Lesson 3: Winter Days and Winter Nights
Activities
Activity 1: Life in the Woods vs. Life Today
On the page, "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today," (from Lesson 2) your child can record one thing that he learned about life in the woods.
Activity 2: Chores and Family Roles
Materials: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Discuss the division of labor that existed on the homestead for the pioneers. Ask your child why it was important that every family member help out on the homestead. Explain that as children on the farm got older, they gained responsibility. Discuss some of the responsibilities your own family members have. Assign one of the following options. The second option is more challenging.
Option 1
For this option, your child is provided with a list of responsibilities and chores in the box at the top of the page "Chores and Family Roles" (Option 1) page. He will write them next to the name of the character who performed them in the book. On the second chart, your child will write the names of people in his own family and record their jobs and responsibilities. Some of the chores may be shared by more than one family member.
Answer Key:
- Ma: cooking and churning butter (your child may also mention cleaning dishes)
- Pa: hunting and fishing
- Mary and Laura: cleaning dishes and making the bed
Student Activity Page
Option 2
For this option, your child will use the Chores and Family Roles" (Option 2) sheet to record chores and jobs for each character in the story, writing them next to the name of the person who performed them. Answers may vary. Refer to the Option 1 answer key for possible answers. Other chores may include chopping wood, preparing meat, and washing/ironing/mending clothes.
On the second chart, your child will write the names of people in his family and their jobs and responsibilities. When your child is finished, discuss how Laura's family's chores are similar to and different from those in her own family.
On the second chart, your child will write the names of people in his family and their jobs and responsibilities. When your child is finished, discuss how Laura's family's chores are similar to and different from those in her own family.
Student Activity Page
Activity 3: Homes Today and Yesterday
Materials: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, colored pencils or markers
Ask your child how living in a log cabin in the woods in the late 1800s would be different from living in his own house today. Let your child reread the description on page 4, paragraph 2 of Laura's home. On the page, "Homes Today and Yesterday," your child will illustrate Laura's house in the first box and his own house in the second box. At the bottom of the page, he can record two ways his house is similar to Laura's house and two ways it is different.
Student Activity Page