Building a log cabin.

Building a Log Cabin

 
The boys have decided that they want to build a Little House scene that can stay up all year. They started with Legos and made most of the characters into mini figures. They even made a wagon with their Legos. It looks great, but they do not want me to take pictures until it is finished.
They also really wanted to build a log cabin. 

They made up a plan for the cabin.

 They gathered the amount of wood that they would need to build the cabin. 

They started sawing the "logs" the exact size that they needed. 

After several hours they decided that it was a lot of hard work; but,we were able discuss how difficult it would have been for Pa to build a house. It was a great discussion! I am always amazed at what we can learn together when the boys decide to get creative.

 And they are always teaching me that just because our original plans do not come together like we had hoped, something great can come from what we had not originally planned.

They are now working on building a house out of Popsicle sticks.  Pictures will soon follow. They are also working on doing some Little House stop motion episodes. I will post those as soon as they are available.

Making Butter

Making Butter


This week we are still without a washer and dryer. I am learning some very interesting things. I will be writing a separate post just about our laundry adventures very soon.

The boys are loving everything about hanging the clothes on the line and taking them off the line. Do I really want that new washer and dryer?

We bought some cream at the store to see if we could make butter. I halved the cream between two glass canning jars and let the boys shake the jars like crazy. 

One of the boys decided to stop shaking once his hit a nice whipped cream stage. He said he wanted to use it later for hot chocolate. The other boy decided to shake until he started to hear a thumping noise in his jar.

He was really excited to find a lump of butter. 

We put the butter lump on a flour sack and squeezed out the excess liquid. 

That night we used our butter on roasted corn and piping hot biscuits. It was very good. It is always so exciting to be able to make things yourself!!!

On Our Prairie

On Our Prairie

Have you been curious about what is going on with our prairie schooling lately? I am going to try to catch up in the next several posts.  We have been having a lot of fun, but an interesting thing happened. In our second week of The Prairie Primer, when I was about to let the boys have fun learning about hanging our clothes out to dry, our dryer actually went out. So we are now hanging our clothes on the line for necessity instead of  for whimsy.

 

The boys have really enjoyed everything about hanging the clothes on the line.

  

We have a neat place in our area that makes homemade cracklings.  We went by the store one day and bought some to try. The only one of us who liked them was my husband. I let him finish the bag .

                                                 

 

Everyone acted like I was crazy for wanting to get an actual hog's bladder to blow up for the boys to play.  (Yes, they actually did that on slaughter day, according to Little House in the Big Woods.) I decided to just use a normal balloon and pretend it was a hog's bladder. :)  The boys played with it for a long time until it burst.  

That was our excitement this week. Follow along and see how we adapt without a dryer.

In Times Past.....

I am being featured today at R16:16.

Check out my latest Prairie Primer post.

First Day of Prairie School

First Day of  Prairie School

 

For our first day of school we decided to go check out an old settlement from the 1800’s. Since we are using the Prairie Primer  (http://cadroncreek.com/shop/prairie-primer/) ,  we thought this would be a great opportunity to be immersed in that time period. 

 We visited a church/school,

  

a log cabin,

a creek where we threw rocks, 

and an old mill.

At the mill we looked at different grains that they would grind. We were also able to feel the texture. It is a very different texture from how our grains are ground today.

We also saw a wagon.

And we even had a black bear run out in front of us!!!!

We made some great memories. Memories that I hope the boys will recall as we read all the Little House on the Prairie books this year.

Memories with Legos

                      

   Memories with Legos 

I decided yesterday, instead of doing anything else, I was going to sit in the playroom as my two boys played with their Legos. Their imaginations soar when they are in “Lego world”. I watched them build, imagine, and laugh.

 I began to wonder if these are the times they will remember most when they grow up and have children of their own. When we all gather together at Thanksgiving, are they going to be elbowing each other and laughing about the football mini-figure who tripped on a brick running up the mountain?(Apparently this was very funny.) Or are they going to remember fighting over the tiny brown hair they each needed to complete a character they were making? As their children come into the kitchen to help me make a pumpkin pie, are my boys going be searching the closets of their old rooms to find their Legos to relive this day.

I am so glad I stayed in there and watched a memory in the making. 

I am going to join the The UnWired Mom 14 Day Challenge so I will be sure not to miss great moments like these.

The Old Schoolhouse Expo Special Event!!!

                                     See below post for how to win a ticket from me.

                                                       
                                                                     

Get Ready!  Get Set!  No need to “go”!  The Old Schoolhouse invites you to attend a week long Expo event from the comfort of your home!  That’s right!  No fuel costs, no travel involved, no need for a sitter, no waiting in lines!  This Expo includes live presentations from some of the biggest names in homeschooling!  All homeschoolers will benefit from the wealth of information and inspiration shared each day.  Don’t have time to commit to an entire week?  No problem!  The Expo will be recorded and you will have access to any and all sessions that you miss.  What a great way to jump start the school year!  Mark it on your calendar and tell your family you will be attending your first Parent/Teacher conference of the year!   Join us August 19-23 from 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Eastern).  For more information and to purchase your ticket, go to www.SchoolhouseExpo.com. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have access to a bunch of “big-name” homeschoolers all in one place?  Just think how refreshing it would be to gain perspective through the eyes of the ones who have years of homeschooling experience and advice to share!  The Old Schoolhouse is about to make this a reality!  You are invited to join us for a week long Expo Extravaganza event August 19-23 from 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM – all from the comfort of your home and through your favorite device.  You’ll hear sessions from special guests including: 

Ray Comfort		Carol Topp
Dean Butler		Adam Andrews
Todd Wilson		Andrew Pudewa
Jessica Hulcy		Ann Dunagan
Diana Waring		Christine Field
Dr. Jay Wile		David C. Gibbs III
Hal & Melanie Young		David Stelzl
Kim Kautzer		Davis Carman
Antony Kolenc		Evonne Mandella
Terri Johnson		Tyler Hogan
Andy Harris		Marie Rippel
Jennifer Courtney		Deborah Wuehler
Joaquin Fernandez		Heather Laurie
Malia Russell		and MORE!

Don’t wait!  Seats are limited!   Go to www.SchoolhouseExpo.com today and get signed up for an event that will leave you equipped, refreshed, encouraged, and ready to tackle a new school year.

How to win: Click to be a follower of my blog and get one entry.  Get additional entries for every friend that you get to like my blog. Just get them to comment that you sent them. Contest ends Aug. 12, 2013.