Pioneers

Our pioneer unit started out of a love for the Little House series and a few Dear Canada books, thrown in with a good dose of passion for costume dress up. It was one of those things that had a life of its own, and we truly followed our interests. Below is a list of some of the things we did on our journey back in time, combined with several village tours. I can't say we are finished exploring but our interest isn't intense. It's been fun.

making butter
making jam, biscuits, freshly squeezed lemonade for snack time
drying herbs from the garden

whittling wood
making corn husk dolls
tin can lanterns made with nail hole patterns

visiting a local pioneer cemetery
visiting pioneer villages

graphing the growth of Ontario from the 1750's- present day
tracking on a map where people came from, how long it would have taken and comparing it with today
learning who came to settle, from where and why they might have left

costumes
sewing pillows

listing children's chores and responsibilities
attempting dinner where children are seen and not heard (you can imagine how long it lasted! LOL)

a few we read
Barbara Greenwood series, especially A Pioneer Story; the daily life of a Canadian family in the 1840's and Pioneer Crafts
Sisters in the Wilderness DVD (a favorite)
Little house series
Dear Canada
House Calls; the true story of a pioneer doctor by Ainslie Mansun
Rough Tough Charley by Verla Kay
Pioneer Girl by Mary Caswell