Photo courtesy of Dana Devine O'Malley

In this monthly program children will learn about and experience life as it was in the late 1800s frontier America:  how children and their parents provided food, shelter and entertainment for themselves, long before the days of television, refrigerators, cars and supermarkets.  

Drawing inspiration from the beloved “Little House” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, children imagine and recreate some of the scenes from the series.  Knowledge of the books is not required for participation.

Pioneer Living: Spring Series

Session 1:  Life on the Prairie in a One-Room House
Thursday, 2/9 from 12pm to 1:30pm
OR Sunday, 2/12 from 2pm to 3:30pm
We will read from Little House on the Prairie and learn how Pa built the one-room log cabin Laura and Mary lived in while on the Prairie in Kansas. Then we will build our own one-room houses out of cardboard boxes and furnish them with beds, tables and chairs made from paper, cardboard, clay, sticks and straw. Participants should come to class with a small cardboard box (no bigger than a boot box). All other materials and a healthy snack will be provided.

Session 2:  Sugar Snow     
Thursday, 3/8 from 12pm to 1:30pm
OR Sunday, 3/11 from 2pm to 3:30pm
We will read from Little House in the Big Woods and learn how maple trees are tapped and syrup is made. We will also learn how to make fresh butter from cream just like Almanzo’s mother did in Farmer Boy. We will conclude the class feasting on homemade Johnny cakes, fresh butter and maple syrup.

Session 3:  Memoirs 
Thursday, 4/12 from 12pm - 1:30pm
OR Sunday, 4/15 from 2pm to 3:30pm
At the age of 65, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote down her memoirs in the form of the Little House books. In this class we will make hardbound books using cardboard, fabric and yarn and create our own memory books we can use to write about our life in the Hudson Valley. A healthy snack will be provided.

Session 4:  Ma’s Prairie Garden
Thursday, 5/3 from 12pm - 1:30pm
OR Sunday, 5/6 from 2pm to 3:30pm
We will read about Ma’s garden in Little House on the Prairie. She planted onions, carrots, peas, beans, turnips, cabbages and sweet potatoes. We will make our own little seedling gardens that we can take home and transplant in our backyards. Participants should come to class with a cardboard shoebox. All other materials and a healthy snack will be provided.

Cost:  $20 per session or $75 for the series (includes a snack)

Cost for 2 children:  $35/session, $130/series
Cost for 3 children:  $45/session, $170/series

To register, please print and send the registration form, along with check payable to Common Ground Farm to:

Common Ground Farm
PO Box 148
Beacon, NY 12508