Books to Read:
More Little House: A Weaving Theme
Books to Read:
The Little House books rely heavily on family anecdotes. Research, dictate and narrate some family anecdotes to gather into a book.
* Check out folk songs
* Go sledding
* Learn some games from long ago: Games From Long Ago by Bobbie Kalma
Food/Cooking
* Donuts (FB)
* Popcorn and Milk (FB)
* Boston baked beans, cornbread pudding (Charlotte)
* bannock, haggis (Martha)
* pounded cheese (Charlotte)
* dried apple pie (Charlotte)
* make butter
* bread
Try recipes from The Little House Cook Book
The Martha Years (This is an ongoing list with more ideas to be added as we read the books with our children and they suggest interests to be explored.)
* Research tartan plaids
* draw and label a map of Scotland
* research bagpipes
* Learn some Scottish dialect and incorporate it into a story of your own.
* Write a fairy story of your own which tells how some place in your neighborhood got its name.
* Martha was heartbroken over the loss of Flora. Make another doll.
* From the description of the baptism, it isn't likely that Martha was Catholic. Research Catholicism in Scotland when Martha was a child
The Charlotte Years (This is an ongoing list with more ideas to be added as we read the books with our children and they suggest interests to be explored.)
* Research and learn The Star Spangled Banner
* Research the war
* News traveled slowly and different newspapers had different slants on the same story. After doing your research, write a newspaper account of a major battle.
* Charlotte's father was a blacksmith. Do you know any blacksmiths? What happened? Think about the trades represented in the parade. How many of them still thrive today? Make a list of the trades and the reasons they no longer exist or have diminished. Read The Village Blacksmith.
* Lewis lost a finger when he had a splinter. Why is this very unlikely today? How has medicine changed? What effect did medicine have on the war? Would Will's outcome been different in a modern war?
* Make a cornhusk doll.
Farming
* Make a barn and animals out of cardboard.
* Start seeds indoors
* Visit the American Minor Breeds Conservancy http://www.albc-usa.org/ and do a narration on heritage breeds and why they are important. Include drawings.
* Research and discuss how farming has changed since Farmer Boy was written.
Sheep/Wool/Weaving theme
* Do National Geographic search on sheep. Narrate your findings.
* Learn to spin
* Learn to weave
* Learn to hook a rug
*Find natural dye recipes in Glues Brews and Goos
* Write a description of above activities
* Copy work: copy nursery rhymes with sheep theme
* Vocabulary, spelling words: ewe, ram, lamb, sheep, dying, felting, weaving, spinning, carding, shearing, scouring, fleece, wool, roving, batting, flock, mutton.... add your own
* Write about the sheep to coat process. Illustrate.
* Check out these websites: * http://www.sheepusa.org/ info on sheep/ industry/ link to kids page
* http://www.sheepusa.org/woolproc.htm - processing wool
* http://www.wool.com.au/education/woolprocessing/index.html five steps to worsted yarn - follow the longs at the left for more info
* http://members.aol.com/rubbersoup/process.htm directions for washing wool
* http://www.nutwood.ltd.uk/wool.htm talks about Jacob fleeces with a UK twist
* http://www.zwool.com/ this is where we send our wool for processing; they have a video available, scroll down the main page. click on other wool products to find wool craft kits.
* http://www.woolmattresspad.com/benefits.htm benefits of wool are discussed
* http://www.loscri.com/processing_wool.htm this is also on processing wool but has some history facts in it
* Memorize "A Symphony for the Sheep" by C.M. Millen
* Read A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm or A Child's Look at the 23rd Psalm
* Felt a Rug
* make Wooly Sheep
* Research the Patron Saint of Weavers: Anastasia or Paul the Hermit
* Research patron saint of shepherds: Bernadette
* Learn some yarn games
* Research and prepare natural dyes and dye the fleece
* Visit a sheep farm. Write about the visit.
* Use A Kid's Guide to Raising Sheep to gain some insight into shepherding
* Make "God's Eyes"
* Collect fleece and prepare it to be dyed. Can you tell the difference in fleece? Shetland is a fine wool; Jacob, a medium wool; Romney, a long wool; Hampshire, a coarse but lofty wool. Which one comes from a meat breed?
Back to the 4Reallearning Booklist
The
Far Side of the Loch
Little
House on Boston Bay 
On
Tide Mill Lane
Down
to the Bonny Glen
Little House in
the Highlands
A
New Coat for Anna
Ox
Cart Man 
Warm
as Wool
