Laura Ingalls Wilder’s stories provide a window into pioneer life more than 150 years ago, but their themes still resonate today. Whether you want to learn to plant a vegetable garden, raise backyard chickens, or churn your own butter, this Lifestyle section has great resources inspired by Little House on the Prairie.
Ma was busy all day long, cooking good things for Christmas. One morning she boiled molasses and sugar together until they made a thick syrup, and Pa brought in two pans of clean, white snow from outdoors. Laura and Mary each had a pan, and Pa and Ma showed them how to pour the dark syrup in little streams on to the snow. They made...
Mr. Edwards was taking sweet potatoes out of his pockets. He said they had helped to balance the package on his head when he swam across the creek. He thought Pa and Ma might like them, with the Christmas turkey. There were nine sweet potatoes. Mr. Edwards had brought them all the way from town, too. It was just too much. Pa said so....
Create your own Little House in the Big Woods scene with these beautiful downloadable dioramas by artist Renée Graef.Download the Pepin, Wisconsin diorama here and the Big Woods log cabin here. Once you’re ready to get started assembling, follow along with these diorama instructions: Step One: You will need scissors and tape handy. You...
Caroline, just one more thing. Just remember, the eggs are for selling, not for throwing. —Charles Ingalls, Season 1, Episode 9 – School MomWho could forget how often Ma was able to add a bit of extra spending money by selling eggs from her chickens to the general store? The truth is, keeping backyard chickens for fresh eggs is a...
It’s been a difficult year, and more families are choosing to spend “summer vacation” at home. With no set schedule, it’s easy to fall into a rut that involves a LOT of screen time. To introduce a fun new routine, help your family plan your own Little House on the Prairie pioneer-themed summer camp! We’ve got a daily itinerary of things...
Those stockings weren’t empty yet. Mary and Laura pulled out two small packages. They unwrapped them, and each found a little heart-shaped cake. Over their delicate brown tops was sprinkled white sugar. The sparkling grains lay like tiny drifts of snow. The cakes were too pretty to eat. Mary and Laura just looked at them. But at last...
Ma brought out two long strips of brown wrapping-paper that she had saved. She folded them, and she showed Mary and Laura how to cut tiny bits out of the folded paper with the scissors. When each unfolded her paper, there was a row of stars. Ma spread the paper on the shelves behind the stove. The stars hung over the edges of the...
I’m glad I put beans to soak last night,’ said Ma. She lifted the lid of the bubbling kettle and quickly popped in a spoonful of soda. The boiling beans roared, foaming up, but did not quite run over. ‘There’s a little bit of salt pork to put in them too,’ Ma said. Now and then she spooned up a few beans and blew on them. When their...
At first the splashes of cream showed thick and smooth....After a long time, they began to look grainy. Then Ma churned more slowly, and on the dash there began to appear tiny grains of yellow butter. — Little House in the Big WoodsIn Little House in the Big Woods, Laura recalls how she and Mary would help Ma make homemade butter. Not...
A recent issue of From Scratch Magazine featured some of our fabrics in a quilted snowflake winter pillow DIY. We wanted to share another variation for a winter pillow DIY with this simple four-patch background appliqué snowflake. Both projects feature the beautiful line of Little House on the Prairie fabrics by Andover Fabrics in...
Laura was proud to be helping Ma with the milking, and she carried the lantern very carefully. Its sides were of tin, with places cut in them for the candle-light to shine through. When Laura walked behind Ma on the path to the barn, the little bits of candle-light from the lantern leaped all around her on the snow. The night was not...
We are so pleased to have Linda Halpin back with us to share some quilting tips for beginners. Many of us are inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder to learn some of these lost arts but might be wondering where to start. Here Linda shares tips for beginning quilters to learn old-fashioned crafts for the modern era.How to Choose Patterns to...
Mary was bigger than Laura, and she had a rag doll named Nettie. Laura had only a corncob wrapped in a handkerchief, but it was a good doll. It was named Susan. It wasn’t Susan’s fault that she was only a corncob. —Little House in the Big WoodsIn Little House in the Big Woods we learn about Susan, Laura’s homemade doll created from a...
Mary was sorting quilt blocks and Laura was making a little apron for her rag doll, Charlotte. —On the Banks of Plum CreekLike many other pioneer children, Laura, Carrie, and Mary each had their own doll fashioned out of rags and leftover materials. During the pioneer era, people were not wasteful. They used every scrap of fabric, wood,...
We've been so excited to see all the ways that crafters, homemakers, and fans have been using the Little House on the Prairie® fabrics by Andover Fabrics to create unique projects. Check out the variety of beautiful projects below. You can find fabrics online at Fat Quarter Shop and Amazon.com. Everything from DIY Christmas gifts to...
Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus. —Carrie Ingalls, Christmas at Plum Creek, Season 1, Episode 15In the “Christmas at Plum Creek” episode of the first season of “Little House on the Prairie”, each member of the Ingalls family works hard and makes sacrifices to give gifts to other family members. It reminds me of O. Henry’s ironic short story...
Almanzo trudged slowly toward the hayfield with the heavy pail and a dipper. He thought to himself that the pail was too full, he might spill some of the egg-nog… He should do something to save it. So he set down the pail, he dipped the dipper full, and he drank. The cold egg-nog slid smoothly down his throat, and it made him cool...
Then they plunged their hands into the stockings again. And they pulled out two long, long, sticks of candy. It was peppermint candy, striped red and white. They looked and looked at the beautiful candy, and Laura licked her stick, just one lick. —Little House on the PrairieWhile the peppermint sticks that Mr. Edwards brought to Mary...
Christmas was coming —Little House in the Big WoodsChristmas is a special holiday for Laura Ingalls Wilder, and she writes with fond remembrance of the holiday gatherings, special traditions, and heartfelt gifts from her childhood. Her simple joy at even the littlest treasures helps us remember the meaning of the season and how much...
'Let’s make ice-cream!’ Royal shouted. Eliza Jane loved ice-cream….They set the pail in a tub and packed the snowy crushed ice around it, with salt, and they covered it all with a blanket. Every few minutes they took off the blanket and uncovered the pail, and stirred the freezing ice-cream. —Farmer BoyIf you’ve ever made ice cream by...
I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet simple things of life which are the realones after all. —Laura Ingalls WilderWhen I think about the simple things in life, I picture lazy days spent in the sunshine, and summer picnics with my family. An old-fashioned picnic is a perfect time to gather with loved ones, enjoy delicious food,...
Have you ever wondered what games pioneer children played? Laura Ingalls Wilder describes many games and activities in her books, and research shows us a few other games that children played during this era. Here you’ll see a full list of games and activities from the “Pioneer Era” that require either easily made items or no equipment...
My kiddos love "Little House on the Prairie". When it comes to television entertainment, I am always cautious about what my children are watching. I relax when I hear the "Little House on the Prairie" theme song and see Laura Ingalls skipping through the fields as they start to watch the next episode. These timeless stories provide...
The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies. —Laura Ingalls WilderIf you’re like me, watching the Ingalls Family in “Little House on the Prairie” inspires you to learn new skills. Even though most of us will never become homesteaders like...
That afternoon the finished black cashmere was carefully pressed, and then Ma made a big, white cake. Laura helped her by beating the egg whites on a platter with a fork, until Ma said they were stiff enough. “My arm is stiffer,” Laura ruefully laughed, rubbing her aching right arm. “This cake must be just right,” Ma insisted. “If you...
At last, as Grandma stirred, the syrup in the saucer turned into little grains like sand, and Grandma called: ‘Quick girls! It’s graining!’ Aunt Ruby and Aunt Docia and Ma left the dance and came running. They set out pans, big pans, and little pans, and as fast as Grandma filled them with the syrup, they set out more. They set the...
We are delighted to announce the launch of a line of exclusive Little House on the Prairie-inspired designs from Storiarts. This Little House on the Prairie Collection features text and illustrations from the Little House books! Check out their new Little House on the Prairie-inspired product line below. The Storiarts...
The Little House books tell of the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder as she grew up in the Midwest during a time of pioneering expansion and exploration. These beloved children’s books were made even more popular by the “Little House on the Prairie” television series.Quilts and Their Role in Laura Ingalls Wilder's LifeChildren and adults...
While the Ingalls family didn’t have many possessions, they delighted in selecting or making thoughtful gifts for each other. We celebrate that giving spirit with our Little House on the Prairie Gift Guide, which we update frequently. Below you will find seven unique gift guides for each Little House fan in your life. Gifts for the...
My garden is as crowded as my bookshelves, and Laura Ingalls Wilder is a good part of the reason why. I sit down to read, come across a plant, and then want to grow it. Here’s how it happens.Start, let's say, with On the Banks of Plum Creek. By Chapter 2, the family is ready to move into Mr. Hanson’s dugout on their new farm. Jack the...
We can't help but think about how many of the beautiful crafts and goods the Ingalls Family made that are no longer made by hand. While some of their skills feel lost on us today, they can still be enjoyed as hobbies for relaxation or embraced for making personalized gifts. Here are 18 crafts and skills you can learn through the...
Laura kept popping corn and Ma made it into balls until the large dishpan was heaped with their sweet crispness. —These Happy Golden YearsPopcorn has been an irresistible snack for kids since the 19th century, and a food the Ingalls family could grow in their home garden. While there are many kinds of feed and sweet corn, some of...
Laura and Mary made new starry papers for the shelves, and Ma made vanity cakes. —On the Banks of Plum CreekVanity Cakes Recipe: Yield six cakes Vanity cakes are the perfect treat to add to a Little House on the Prairie birthday party, unit study, or gathering. Note: this recipe is adapted from a recipe in The Little House Cookbook, but...
“Laura felt a warmth inside her. It was very small, but it was strong. It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.” —The Long WinterNothing says “pioneer living” quite like making your own beeswax candles. If you’ve never made them before, dipped...
Ma liked everything on her table to be pretty. —Little House in the Big WoodsI remember reading how excited the girls were about receiving not only a stick of candy, but also a penny. And not just any penny, but a shining bright, new penny! And how Ma gushed over her sweet potatoes. When you think about it, it puts everything into...
You can’t beat hickory-cured ham. —Little House in the Big WoodsIn Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods, Pa and Uncle Henry butcher a wild pig. It’s fascinating to read how not one piece of the pig is wasted. Remember when Pa takes the pig’s bladder and blows it up like a balloon? It may sound gross to us today, but the...
Laura did not need to be called next morning. She was up at dawn, and all day she helped Ma bake and stew and boil the good things for next day’s Christmas dinner. Early that morning Ma added water and flour to the bread sponge and set it to rise again. Laura and Carrie picked over the cranberries and washed them. Ma stewed them with...
We would have roast goose for Thanksgiving dinner! ‘Roast goose and dressing seasoned with sage,’ said sister Mary. —Laura Ingalls Wilder in These Happy Golden YearsAs we get ready for the holiday season, it’s time to start thinking about our holiday dinner menu. Will you serve a Christmas ham, wild turkey or a juicy game hen?...
Everything from the little house was in the wagon except the beds and tables and chairs. They did not need to take these, because Pa could always make new ones. —Little House on the PrairieI’m not sure what it is, but there’s just something about covered wagons that naturally draws children in. With a real fabric roof and turning...
Johnny fussed in the bedroom, and Laura quickly pinned her braids, tied on her apron, and said, 'Let me fix the potatoes while you dress him. —These Happy Golden YearsWhen you think of Little House on the Prairie, you may think of the covered wagon journey, Jack the brindle Bulldog's loss and return, log cabin construction or fever ‘n’...
Then Laura gathered up all the paper wrappings, and she helped Ma set on the table the big platter of golden fried mush, a plate of hot biscuits, a dish of fried potatoes, a bowl of codfish gravy and a glass dish full of dried-apple sauce. …and nothing could taste better than hot biscuits and applesauce. —By the Shores of Silver...
She went past the willow valley and played in the prairie grasses among the black-eyed susans and goldenrod. —On The Banks of Plum CreekThere is something timeless and quaint about homemade peg dolls. With no moving parts or batteries, they’re the perfect toy for the fully imaginative play that is so important in early childhood. These...
Now the sun and the wind were hotter and Laura’s legs quivered while she made them trample the hay….She was thirsty, then she was thirstier, and then she was so thirsty that she could think of nothing else. Nothing was ever so good as that cool wetness going down her throat. Ma had sent them ginger-water. —The Long WinterBefore our...
Our Recommended Reading for Children & Young Adults and Recommended Reading for Adults articles have been popular resources for readers interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie. Here is a brief overview of The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories. Buy Now!...
Laura’s gift was a bracelet of blue and white beads strung on a thread and woven together, and Carrie’s was a ring of pink and white beads interwoven. —These Happy Golden YearsThere are few things as precious and timeless as making beaded jewelry with kids. There’s just something almost meditative to sitting with a young child and...
Thanksgiving dinner was good. Pa had shot a wild goose for it. Ma had to stew the goose because there was no fireplace, and no oven in the little stove. But she made dumplings in the gravy. There were corn dodgers and mashed potatoes. There were butter, and milk, and stewed dried plums. And three grains of parched corn lay beside each...
All day long while the girls were in school, Ma made preserves of the red tomatoes, of the purple husk tomatoes, and of the golden ground-cherries. She made pickles of the green tomatoes that would not have time to ripen before it froze. The house was full of the syrupy scent of preserves and the spicy odor of pickles. —Little Town on...
Eliza Jane opened the dinner-pail on her desk. It held…four delicious apple turnovers, their plump crusts filled with melting slices of apple and spicy brown juice. —Farmer BoyApples were a popular fruit for many pioneers because they stored well and could be used in a variety of ways. Every respectable pioneer garden would have...
Laura and Pa went back to the house, carrying those flopping fish. Ma’s eyes were round when she saw them. Pa cut off their heads and stripped out their insides and showed Laura how to scale fish. He scaled three, and she scaled almost all of one. Ma rolled them in meal and fried them in fat, and they all ate those good fish for supper…...
Mary was braiding a new rug. She had cut worn-out woolen clothes in strips, and Ma had put each color in a separate box. Mary kept the boxes in order and remembered where each color was. She was braiding the rag-strips together in a long braid that coiled down in a pile beside her chair. —The Long WinterOn the prairie, no scrap of...
‘Tis the season for all things festive! It’s time to trim the tree, wrap the gifts, and hang the stockings by the fire. This year, why not create your own handmade stockings that remind you of simpler times? With some help from the Andover Fabrics Little House on the Prairie® fabrics collection, you can create stockings for everyone in...
Hurry and get the work done,” said Ma. “And then, Laura, you go to the corn-patch and bring me a green pumpkin. I’m going to make a pie!” “A pie! But how…” Mary said, and Laura said, “A green pumpkin pie? I never heard of such a thing, Ma.” “Neither did I,” said Ma. “But we wouldn’t do much if we didn’t do things that nobody ever heard...
In my younger years—with no husband in sight—I joked that whomever I married must be willing to take a honeymoon trip to all of the Little House sites. When I did find my own “beau,” he was, ironically, a farmer—quite a foreigner to this suburban Boston girl. Although love was the catalyst for relocating from my longtime New England...
Oh, I do, Pa! And you should just see Miss Beadle. She’s the nicest lady in the entire world, and she smiles all the time, and she smells as good as she looks. I came right out and asked, and she says she wears something called lemon verbena. She’s the prettiest lady I ever saw–except for Ma, of course. —Laura Ingalls, Season 1, Episode...
The colors in the sky at sunset, the delicate tints of the early spring foliage, the brilliant autumn leaves, the softly colored grasses and lovely flowers - what painter ever equaled their beauties with paint and brush? —Laura Ingalls WilderI grew up watching “Little House on the Prairie” each day while my mom prepared lunch,...
The doll was sleeping there in the box. Nellie lifted her up, and her eyes opened wide. They were big blue eyes. She seemed to laugh. —On the Banks of Plum CreekThe Little House books were some of my favorite books to read growing up. I would devour each book, ready for the next one. When I thought about the life that Laura and her...
Ma turned the strips of muslin and pinned them together and Laura whipped the new seam, over and over with tiny stitches. —By the Shores of Silver LakeLaura, who didn’t like to sit and make fine stitches as a young girl, became very good at her handicrafts later in life. She made beautiful quilts, lovely buttonholes for a job in town,...
Laura always wondered why bread made of corn meal was called johnny-cake. It wasn’t cake. Ma didn’t know, unless the Northern soldiers called it johnny-cake because the people in the South, where they fought, ate so much of it. They called the Southern soldiers Johnny Rebs. Maybe they called the Southern bread, cake, just for fun. Ma...
Andover Fabrics recently released three beautiful Little House on the Prairie fabric collections. For those in love with all things Little House on the Prairie, the possibilities of what you can make are endless. For example, you can create Little House on the Prairie dresses and bonnets for girls and adults, straw hat decorations, or...
As you read my stories of long ago I hope you will remember that things truly worthwhile and that will give you happiness are the same now as they were then. It is not the things you have that make you happy. It is love and kindness and helping each other and just plain being good. —Laura Ingalls WilderI’ve been so inspired by the new...
Every seam must be exactly right before Ma would let her make another, and often Laura worked several days on one short seam. —On the Banks of Plum CreekWith the so many country-style fabrics available at your local fabric shop, it’s now possible to make some beautiful prairie dresses and sunbonnets that look authentic as well as...
Throughout the Little House books, the Ingalls family stays busy day in and day out making their home cozy and safe. Many of their daily activities were done out of necessity but they also created beautiful playthings, and added ornamental charm to an otherwise simple life. Over a dozen of those crafts are presented in My Little House...
There were several beautiful hats, but Laura knew at once which one she wanted. It was a fine, cream-colored straw with a narrow brim, rolled narrower at the sides. —These Happy Golden YearsA sturdy straw hat was an essential accessory to have on the prairie that could be as pretty as it was practical. With just a few supplies and a...
There was pie plant in the garden; she must make a couple of pies. —The First Four YearsAfter years of living on the plains with her parents, Laura finally settled into a house of her own with Almanzo. In The First Four Years, we learn about Laura’s life as a new wife on the South Dakota prairie. When Laura was getting ready to cook the...
…and then because the air was so fresh and the newcut hay so clean and sweet, she wandered over the field, picking the wild sunflowers and Indian paintbrush. —The First Four YearsTime and time again we read the vivid descriptions of wildflowers in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books. Each book contains descriptions of the beautiful blooms she...
When all the trading was done, the storekeeper gave Mary and Laura each a piece of candy. They were so astonished and so pleased that they just stood looking at their candies. —Little House in the Big WoodsRock candy or sugar candy has been around for centuries, so it’s almost certain that Laura and Mary would have seen something...
Each had a box to keep her treasures in. Charlotte and the paper dolls lived in Laura’s box, and Mary’s quilt blocks and her scrap bag were in Mary’s box. —On the Banks of Plum CreekEveryone loves a treasure box full of mementos of good times to remember. This summer start a new family adventure by creating a treasure box and filling it...
When they came to a plum thicket they set down their big pails. They filled their little pails with plums and emptied them into the big pails till they were full. —On the Banks of Plum CreekLaura loved exploring the plum thickets with her sister Mary and would carefully shake the trees so that only the ripe plums would fall. Mary teased...
Every morning Pa went cheerfully whistling to the field… Now he carried a sack of corn fastened to his belt, and as he plowed, he threw grains of corn into the furrow beside the plow’s point. The plow turned over a strip of sod on top of the seed corn. But corn would fight its way up through the matted roots, and there would be a...
A glossy white cloth covered the table. On it was a beautiful sugar-white cake and tall glasses… ‘Is your lemonade sweet enough?’ Mrs. Oleson asked. So Laura knew that it was lemonade in the glasses. She had never tasted anything like it. —On the Banks of Plum CreekLemonade is a timeless beverage that even little Laura Ingalls enjoyed...
For many of us, gardening is a hobby or even a passion. But there are many people leading perfectly satisfying lives without ever having a garden. It hasn’t always been this way. Gardening is depicted as a normal facet of life in the “Little House on the Prairie” television show and book series, because each settler needed a garden in...
In a classic episode of “Little House on the Prairie,” (Back to School Part 2, Season 6, Episode 2) Laura offers to cook dinner for a special date between Nellie and the handsome bachelor in town, Almanzo Wilder. Nellie’s not the only one with her eye on Almanzo, so Laura has an ulterior motive. She wants to end things between Nellie...
Fans of Little House on the Prairie often talk about the fun times the Ingalls family had together. We’ve captured that spirit of creativity and connection by sharing some of our favorite old-fashioned crafts that you can do together as a family! Celebrate your pioneering spirit with these fun activities.Braided Rug Crafts In the...
An apron was a necessity in Laura’s day; women were used to keeping their everyday dresses clean enough to wear throughout the week, and made sure to protect their special occasion dresses so they would stay pretty and nice. Aprons come in handy these days, too! Here are two easy-sew aprons (adult and child sized) for you to make;...
The garden was growing now. In tiny rows of different greens, the radishes, lettuce, onions, were up. The first crumpled leaves of peas were pushing upward. The young tomatoes stood on thin stems, spreading out their first lacy foliage. —Little Town on the PrairieAlong with the Little House on the Prairie books, Laura Ingalls Wilder...
There are many challenges that come from life on a farm, but there’s a big payoff, too. Food on the table at a farmhouse is as good as it comes. In Farmer Boy, the third book in the Little House on the Prairie series, we learn about life on the Wilder family farm in Upstate New York. Food was plentiful, and Almanzo’s mother was known...
Onions were made into long ropes, braided together by their tops, and then were hung in the attic beside wreaths of red peppers strung on threads. —Little House in the Big WoodsIn the garden, peppers are prolific, and it’s not always easy to know what to do with all of the extras that you inevitably end up with. You can only pass so...
But best of all Almanzo liked the spicy apple pie, with its thick, rich juice and its crumbly crust. He ate two big wedges of the pie. —Farmer BoyApple pie is an American classic. People have been enjoying this warm, comforting dish for generations. We typically think of it as a dessert, but in the pioneering era it was also enjoyed as...
One of my favorite “Little House on the Prairie” television episodes is “Christmas at Plum Creek.” If you’re a fan, then I’m sure that you remember it, too. It’s the episode where Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura, and Carrie face the challenge of finding a way to give each other Christmas gifts at a time when acquiring money — beyond what was...
You can't help but think about food as you read through the Little House books - so much of a pioneer's life revolved around growing and acquiring food on a seasonal cycle. Indeed, large passages of the books are dedicated to the description of food and meals. So it's no surprise that one of the books inspired by the Little House series...