Activities for "The First Four Years"

Of all the Little House on the Prairie books, The First Four Years is the most mature. It's on the sad side of things, and leaves us wishing Laura had written more books about her life as an adult. Also, it has a different style than Laura's other books, at least in part because it's just a draft. Laura never attempted publication for The First Four Years. On the other hand, it's a very short book, and my children were especially delighted to hear about Laura becoming a mother.

It was much more difficult for me to come up with activities for this short book. Because of this, I do recommend browsing through the other Little House activities I've posted and following through with any of the "general pioneer" ideas you may not have already completed with your children. In addition, here are some other ideas:

* Make a lapbook for The First Four Years.

* Watch a video about making sausage. You can find some on YouTube. Better yet, try making some sausage yourself.

* Look at photos of headcheese. Go to an old fashioned butcher shop and buy some to eat. Headcheese used to be very common. Why do you think that was? Why do you think it's unusual now?

* Can you find lard in your local grocery store? (Hint: Try an ethnic market.)

* Watch a video of a live birth (if age appropriate).

* Ask your mother to tell you the story of your birth.

* The last chapter in The First Four Years is titled "A Year of Grace." Look up the definition of "grace." Why do you think Laura gave this chapter that title?

More:

Little House in the Big Woods Activities
Pancake Men (from Little House in the Big Woods)
Little House on the Prairie Activities
Little House on the Prairie Birthday Party
On the Banks of Plum Creek Activities 
Little Town on the Prairie Activities
These Happy Golden Years Activities 
Farmer Boy Activities

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