I was honored and delighted when, a little while ago, Cassi from The Crafty Crow wrote to ask if I would write a little post for her super-stunning blog about our favorite book. I said ‘Yes!’ with great excitement, and then didn’t even have to think far to know what book I’d write about. Little House on the Prairie, of course! Kitty and I started this series at about this time last year when she was 6 and we whizzed through all 7 books in a matter of months. With Cassi’s request, I asked Kitty if she’d like to start the books from the beginning again. ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ was her reply and so now we are deep into the utter gorgeousness that is Little House on the Prairie. And this time, Teddy is loving it too. I love our ‘bedtime chapter’ (or two or three) just as much as Kitty and Teddy do which makes this book such a pleasure to read to my children. But, what I love even more, is seeing how the stories spark such wonderful imaginative play.
We have designated a spot in the back yard that is our Little House on the Prairie. We found and old wooden sink and stove and Teddy and Kitty have filled their little outdoor house with all manner of furniture… a stump for a seat, a kitchen table and even a washing line. They play in their ‘house’ endlessly… usually Kitty is “Laura” and Teddy whoever Kitty says he is… Baby Carrie, Pa and even Jack the dog!
The first hour of their play usually entails getting the little house clean. It sits under our Golden Oak that is a terrible leaf dropper. Teddy and Kitty sweep leaves from the kitchen and living room endlessly. They dust the table and chairs and rearrange the furniture. I often giggle inside at the amount of work they do to keep their house clean… not far from the truth, I think!
Our Little House on the Prairie
The ‘kitchen’
The sink.
Raking the leaves away.
Keeping the little house tidy.
Their Little House even has a fire place for them to cook their meals and boil the water they need for their tea. Kitty and Teddy collected stones for the fire ring. All the leaves that they rake up go into the fire for kindling and then Teddy arranges logs just like he has seen Daddy do when we are camping.
Building the fire.
Admiring the fire.
Then, when the house is ‘picked up’, they start to play. This usually entails some kind of party for ‘Laura’ with ‘Pa’ singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her over and over again.
Playdough cupcake.
And a feast.
Sunday feast.
More ‘Happy Birthday’s’
A child’s work is his play is never so true as when they play Little House on the Prairie in their very own Little House. Watching them is a delight I will cherish.
If you haven’t read this series with your children yet, lucky you!!! It’s such a super summer read.
Blessings and magic, Donni
Share:
Share on facebook
Share on pinterest
Share on email
Donni
Donni Webber is the mom behind the popular natural living Waldorf website and blog, The Magic Onions - where the magic of nature and the wonder of childhood collide to make each moment a precious gift. She is a photographer, writer, crafter, wife and mother of two inspiring young children. Her work has been featured in many popular publications, including HGTV, Better Homes and Gardens, Disney and Apartment Therapy.
15 Responses
What a wonderful spot for your family! I am thoroughly envious and trying to plan how I could fit an outdoor garden into our tiny yard.
Oh my gosh- this is the greatest thing I’ve read in awhile! I had a Little House on the Prairie area when I was little and just loved it. I remember being so disenchanted by my mortar and pestle – like it was taking SO long to grind up those oats.
I’m crossing my fingers we’ll have an area like this in our yard within a couple years. I’ve been biding my time to get started on the series with my now 4 year old. Soon soon! happy playing!
How charming! We read the first 5 books over the winter, and then read Farmer’s boy, which was James’ favourite. As he is only 4, I imagine we will be reading them again. xx
Fun! We’ve also had lots of Little House play off and on. We have a Little House cookbook, from which we’ve made a few “interesting” recipes, and we’ve done Little House crafts before, like a corncob doll and a nine-patch quilt. I’ll have to encourage more Little House pretend play, now, because that little kitchen is precious.
We love Little House on the Prairie here too – not so much the space for a backyard house here! I’m waiting off reading further than Plum Creek with my daughter (I’ve read the whole series many times) until next year, to save some of the goodness for longer :0)
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis
We all know that many of the hazardous chemicals in conventional cleaning products are often carcinogens, neurotoxins, mutagens, teratogens, or endocrine disrupters. Of course these
15 Responses
What a wonderful spot for your family! I am thoroughly envious and trying to plan how I could fit an outdoor garden into our tiny yard.
Sorry.. outdoor kitchen. Oops!
oh the cuteness! I love that mine will still play like that some…don’t want them to grow.
Oh my gosh- this is the greatest thing I’ve read in awhile! I had a Little House on the Prairie area when I was little and just loved it. I remember being so disenchanted by my mortar and pestle – like it was taking SO long to grind up those oats.
I’m crossing my fingers we’ll have an area like this in our yard within a couple years. I’ve been biding my time to get started on the series with my now 4 year old. Soon soon! happy playing!
Your post and review inspired me so much I just ordered the first book for my girls.
Can’t wait to start reading them.
What a great spot to play in! I used to pretend I was Laura when I was a little girl. So much fun!
Becca
this is so great for the kids! I love this idea!
Their little house is wonderful. My girls play Laura and Mary a lot, but also they sometimes play they are ma and pa…
How charming! We read the first 5 books over the winter, and then read Farmer’s boy, which was James’ favourite. As he is only 4, I imagine we will be reading them again. xx
Fun! We’ve also had lots of Little House play off and on. We have a Little House cookbook, from which we’ve made a few “interesting” recipes, and we’ve done Little House crafts before, like a corncob doll and a nine-patch quilt. I’ll have to encourage more Little House pretend play, now, because that little kitchen is precious.
We love Little House on the Prairie here too – not so much the space for a backyard house here! I’m waiting off reading further than Plum Creek with my daughter (I’ve read the whole series many times) until next year, to save some of the goodness for longer :0)
Love! So beautiful!
Thanks, Carlin,
xo Donni
Charming post, imagination rampant. So true, how much tidying up they did in the books, like real life !
Hi Lisa, I know… and, it’s surprising how much our little one’s actually LOVE to tidy up… when we make it part of a game :)
xo Donni