pioneer days - week 1

The big kids and I started back to co-op yesterday. This quarter I am teaching my first class and let me tell you - I feel like I'm student teaching all over again! Lots of planning and crafting and a little bit of nervousness.

I decided to teach a Little House on the Prairie class to kids ages 5-10. I had visions of sewing bonnets and beading bracelets. Then I got my class list. Eight boys, two girls. So I switched gears and now it's more of a class on pioneers. Each week I will read a book or two from the "My First Little House Books" series and then we'll do a craft or game.

For week one we did a brief history lesson on where the American pioneers were traveling and why. Then I read Going West and Prairie Days. Then we made little covered wagons. And we tried corn cakes dipped in molasses just like Laura and Mary ate in our stories. Not a huge hit! And the kids were surprised that corn meal was eaten in some form at almost every meal.



It was a fun hour. Loud and crazy - but I'm used to that. Audrey and Liam loved their classes. Liam is taking Nature Crafts and Adventures in Building. And Audrey is thrilled with her Jewelry Making and Event Planning classes. Should be a great quarter!