some are firmly book fans, some fans of the show and there are those that are in both camps.

Step Back in Time with These 12 Little House on the Prairie Gift Ideas

I loved both and enjoyed comparing the differences and seeing what was repeated faithfully in the television series.

All these years later and they are both still popular, there is not much you can still say about that.

Even though pioneer life was hard there is an appeal in the simplicity and the hard work families had to put in to survive in those days.

The love and affection seemed so natural in the Ingalls family.

So for your pioneer loving pleasure here are 12 fabulous Little House on The Prairie Gift Ideas for you, the child, or family in your life who just can’t get enough of prairie life from inspired by gifts to toys, cook books, and wearable items.

Also, you’ll love these other gift guides for homeschoolers.

Gift Guides for Families

Little House on the Prairie Gift Ideas

Gift Ideas for Little House on the Prairie Enthusiasts

You’ll love some of these ideas for the Little House on the Prairie enthusiasts in your life.

The Little House (9 Volumes Set)

If they don’t already have it the first thing to put on your gift list is the entire The Little House Series. I poured over these stories as a child and even as an adult I will happily pick up a book and read it with just as much joy. They are a lovely gift for reading aloud or independent reading as well

Pioneer Girl Costume

Any little girl that loves to pretend to be Laura and Mary helping ma churn butter or gather vegetables from the garden would adore this Pioneer Girl Costume for dramatic play, theme day at co-op, or field trips to Walmart.

The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods

The Little House Cookbook is filled with recipes for mas cracklings, maple candy, and corn dodgers. Recipes from the whole series with wonderful background information and ideal for elementary aged and on up to adults

Lincoln Logs 150+ Pieces-Real Wood-Best Retro Building Gift Set

They may not be specifically little house themed but boys or girls will enjoy recreating the log cabin that the family lived in in the Big Woods or like the one that the Wilders occupied in Mansfield South Dakota. “Toys” like this are great for busy hands while reading aloud.

Doll Clothes, Little House on The Prairie Blue Calico Dress with Bonnet, Apron, and Pantaloons

These outfits fit any 18” doll like American girl or even the less expensive Walmart and Target versions. Allowing them to turn their favorite doll into a beloved literary
character to play alongside of them8

My Book of Little House Paper Dolls: The Big Woods Collection

Just like the ones Ma cut out for the girls along with clothes to dress them up in. This is a simple gift that is wonderful for playing quietly and using their imagination.

Little House Coloring Book: Coloring Book for Adults and Kids

For an older child or adult this coloring book is filled with pretty images and quotes from the entire series of books that can be colored with colored pencils or gel pens-don’t forget to include something to color with as well.

Little House Life Hacks: Lessons for the Modern Pioneer from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Prairie

I think this book is perfect for adult fans of the series and especially as a housewarming present for the woman who grew up loving these books. It also makes a fun coffee table book

Be a Laura | Book Fan Gifts | Prairie Fans | Little House Zip Hoodie

Little House Hoodie- Something to show off their passion for pioneer days gone by with a modern twist, a cozy hoodie for cool days and nights. Although I am sure Nellie fans may disagree, specially in those later days of the show when she blossomed

Manual Butter Churner - Wooden Handle

This is a nostalgic but useful kitchen gift to recreate homemade churned butter with a much smaller footprint. I think this is a new and thoughtful spin on an old-fashioned idea for those who want to simplify but aren't quite ready to give up their electricity.

The Oregon Trail Card Game

Chances are good if they are a fan of Little House, they adore the whole idea of heading west and this classic game is a great choice.It gives an idea of what it was like and how hard it is to travel in the settled east out towards the wilds of the mostly unexplored west.

Sweet Home Alaska

Finally, this is more of if you liked Little House, you will love… type of recommendation. It is the story of a little girl and her family taking place shortly after Laura Ingalls Wilder's books were published and she treasures these books, especially as her family embarks on an adventure in Alaska to become pioneers as part of President Roosevelt's Palmer Colony project.

11 Pioneer Crafts for Kids Who Love Little House On The Prairie Crafts & Rug Craft

October 19, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have some fun Little House on the Prairie crafts and a rug craft. Also, you love my post Little House on The Prairie Unit Study and Fun Punched Tin Lantern.

I love Little House on The Prairie crafts, from making bonnets to building little model wagons it has always been one of my favorite periods to recreate.

Little House was a large part of my childhood.

I spent countless hours pretending to ride in a covered wagon, harvest crops, and churn butter.

11 Pioneer Crafts for Kids Who Love Little House On The Prairie Crafts & Rug Craft

I can also remember when braided rugs still lined kitchen floors with their colorful simple beauty.

Sometimes those things seem to have faded away but if you are like me and want to pass on some of those sweet handicrafts you will enjoy my braided rug tutorial.

Ma, Mary, and Laura would have braided rag rugs for their floors from strips of worn-out calico dresses.

We will use something that we are likely to have on hand, t-shirts.

Too, I have plenty of other crafts from the pioneer days that will go wonderfully with a study on any or all the Little House books.

Books About Little House on the Prairie

First, look at some of these resources and books to study about pioneer life.

Little House on the Prairie Unit Study Resources

Add some of these fun resources to ignite a love for learning about the Little House on the Prairie.

The Little House (9 Volumes Set)

The nine books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura’s real childhood as an American pioneer, and are cherished by readers of all generations. They offer a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier, and tell the heartwarming, unforgettable story of a loving family.

Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Readers around the world know and love Laura, the little girl born in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and raised in covered wagons and on wide open prairies. Now Little House fans can learn more about the remarkable story of the pioneer girl who would one day immortalize her adventures in the beloved Little House books in this, the first picture book biography book of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

A Little Prairie House (Little House Picture Book)

With the My First Little House picture book series, the youngest readers can share in the joy of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books in these illustrated adaptations of the beloved series!

Laura, Pa, Ma, Mary, and baby Carrie have traveled from the Big Woods to the prairie in their covered wagon, driving through tall grass until they found just the right spot for their new home. With the help of their kind neighbor, Mr. Edwards, Pa builds a snug little house for the family in the middle of the wide-open prairie.

Farmer Boy (Little House, 2)

The second book in the treasured Little House series, Farmer Boy is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved story of how her husband, Almanzo, grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house where Laura lived. This edition features the classic black-and-white artwork from Garth Williams.

The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America’s frontier history and as heartwarming, unforgettable stories. The Little House series has captivated millions of readers with its depiction of life on the American frontier.

While Laura Ingalls grows up on the prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the fair comes to town.

Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—and he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

The Little House Cookbook

With this cookbook, you can learn how to make classic frontier dishes like corn dodgers, mincemeat pie, cracklings, and pulled molasses candy. The book also includes excerpts from the Little House books, fascinating and thoroughly researched historical context, and details about the cooking methods that pioneers like Ma Ingalls used, as well as illustrations by beloved artist Garth Williams.

Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, based on her own childhood and later life, are still beloved classics almost a century after she began writing them. Now young readers will see just how similar Laura's true-life story was to her books. Born in 1867 in the "Big Woods" in Wisconsin, Laura experienced both the hardship and the adventure of living on the frontier. Her life and times are captured in engaging text and 80 black-and-white illustrations.

Laura Ingalls Dress Up

Three Piece Set: Kid girls colonial dress, attached apron and bonnet.

Little House Coloring Book: Coloring Book for Adults and Kids

A beautifully designed coloring book featuring classic artwork by Garth Williams and quotes from all nine original Little House books. Perfect for at-home creative time—return to the world of Little House with your kids...or enjoy on your own!

Join Laura Ingalls, her Ma and Pa, and her sisters, Mary, Carrie, and Grace, on their travels across the frontier as you color in your favorite pioneer characters and scenes and revisit this beloved series.

This 96-page coloring book offers hours of relaxing, stress-reducing pleasure.

Next, look at these Little House on the prairie crafts.

Pioneer Crafts for Kids Who Love Little House On The Prairie Crafts

Make hand dipped beeswax candles.
Fun No Sew Pioneer Rag Doll
Have fun churning butter.
Pioneer Peg Dolls
Pioneer Living and Cloth Dyeing
Edible Log Cabin
A simple craft that even little hands can help create is this Make an Apple Pomander Just Like Ma Ingalls idea
For teens, A Beginner’s Guide to Whittling is a great way to reprise the past time of carving out little toys and other bits as they did.
Punched Tin Lantern.
No Sew Pioneer Rag Doll
Another great sewing project is this Pioneer Quilt Craft using cloth scraps.

Finally, look how to make this pioneer rug craft.

How to Make a T-Shirt Rag Rug Craft

You will need:

Old cotton t-shirts
Scissors

First, start by cutting t-shirt strips 1 ½” -2” wide, cut through both sides of the t-shirt to make a big loop piece, and then one of the ends so it is a long strip.

You can either use scissors or a rotary blade and mat which makes it quicker.

For this tutorial I used just 3 shirts and saved the sleeves and neck for another project; it came to about 10” wide.

So, you will want to cut up enough to make a good-sized rug which is about 6-8 strips for a small standard rug.

This can be an ongoing project as you get enough shirts or grab a bunch from the thrift store.

At the end of each strip cut a small vertical hole.

The holes are to secure the pieces together rather than trying to braid 10’ lengths.

Grab 3 strips and tie one end into a knot as small and tight as you can, and then cut off the excess.

You can either create a random pattern or use the same colors over and over to make a pattern.

If you want to follow a pattern, you might want to go ahead and lay out a bunch of strips together.

Braid the pieces together just like you would a simple hair braid about 4” long and then begin twisting the center so that the braid wraps around itself.

T-Shirt Rag Rug Craft

It needs to be firm and tidy but not too tight as you will need to slip through the braid occasionally.

Take the strand closest to the ball of the braid and slip it through the outside piece of the braid.

This is how you will secure each row together without sewing.

Resume braiding and wrapping it around itself for about 2” and then repeat the step of threading the closest strip to the center through one of the loops of the braid coil.

When you reach the last couple of inches of strip, draw a new strip through the hole in the end and then loop the other end around.

Draw it through the hole of the other end to make a small flat knot.

Continue the method of braiding for a couple of inches and then loop the closest strip through the closest braid inside until the rug is as big as you would like it.

To finish it off, thread the ends through the front side of the rug to the back and knot them off, cut off any excess as close to the knot as you can.

Little House on The Prairie Unit Study and Fun Punched Tin Lantern

March 23, 2023 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

You’ll love this Little House on the Prairie Unit Study and fun punched tin lantern. Also, grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies page.

If you are anything like me, you grew up watching or reading about Laura Ingalls and her family’s adventures traveling westward from their first home in the little house in the big woods of Wisconsin.

I spent many hours imagining I was Laura with my trusty guard dog Jack, running along the banks of Plum creek, going into town, and feuding with Nellie Olsen.

Little House on The Prairie Unit Study and Fun Punched Tin Lantern

If you too are eager to begin a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study with your kids, I have tons of great ideas to get you started.

Whether you settle in the prairie for a week or submerge yourself in all things Ingalls for a month or more you will find plenty here to keep you busy.

5 Little House on the Prairie Facts You May Not Have Known

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s first book wasn’t published until 1932, 65 years after she was born.
Laura was only 4’ 11” tall when she was fully grown, not particularly short for women of that time period, but it explains why Pa called her his” little half pint of cider half drunk up”.
Laura’s first attempt at book writing about her life experiences was called Pioneer Girl, and it was initially rejected by publishers. Her daughter Rose suggested her mother rewrite it for the children. Clearly, it worked.
Her longtime Missouri home, Rocky Ridge Farm, was turned into a museum.
Laura’s father Charles was part of the Delano family. You might recognize the name – Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Laura was the fifth cousin once removed to FDR and a third cousin once removed to Ulysses S. Grant.

Pioneer Crafts and Activities

Then, add these books for beautiful literature.

Little House on the Prairie Unit Study Resources

Add some of these fun resources to ignite a love for learning about the Little House on the Prairie.

The Little House (9 Volumes Set)

Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Little Prairie House (Little House Picture Book)

With the My First Little House picture book series, the youngest readers can share in the joy of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books in these illustrated adaptations of the beloved series!

Farmer Boy (Little House, 2)

Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—and he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

The Little House Cookbook

Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?

Laura Ingalls Dress Up

Three Piece Set: Kid girls colonial dress, attached apron and bonnet.

Little House Coloring Book: Coloring Book for Adults and Kids

This 96-page coloring book offers hours of relaxing, stress-reducing pleasure.

Also, it’s fun learning about Laura’s life through the pages of her books, but here are some facts too.

About Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, mostly known for the Little House on the Prairie series of children’s books, published between 1932 and 1943, which were based on her childhood in a settler and pioneer family.

Moreover, she was born in Pepin, Wisconsin in the “little house in the big woods” in 1867.

She lived through huge changes in America. Her family moved several times traveling by covered wagon.

Little House books

The eight original Little House books are:

Little House in the Big Woods (1932)
Farmer Boy (1933) – about Almanzo Wilder growing up in New York
Little House on the Prairie (1935)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)
By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939)
The Long Winter (1940)
Little Town on the Prairie (1941)
These Happy Golden Years (1943)

Moreover, there are many topics and words for your child to learn about pioneer life in America.

I’ve listed some below.

Vocabulary Words

Although it’s important to understand the words used, I wanted my kids to love learning about the expansion in American history; And to see history unfold through the eyes of a child.

However, I’ve listed some below to add another language arts element.

wandered
massacre
scorched
huddled
brindle
papoose

trotted
beholden
staggering
rummaged
yonder
molasses

Next, look at these hands on fun ideas.

15 Little House on the Prairie Unit Study Hands-on Ideas

Play the Oregon Trail Online Game to give your child an idea of the route and the hardships those moving westward faced.

Make a Fun No Sew Pioneer Rag Doll just like little girls like Laura played with during those times.

It makes a lovely handicraft activity as well as a sweet keepsake of your study.

Create Fun Pioneer Peg Dolls to represent each of the characters in the book.

Try your hand at Pioneer Living and Cloth Dyeing using the same things that the pioneers would have to color fabric.

Make Maple Snow Candy and enjoy a taste of those days.

In addition, history overlaps quite a bit and though the original is tied to Daniel Boone you can recreate this Edible Log Cabin as an art project and a yummy snack.

Learn how to make soap.

Create a Native American cradleboard or papoose.

And make buttermilk biscuits.

If you really want to get a taste of pioneer history, Make Butter and Hardtack to sample.

Do a Hands-on Fun Shrunken Head Apple Craft.

Grab these fun 10 Westward Expansion History Fun Coloring Pages

0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages
$1.75 Add to cart

Enjoy a picnic outdoors with a lunch pail- wrap sandwiches and other items in waxed or brown paper, tie it up with a string, and carry it out in a tin bucket. Spread out a colorful piece of fabric or a quilt to enjoy your supper.

Learn the information on the Free Westward Ho History Cards

Do your lessons on small personal blackboards just like the girls did at home or in their little one-room schoolhouse.

Look at pictures of a pioneer house then and compare them to how we live today.

In addition, look at some more unit studies and topics which go along with this theme.

More American History Unit Studies

Next, these unit study ideas either happened at the same time Laura lived or before her birth so your child understands this period in American history.

Too, not only does Laura describe terrifying events about wolves, but there would have been plenty of wildlife to learn about.

More Best Homeschool Unit Studies

Wildlife on the Prairie

Look at this list of wildlife to learn about.

Coyotes
Bison
Wolves
White tail Deer and grab my Deer Unit Study Ideas.
Black Bear and grab my ideas here Black Bear Unit Study and Fun Edible Bear Poop.
Beavers and grab my ideas here Build a Fun Beaver Dam.

Moreover, look at my Lewis and Clark Unit Study which has more information about the flora and fauna along the route.

Finally, look at this next hands-on idea to add your fun Little House on the Prairie Unit Study.

How to Make a Punched Tin Lantern

Supplies needed:

A clean empty vegetable can
Hammer
Nails of a few different sizes
Small hand towel
Dry erase marker
Wire
Needle nose pliers
Battery-operated candle or small glass votive

Directions:

First, check to be sure that there are no sharp spots on the lantern where the top was removed.

Trim them off by going over the edges with a can opener again or with a metal file.

Also, if there is any remaining adhesive, you can remove it by running a hot blow dryer over the spot and pulling it off while it is still warm.

Fill the tin can with water and freeze until completely solid.

Draw out your design on one side with a fine-tipped marker like a sharpie.

Carefully tape a nail through the lines of your design with the hammer and continue all over the design placing holes around ¼” or less apart.

You can also use a Phillips head screwdriver or an awl if you have one for something with a handle.

Flip and repeat your designs on the other sides the same way wherever you would like it.

Punch a hole through on either side near the top for the handle.

Take a strand of jewelry wire and double it for added thickness.

Run it through one hole and twist the ends around the wire with needle nose pliers tucking in the sharp ends.

Next, run the wire as high as you would like the handle to be upwards and then down to the other side. Push it through and twist the wires again to close.

Allow the ice to melt but you can speed this process up by running hot water in and over the lantern or placing it outside in the sun.

Dry the lantern and add a candle to the inside. What do you think, ready to start your own unit study?

pioneer crafts

Gift Guides for Families

Little House on the Prairie Gift Ideas

Books About Little House on the Prairie

Pioneer Crafts for Kids Who Love Little House On The Prairie Crafts

How to Make a T-Shirt Rag Rug Craft

T-Shirt Rag Rug Craft

5 Little House on the Prairie Facts You May Not Have Known

Pioneer Crafts and Activities

About Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House books

Vocabulary Words

15 Little House on the Prairie Unit Study Hands-on Ideas

0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages

More American History Unit Studies

More Best Homeschool Unit Studies

Wildlife on the Prairie

How to Make a Punched Tin Lantern

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