Laura's Corn Cob Doll:Yikes!

V with her corn cob doll.

In Little House in the Big Woods, Mary has a rag doll, but until her fifth birthday, Laura has only a corn cob doll.  I did a little browsing around the web, and apparently a corn cob doll was as primitive as it sounds, a dried corn cob with a face drawn on. (I did find pictures of some that were a little "fancier," having a little calico dress, but Laura states that hers was just wrapped in a hankie.)


I made this one for V. (Made is probably an overstatement in this case.)

Corn cob doll.

We discussed what it would have been like to trade in all the toys in the playroom for one of these. The kids were, understandably, sort of appalled. On the other hand, we discussed all the things the girls would have had that we don't, like farm animals to play with, lots of open space outside to explore, and frankly, a lot more chores to keep them busy.

It's humbling to think of all the things we take for granted. My kids can't imagine a life without toys, radios, and televisions. I've "roughed it" before, living in a house without a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and central heat and a/c. It was brutal, but I can't fathom what it must have been like, (and still is like in some parts of the world,) to live without running water, a refrigerator, and access to random things like Tylenol and toilet paper.

Little House Peg Dolls

Laura Ingalls and family, at the Little House in the Big Woods.

V has been enjoying the Little House play set we've been putting together. Now that we're really into the book though, she's been complaining that our plastic settlers aren't quite right for the Ingalls family. (We didn't have any plastic children, for one thing. That would never do.)

I did some browsing on Pinterest and elsewhere, and found several sets of Little House peg dolls, which inspired me to make my own. (Go check out the peg dolls at Along the Way, and Craft Phesine, and be inspired by their steady hand and artistic ability.)

Laura Ingalls and family.

So here's my (super simple) version, which only took me oh, 700 hours, give or take. (I have shaky hands, and had to make several corrections.) The peg doll blanks came from Hobby Lobby, and were painted with acrylic paint.

If you need a set, and don't want to DIY, I found a very nicely done set on Etsy.

V is very happy to have the whole Ingalls family at her disposal now. The plastic pioneers have been relegated to occasional visitors.

Fimo Food for the Pioneer Family

Apparently the settlers are getting hungry. V and I sat down to make them some Fimo clay food today. (She helped with the pumpkins, and made suggestions. L made sushi for his Pokemon. Not exactly Little House related, but whatever, right?)

Fimo pumpkins, eggs, cheese, carrots, lettuce, squash, a watermelon, and blueberries.

I already had some bits of clay, so this was a free project, but at any rate, even if I'd had to purchase the clay, you could make a ton of food for the cost of a couple of pieces of dollhouse food. This would be a fun project just to make for fun, for Barbie Dolls, or Littlest Pet Shop, or whatever.

Rationing out food to the settlers.

Revisiting an Old Favorite: Homemade Butter

Butter, before rinsing and salting.

We've made homemade butter before, but we revisited it this week, after reading about how Laura's mama churned their butter. We talked about what a lot of work it would have been to make your own butter, (and virtually everything else,) instead of just jumping in the car, and driving to the grocery store.

As expected, each kiddo shook the jar approximately 5 seconds, leaving me to shake it for the other 20 minutes or so.

V, in her new favorite outfit, (read: dance costume,)  shaking the jar.

I persuaded L to try the buttermilk, which Laura and Mary apparently regarded as such a treat. He declared it "yuck." He was more impressed by the butter, on wheat toast.

The final product.

My mother, born in 1949, says she can remember her grandmother making butter, sometimes with a churn, sometimes with a jar when she was a kid.

A New Adventure: The Prairie Primer

Back to school has been a little bumpy for us here. After much consideration, I've decided that maybe we're ready to try something new.

We're starting a modified version of The Prairie Primer this week. It's modified somewhat because my kiddos are younger than the intended audience. L is reading several years ahead of his grade level, thought so I think we'll be able to make it work. (The Prairie Primer is an in depth unit study based on the Little House on the Prairie series.)


I'm not sure whether we'll spend a few months, a year, or longer on this curriculum, it depends on how the kids take to it. I do love these books though, and this period of history. I think the kids are going to enjoy all the opportunities for hands on projects and experiences.

(I picked up my copy of the curriculum for about half price on Ebay, by the way.)

I've been collecting Little House related ideas for a while on my Pinterest board, and loved the little log cabin  from Delightful Learning.  Here's our version, along with a fluffy pipe cleaner forest, some barrels for food storage, and some "Wild Wild West" characters purchased on sale at Hobby Lobby. (I made the roof removable to make the inside of the house and the attic more accessible.)

Our "Little House."

The kids have already suggested several missing components, like Jack the dog, and the grizzly bear. I think this will be a work in progress for us, but the kids are having a blast with it today.