Wonderwood Academy 2003-4

Jelly– 1st grade
Doodle – Pre-K

Ecclectic w/a Charlotte Mason Twist:
Living Math
Hooked on Phonics
Dolch Sight Words & Spelling
All About Me – Notebooking
Geography – Where in the World Am I? – Notebooking
Ballet/Tap Classes
Swim Lessons
Vacation Bible School
LOTS of library books on LOTS of topics, just because!

Our main course of study:
The Prairie Primer: Literature Based Unit Studies Utilizing the "Little House" Series by Margie Gray (Author)

We used the first three original books:
Little House in the Big Woods
Farmer Boy
Little House on the Prairie

…almost all of the My First Little House Books –
… and lots of the Little House Chapter Books.


Mawgs(Grandma)and Doodle enjoy a snuggle and a story.
Some of the additional resource we used included:
(Many of them are available here.)
The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories by Barbara M. Walker, Garth Williams

Laura Ingalls Wilder Country: The People and places in Laura Ingalls Wilder's life and books by William Anderson
The World of Little House by Carolyn Strom Collins, Christina Wyss Eriksson, Deborah Maze (Illustrator), Garth Williams (Illustrator)

My Little House Crafts Book: 18 Projects from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House by Carolyn Strom Collins (Author), Mary Collier (Illustrator)

My Book of Little House Paper Dolls: The Big Woods Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Renee Graef (Illustrator)

My Little House Songbook (My First Little House Books)by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Holly Jones (Illustrator)

Little House on the Prairie – DVD Set - The Complete Season 1 (1974)
Starring: Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert

We made our very first lapbook, from scratch! It included all KINDS of topics (cross-curriculum) from our unit study on the Little House books.



Front Cover of Little House Lapbook

Inside with extension closed

Inside with minibook open, right flap minibook open


Inside with extension flap up


Animal Tracks Minibook open


Left flap open - animals:cup envelope, vocabulary cards:mini folder

(It would be easier to do this project now, because Hands of a Child has a lapbook project pack called "A Little House in the Woods.")

When Laura started to grow up, the girls lost interest in her story, but NOT in pioneers. They wanted more about LITTLE pioneer girls.

So, we switched over to:
Kirsten: An American Girl

Jelly and Kirsten

Kirsten’s six-book set features her stories of growing up in 1854 on the Minnesota frontier prairie. They include Meet Kirsten; Kirsten Learns a Lesson; Kirsten’s Surprise; Happy Birthday, Kirsten!; Kirsten Saves the Day; and Changes for Kirsten. These stories of a steadfast girl offer lessons about choices and friendship that still touch girls today. Author: Janet Shaw.

Kirsten’s Paper Dolls This set includes paper dolls of Kirsten, Anna, and Singing Bird, plus outfits and accessories that attach with reusable sticky dots. Also included are illustrated backgrounds so girls can re-create their favorite Kirsten stories.

All year long we did as many hands-on projects as we could, (making maple syrup candy, sewing projects, building a log cabin, homemade chicken and noodles, making butter, and also managed a few related field trips (pioneer theater – Promised Valley; science center – baby chicks, growing gardens; Kellog House – 19th century family life).

Maple Sugar Candy on "Snow"


Our paper log cabin – Jelly and Doodle were pleased, and their dolls loved their new home!

The summer of 2004, for Jelly’s 7th birthday, she had an awesome Little House Birthday Party. It was a great end-of-unit-study celebration!!