Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Chapter 5 & 6 Lesson Plan Ideas

Chapter 5: Sundays

Vocabulary Words (My own)
Catechism:  Doctrinal manuals often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorized. 
Sabbath: A weekly day of rest or time of worship.
Woodshed: A shed for storing wood for fuel.

Vocabulary Words (from Garden of Praise)
Solemn
Tan
"Tanned their hide" (I believe in the book it said "tanned their jackets")
Sampler
Nine-Patch Quilt
Find the definitions and tests, HERE and HERE.

Review Questions (My own)
What night did they have their baths? Saturday.
Where did they get the bath water? Melted snow.
Where did they bath? Behind a screen made of a blanket over two chairs.
What kind of quilt was Mary not allowed to work on on Sunday? Nine-patch.
What was Laura's favorite photo in the Bible? Adam naming the animals.
When Grandpa was a boy, when did Sunday begin? Sundown on Saturday night.
Who sat in the front of the sled? James.
What color was the pig? Black.
How many times did Pa spank Laura? Six. One for each year and one to grow on.
What did Mary give Laura for her birthday? A new dress for Charlotte.
What song did Pa play for a special treat? Pop Goes the Weasel.

Chapter 6: Two Big Bears

Vocabulary Words (My own)
Quivered: Tremble or shake with a slight rapid motion.
Calico: Printed cotton fabric.

Vocabulary Words (from Garden of Praise)
Prickled
Powder and Shot
Lantern
Bargain
Find the definitions and tests, HERE and HERE. 

Review Questions (My own)
What was the lantern sides made out of? Tin with places cut in them.
What is the name of the cow? Sukey.
What did Ma do to get "Sukey" to move away from the gate? Slapped "Sukey's" shoulder.
What did Ma do that she had never done before? Pulled the leather latch-string through its hole in the door.
What color was Mary's calico? Blue.
What color was Laura's calico? Dark Red.
What color was Ma's calico? Brown.
What did Pa hit the "bear" with? A big club.

Multiple choice and reflection questions for Chapters 5 and 6, HERE.

Activities:
Read in Genesis about Adam naming the animals.
Color a coloring sheet about Adam naming the animals.
Make a nine-patch quilt block out of fabric, scrapbook paper, or even cut-up magazines.
Listen to the a children's version of Pop Goes the Weasel on YouTube.
Draw a pig.
Color a black bear coloring sheet or two.
Make a paper bear.
Make an origami bear.
Draw a bear or two.
Research black bears in your state.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Chapter 3 & 4 Lesson Plan Ideas

Chapter 3: The Long Rifle 

Review Questions (My own)
Why did Pa tell the girls never to touch a new bullet? It would burn their fingers.
Did Pa ever make a mistake loading his gun? No.
When Pa was home where was the gun always at? Above the door.
Why did Pa always load the gun as soon as he fired it? He did not want to meet trouble with an empty gun.
How did Pa call the cows? "Sukey!"
What happened to Pa's big-toe nail? It was torn off.
What scared Pa in the woods when he was a little boy? A screech owl.

Vocabulary Words (from Garden of Praise)
Ramrod
Thrashing
Hearth
Ravine
Briars
Curlicues
Supported

Find the definitions and tests, HERE and HERE.

Chapter 4: Christmas

Review Questions (My own)
What did Pa make Ma for Christmas? A shelf.
What did Ma set on the shelf? A china woman.
What did Mary and Laura make candy out of? Molasses and Sugar.
What did they use to harden the candy? Snow.
How did the kids make pictures? Fall off a stump into the snow.
Who slept in the attic floor? Pa and Ma.
What did Prince save Eliza from? A panther.
What did Laura get for Christmas that the others didn't? A doll.
What shape was the pancakes in? A man.

Vocabulary Words (from Garden of Praise)
Gaiters
Whittled
Pokeberries
Flatiron

Find the definitions and tests, HERE and HERE.

Multiple choice and reflection questions for Chapters 3 and 4, HERE.

Activities:
Make pancakes in the shape of a man for breakfast.
Do and animal study on panthers or owls. Give a few facts about the animal, cut out a photo of the animal, draw a picture of the animal.
Make a paper owl.
Make a rock owl.
Draw an owl.
Color an owl coloring sheet or two.
Talk to a Master Falconer. *We have one local.
Paint a Little House peg doll family. Find pegs, HERE. See and example, HERE.
Look at photos of the Little House in the Big Woods replica.
Make molasses and sugar candy.
Learn how to make molasses.
Or go to a stir-off. *We have one local here in the fall.

Homeschool: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Chapter 1 & 2 Lesson Plan Ideas

A few books from the series.

Chapter 1 : Little House in the Big Woods

Review Questions (My own)

What is the name of the book? Little House in the Big Woods.

Who wrote it? Laura Ingalls Wilder.

What did Laura call her Mother and Father? Ma and Pa.

What was Laura's dogs name? Jack.

What was Susan the doll made out of? Corn cob.

Vocabulary Words (from Garden of Praise)

Trundle Bed

Banked

Chopping Block

Brine

Lard

Cracklings

Pot Liqour

Headcheese

Roamed

Brindle

Hollow

Wisconsin

Find the definitions and tests, HERE and HERE. 

*Headcheese pickled with vinegar is called Souse and is often made here in Kentucky.

Chapter 2: Winter Days and Winter Nights

Review Questions (My own)

How did Laura and Mary melt the frost on the glass? Put their mouths close and blew their breath onto it.

What did Ma use to color the butter in the Winter? Carrots.

What pattern was on the butter pats? A strawberry with two leaves.

What kind of dolls did Ma make for them after the work was done? Paper.

What did Pa call Laura? Little half-pint of sweet cider half drunk up.

What song did Pa sing when he played his fiddle? Yankee Doodle.

What was Laura's cats name? Black Susan.

Vocabulary Words (from Garden of Praise)

Jack Frost

Churning

Butter Pat

Patty Pan

Trap Lines

Kerosene

Enormous

Find the definitions and tests, HERE and HERE. 

Multiple choice and reflection questions Chapters 1 and 2, HERE.

Geography:

Find North America on world map.

Find our city and state on the map of USA.

Find Wisconsin (Laura's home) on map of USA.

Estimate distance between the two.

Color the Wisconsin coloring sheet from Crayola.

Read other facts about Wisconsin in our Fast Facts about the 50 States book from Scholastic.

Other possible activities:

Make butter with instructions from THIS video.

Make a cornhusk doll, corncob doll, rag doll or paper dolls.

Dalton with his cornhusk doll. Fall 2011.

Ragdolls we saw on our field trip to the Museum of Appalachia.

Build a log cabin out of sticks.

Bailey's log cabin. Made during Winter 2012.

Make dried fruit or jerky to have as a snack.

Being made at this very moment. 

Do animal studies on some of the animals mentioned in the chapters. Mink, Muskrat, Wolves, Bears, Panther, Squirrels, Deer, Rabbits. Give a few facts about the animal, cut out a picture, draw a picture.

Make a lapbook.

Listen to music Pa may have played on his fiddle.

See chapter 3 and 4, HERE.