She was born on February 7, 1867, and the early part of her life progressed much as she described in her books.
Little House on the Prairie inspired me as a child and it has continued to do so throughout my adult life. I think it's one of those shows, book series that are timeless. No matter how many times I read the books, or watch the reruns on TV, I just never get sick of them, I love them just as much today as I did the first time I became enamored with them.
Laura and Almonzo
I've since then researched all I could get my hands on about who Laura Ingalls Wilder really was, her parents, her family, her husband etc. There are so many wonderful resources out there filled with interesting information and photographs.
Pioneering Journeys of the Ingalls Family - including a timeline of her life and areas she lived in
Laura's Little Houses - The places she lived and what they looked like
I have to be honest, I haven't read all of the books she wrote, I mainly focused on the original series, but since then I've picked up the rest, those available from my local library, to read.
The Original Series
Little House in the Big Woods (1932)
Farmer Boy (1933)
Little House on the Prairie (1935)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)
By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939)
The Long Winter (1940)
Little Town on the Prairie (1941)
These Happy Golden Years (1943)
The First Four Years (1971)
On the Way Home (1962)
West From Home (1974)
Farmer Boy (1933)
Little House on the Prairie (1935)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)
By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939)
The Long Winter (1940)
Little Town on the Prairie (1941)
These Happy Golden Years (1943)
The First Four Years (1971)
On the Way Home (1962)
West From Home (1974)
"Lost Little House Years"
Old Town in the Green Groves by Cynthia Rylant
Old Town in the Green Groves by Cynthia Rylant
The Martha Years - Laura's great grandmother
Little House on the Highlands
The Far Side of the Loch
Down to the Bonny Glen
Beyond the Heather Hills
Little House on the Highlands
The Far Side of the Loch
Down to the Bonny Glen
Beyond the Heather Hills
The Charlotte Years - Laura's grandmother
Little House by Boston Bay
On Tide Mill Lane
The Road from Roxbury
Little House by Boston Bay
On Tide Mill Lane
The Road from Roxbury
The Caroline Years - Laura's mother
Little House in Brookfield
Little Town at the Crossroads
Little Clearing in the Woods
On Top of Concord Hill
Across the Rolling River
Little City by the Lake
Little House in Brookfield
Little Town at the Crossroads
Little Clearing in the Woods
On Top of Concord Hill
Across the Rolling River
Little City by the Lake
A Little House of Their Own
The Rose Years - Laura's daughter
Little House on Rocky Ridge
Little Farm In The Ozarks
In The Land Of The Big Red Apple
On The Other Side Of the Hill
Little Town In The Ozarks
New Dawn on Rocky Ridge
On the Banks of the Bayou
Bachelor Girl
Little House on Rocky Ridge
Little Farm In The Ozarks
In The Land Of The Big Red Apple
On The Other Side Of the Hill
Little Town In The Ozarks
New Dawn on Rocky Ridge
On the Banks of the Bayou
Bachelor Girl
Replica of Laura's birthplace Source: katboro on Flickr
My children love Little House on the Prairie too, and today as well as our normal homeschooling, we'll be focusing on some pioneer times, and more specifically Laura Ingalls Wilder and her books, crafts, recipes etc.
I'm going to share some links with you all, for all the other fans out there :)
Little House on the Prairie Recipes
Little House Crafts and Activities
Will also be using this lesson plan which I think the kids will enjoy. And this one looks really good too, I think I'll probably use it, not today but for another day.
From left to right: Carrie, Mary and Laura
Pa and Ma Ingalls - Charles and Caroline
She would have been 147 years old today. I'm sure never once in her life, did she imagine she would become so famous and so loved by so many, to the point where almost 150 years later, she is still looked up to and loved by so many.
I'll leave you with some of her quotes :)
"Home is the nicest word there is."
"Every job is good if you do your best and work hard. A man who works hard stinks only to the ones that have nothing to do but smell."
"The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies."
"If enough people think of a thing and work hard enough at it, I guess it's pretty nearly bound to happen, wind and weather permitting."
"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."
"Once you begin being naughty, it is easier to go and on and on, and sooner or later something dreadful happens."
"Suffering passes, while love is eternal."
"You should never be ashamed of work you have done only work that you haven't."
Laura Ingalls Wilder, age 70
14 comments:
We love Laura INgalls Wilder too!
Here in Missouri, we are fortunate enough to live near the last home Laura and Manny lived in - and we've toured it on a school field trip! :) There's also a little home where Rose Wilder wrote some books as well. :)
Thank you for sharing this today. She has been and continues to be an inspiration in my life. I've read her books and am rereading them to my son a chapter a night at bed time. I'll have to explore the links you shared; we too homeschool. Have a wonderful day, Heather
I always loved the books, and then the tv show. Happy Birthday Half Pint!
Awe, we have always loved the Laura Ingalls books. We've been to a few of the places where she has lived. If you ever get to South Dakota you have to visit De Smet, we took some of our grandchildren there and they just loved it.
I always like Little House on the Prairie! Both the books and the TV show. Some day you guys are going to have to come to SE Kansas and visit their Kansas home which isn't too far from me. I've lived here almost 19 years and have never been there myself. :-)
I love Laura Ingalls Wilder! I have read her books in the original series countless times. When my kids were younger, I used to read aloud to them. Thanks for sharing all of these great links.
We are reading the books here. I love them and my kids do as well. Sydney carries the books everywhere, even though she can't read them herself. I remember growing up and pretending to be Laura all the time.
Happy Birthday Laura!
Also, thank you for all the links you shared. Not only are they interesting, but they will help a lot since my kids are so young that visual aid or something hands on is often necessary with the books.
Our whole homeschool curriculum is centered around Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. It's called the Prairie Primer. We are loving it. Reading through the books are such a joy for us.
We have almost all of the books she has ever written. I also have a couple of her journals that were published.
Dean Butler (aka Almanzo)produced a documentary about Laura's life. He also did one about Almanzo. They are GREAT!
http://walnutgrove.org/store/page7.html
If you scroll down the screen you will see "The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder" We also have the Pa's Fiddle music. We have been enjoying that all day.
This is a family fav of ours, last year I blew the budget and bought the entire DVD set to replace the old VHS tapes from when our DD's were little. Worth EVERY penny!! DD#1 recived the first "Little House" book from her kindergarten teacher for being the best reader in class at the end of the year, there was no turning back after that!! Thanks for sharing the list of books I will for sure be putting on our must buy list
I've read all the books and seen all the shows multiple times. She is one of the MOST inspiring people I can think of. I think about all that she endured in her lifetime not to mention all the technological advancements that she witnessed - planes, trains, electric light, refrigeration, air conditioning, vacuums, running water, insides toilets, etc... every day must have been a truly amazing thing for her.
Ah. Love her books. We're currently in the midst of a Little House unit study, studying not only the books but the pioneer era as a whole. And it has been such a nice break from the routine. The kids and I are having a blast!
Oh how I admire Laura Ingalls Wilder and our family adores the Little House series both books & tv. We had the chance to go to Walnut Grove, MN a few months ago, it was my dream come true! If you ever have the chance to go, you really should! The museum and gift shop are amazing and the family that owns the property where their dugout house was on Plum Creek let people drive onto their property to hike around. For me, it was the best place in the world we could have stopped along our way on our trip!
I have always loved the Little House books and the tv show. I would really love to go see her home someday. I didn't know there were other books besides hers and the ones written by Rose. I'll have to check them out. We're saving up our "pop can" money to buy the series on DVD. Those were some of the best shows around!
Thank you for sharing this, some much I didn't know. I too can watch the shows over and over again.
Post a Comment