Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool
After several months, my three kids and I recently finished reading all nine books of the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Reading these to my own kids was like a dream come true.
I fell in love with Laura and her life as a young girl myself and have read through the whole series three or four times. But experiencing them as an adult with children of my own gave me a new perspective than I had before.
Certain parts made me laugh, some parts made me cry, a few parts shocked me, and I took away a few lessons to remember as well.
1. Self-reliance and industry are vital to family life.
We made apple turnovers, like Almanzo took to school, after finishing the book Farmer Boy
Pa might hunt alone all day in the bitter cold, in the Big Woods covered with snow, and come home at night with nothing for Ma and Mary and Laura to eat. So as much food as possible must be stored away in the little house before winter came.
~ Little House in the Big Woods, Chapter 1
The survival aspect of Little House draws many of us into the Ingalls’ life story. It’s so far removed from our own lifestyles that it sounds like an adventure.
Our generation has been given a gift–the gift of leisure–that pioneers didn’t have. How are we investing that leisure time–giving it to hours in front of the television or computer–or dedicating it to our families, our education, and our life mission?
Freedom and purpose emerge through self-reliance and industry. Though there are certain things I hope never to do–like cook a pig’s head, for example–there are other skills I want to do myself and teach my children.
As homeschoolers, we have time to invest into teaching our kids these skills. Laura would be proud.
2. Atmosphere matters.
No that’s not Laura’s cabin, but actually the 200-year-old farmhouse my family currently lives in. Photo by Desirea Rodgers
“What will Pa and Ma say?” Carrie quavered.
“We’ll know when they say it,” said Laura. “They won’t blame you, this isn’t your fault. It’s my fault because I rocked that seat so hard. I’m glad of it!” she added. “I’d do it again!” Carrie did not care whose fault it was. There is no comfort anywhere for anyone who dreads to go home.
~ Little Town on the Prairie, Sent Home from School
I was struck by Carrie’s insight in this passage: “There is no comfort anywhere for anyone who dreads to go home.” How true.
Laura and her family lived through severe ups and downs, yet an atmosphere of togetherness generally characterized her home–patience, family unity, and contentment.
As homeschooling families, we find a lesson in this–the atmosphere we create with our words, our tones, our smiles (or lack thereof) influences our family in profound ways.
3. A little (education) goes a long way.
Photo by Desirea Rodgers
Laura almost wailed, “Oh, Ma! How can I ever teach school and help send Mary to college? How can I ever amount to anything when I can get only one day of school at a time?”
“Now, Laura,” Ma said kindly. “You must not be so easily discouraged. We will hurry and get the work done, then you can study. There is enough figuring in your arithmetic to keep you busy for a good many days, and you can do as much of it as you want to. Nothing keeps you from learning.”
~ The Long Winter, No Trains
Ma dreamed that her children would receive formal schooling. But for years and years, it didn’t happen.
Laura and Mary spent most of their childhood working with the family and playing on the prairie. In reality, they were homeschooled for most of their young lives.
When they finally went to school for a couple of years, they soared to the top of their class. Not only that, both girls demonstrated a passion for self-education, spending hours at home learning by lamplight.
Mary continued her studies, even after she became blind. Laura continued studying even after she became a teacher herself.
4. Keep calm and carry on.
Photo by Desirea Rodgers
Ma sighed gently and said, “A whole year gone, Charles.” But Pa answered, cheerfully: “What’s a year amount to? We have all the time there is.”
~ Little House on the Prairie, Soldiers
The Ingalls family endured severe setbacks–loss of homesteads, debt, sickness, and death. But they continuously demonstrated a calm and grateful spirit, even in the face of tragedy.
I’m fascinated by their example, for as I write in my e-book Mindset for Moms, our reaction to life ultimately influences our circumstances themselves. Our perspectives matter.
Two of Ma’s upbeat sayings have become phrases around our home as well: “All’s well that ends well,” and “There’s no great loss without some small gain.”
5. There’s always room for improvement.
Rocky Ridge Farm, where Laura and Almanzo lived in Missouri and where Laura wrote her books
“Why don’t you like Indians, Ma?” Laura asked.
“I just don’t like them, and don’t lick your fingers, Laura,” said Ma.
“This is Indian country, isn’t it?” Laura said. “What did we come to their country for, if you don’t like them?”
Ma said she didn’t know whether this was Indian country or not. She didn’t know where the Kansas line was. But whether or no, the Indians would not be here long.
~ Little House on the Prairie, Prairie Day
Hmmm. As an adult, I had a different reaction to some of these passages than I remember noticing as a child. I found myself editing a lot as I read-aloud. Some passages I’m surprised haven’t been removed or altered in subsequent printings.
Other parts I skipped touched on the harshness pioneers truthfully experienced, but that I wasn’t yet comfortable sharing with my kids. “Mommy, what’s a massacre?” wasn’t a question I wanted to tackle just yet.
But real life is like that, isn’t it? Imperfect, like we all are, reflecting both the highs and the lows of the cultures we’re raised in.
Several years ago, when Steve and I were moving cross-country, we chose to drive through Missouri so I could visit Laura and Almanzo’s home where she spent the majority of her life, and where she wrote her stories. (Did you know she didn’t even begin writing until the age of 65?!)
I stared in awe at Pa’s fiddle, sat on Laura’s porch, and stood by her grave as well. Like thousands of other Americans, I remain thankful for Laura’s words that have allowed this historical period to come to life for so many readers.
These stories capture our imaginations because they represent what we all desperately want: courage to keep trying in the face of resistance, wonder and desire to have an adventure, and the hope to believe that something better is sure to be just around the corner.
Little House Resources:
- The Complete Little House 9-book set
- The Prairie Primer
- The Little House Cookbook
- The Little House Guidebook
- My Little House Crafts Book
- Little House Site Tours
- The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder documentary
- Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Timeline
Have you read the Little House books to your children? What lessons stuck out to you?
This post originally published on April 2, 2012.
I’m glad you touched on the editing as you read part, my son is nearly 5 and I think he would love these books but my sister and I, inexplicably, never read them as children (so I don’t have the greatest sense of the specifics of them) and I have been concerned about feeling the need for too much editing. . .what do you think, is 5 old enough to navigate most of it so I won’t be editing every third sentence? Thank you!
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It wouldn’t be every third sentence, Elizabeth. Some books required none at all, then other sections/books needed more. I just kind of glanced ahead at a chapter before reading so I could get a heads up. If he has the attention span for it, then he’d probably really enjoy them!
I recently read the series as well as the books on Roses’s life. Basically I have devoured every book I can find in the libraries about Laura and Rose. I can’t wait to read them to my children and take a road trip to all of Laura’s historical sites. Ma is a real inspiration to me as a homemaker.
Have you watched “Pioneer House” a production of PBS? I think you and your family would enjoy it.
It turns out that Rose spent most of her adult life living just 20 minutes from us–and though it’s a private home now, we did a drive by. =)
Do you mean Frontier House? I did watch that and enjoyed it, but would love to know if there’s something else out there!
That could be it. The whole series is great. I caught them all when they first aired.
Caroline and Charles have taught us something in our marriage. I’m very strong-willed and contentious. Needless to say, this does NOT bless my husband. So when I’m trying to support him and lay down my will I quote Caroline: “Whatever you think is best Charles.” (She said that ALL the time in those books). We both laugh and he realizes that I’m trying to encourage his leadership.
Such a lovely post, thank you. I homeschool my 10 year old daughter in England and she loves the Little House books. They’re a source of endless games and we also use the cookbook. In fact, I think she expects the whole of America to still be like these books. x
That is so fun to hear, Wendy! And my kids probably expect England to be like Beatrix Potter’s England. 😉 (We’re heading to the UK for a month soon!)
I think I made a mistake by starting my 3.5 year old with Little House on the Prairie, instead of starting from the beginning of the series with Little House in the Big Woods. Like you, I was taken aback by a lot of the “Indian” hating and fear talk, and we too edited a lot as we read. We recently bought Little House in the Big Woods and plan to start that soon with her (we read her chapter books at naps and bedtime, one chapter at a time).
I’ve been composing a post in my head for two weeks about Farmer Boy. One of my favorite things about these books? The FOOD! It always makes me so hungry when the food is described. The Ingalls family ate more simply than the Wilders (who were wealthier), but all of it sounds so delicious!
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Though I’m sure everyone would prefer to read these aloud ourselves as mamas or papas, we have so thoroughly enjoyed the series on CD on road trips. They are all read by Cherry Jones who just does simply an outstanding job. Her voices are just perfect, not too much, but enough. The music: it’s as if Pa played them himself! I highly recommend these. Try to find them at your library! Thanks for reporting this, I enjoyed it as much as the first time.
I’d be interested to know, what skills did the series inspire you to want to learn yourself and teach your kids?
Also, could you give any recommendations for similar style era stories? One that I could recommend is “The Happy Little Family” series. Four books in all. We are on number three now!
What timing! I just started reading Little House in the Big Woods to my kids yesterday then I get your newsletter in my inbox about this post today. 🙂
Thanks for all the resources! These will help immensely!
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My mom read this series to my sisters and me when we were little and we loved them. Interestingly, my mother neither edited nor explained the racist comments in any of the books. She let them alone! And we all understood that they were rooted in fear–fear of danger, death, the unknown. We absorbed the message that we all tend to fear what we don’t understand sometimes, but that in the end, we’re all just people. I guess my mom trusted that we’d get that message because she didn’t feel the need to go back and editorialize. But I understand that reasons moms feel like explaining controversial or difficult passages in books and I’ve done the same thing with my kids at times.
Love this post! We haven’t read the series out loud yet, but my mom passed down to me an old goodie of a book called “Little House in the Classroom” — it’s a 1989 guide to using the books as learning tools–through a 7-unit series. Anyway, I’m excited to use it, so thought I’d pass it along! You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Little-House-Classroom-Christine-Hackett/dp/086653444X Thanks, Jamie!
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I LOVE this post! We just finished Little House in the Big Woods with our three children, ages 11, 8 and 2, and even the 2-year-old was bringing the book to me and asking to read “Big Woods”!
I’m curious about how much you used “The Prairie Primer” and how you liked it. I’m considering using it for the bulk of our schooling next year, but I’ve never heard of that company before. Thanks for the great post and the great resources!
I LOVED this series! My grandma bought me the entire set as a child, and I didn’t have the good sense to take care of them :-(… but I did devour them while I had them! I am going to be reading these with my children, and I don’t plan on editing out any of the story. Yes it shows some things that aren’t… savory… but it’s a true picture of life and mentalities in that kind of setting. Pioneers were brain-washed to believe that the Indians were dangerous. Laura had the good sense to question why people go there if they don’t want to deal with it. Either way, I love these stories and would love to take a road trip to all the different locations she lived in.
I read all of these aloud to my kids. People said that “The Long Winter” was the least interesting to children but mine loved it because we read it in the winter, during a blizzard that snowbound the area for a few days. My youngest daughter would look at every word on each page, carefully and solemnly, and tell me she was ‘reading’ before she actually learned to read. These books were the impetus for her.
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My sister-in-law passed along her box set to my daughters at Thanksgiving, and now we are just a few chapters away from Laura’s wedding! My kids are young, so I know this is only our first time through, but my 4 1/2 YO loves them and can listen to three or four chapters in a row. I have skipped over a couple paragraphs here and there — tonight I skipped what happened to the boy caught up by the cyclone — but as far as the racism goes, I am so impressed by how Laura portrayed both her parents’ points of view. I feel like this helps me explain how we can be more motivated by fear, at times, and how important it is that we strive to be motivated by love, always. The Ingalls and Wilder families are great inspiration to homeschoolers, even as their children attend formal schooling situations. Thanks for this post, and for the above commenter w/ the info about the music. There is much to be treasured in these books.
I enjoyed reading all the posts about Little House. For the past twelve years my husband and I have taken people to Little House Places. We have written three
Little House Books and have two DVDs. I have read the books many times and learn more every time I read them again. I hope you will check out our website and think about joining us in the future.
I cannot WAIT to read this series and do some activities with it! About what age do you think is good to start? She is 6 and loves read alouds so maybe she’s good. I know the Primer is recommended for a little older.
This is so relevant to us as we have been listening through the Little House series as a family! (In fact, I just noticed my comment love post is about Plumb Creek!). These books are just so rich! I’m sure we’ll come back to them again when my youngest is old enough to understand, and I’ll continue to learn from them.
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