Little House:  The First Four Years Story Study Lapbook
Created by Heather L.

Instructions

Prologue

Laura’s Song:  Copy down the song that Laura sang.

Chapter One:  The First Year

Marrying a Farmer:  Why didn’t Laura want to marry a farmer?  What deal did Almanzo make with Laura?

Laura felt the life of a farmer was a very hard life.  She didn’t want to be poor all of her life.  Almanzo and Laura agreed that if they hadn’t been successful after 3 years time then Almanzo would give up farming.

Country Living:  Why did Laura prefer country living over living in the town?

Laura loved the beauty of the open prairie and the fresh, fragrant air.  She also loved horses.  She didn’t like all of the closeness of the neighbors and noise in the town.

The Pantry:  Describe the Wilder’s pantry.

Manly’s Thoughtfulness:  What had Manly done that was very thoughtful?

Knowing how much Laura disliked washing windows, Manly arranged to have someone come wash the windows for Laura.

First Large Meal:  Explain what was wrong with the meal that Laura had prepared for the threshers.  How Mr. Perry made things better for Laura?

Laura hadn’t cooked the beans long enough, so they were still hard.  She had forgotten to put sugar in the pie.  Mr. Perry said that he liked it when the pie wasn’t sweetened, so he could make it just as sweet as he wanted.  Then he added sugar to the top of the pie.  He told stories about his childhood to make the meal pleasant.

Manly’s Gift:  What did Manly bring home for Laura?  What she call her?

Manly brought Laura a gray pony.  She named her Trixy.

Bad Neighbor:  Describe how Mr. Larsen was a bad neighbor.

Visitors:  Who stopped by after Manly went to town?  What did Laura do when they came to the house?  What did she do when they went to the barn?

5 Indians stopped by the house.  The front door was already locked, and Laura locked the back door.  She would not let them in the house.  When they went to the barn, Laura got mad.  She flew out of the house and made them leave.

The Blizzard:  How did Manly know that they were in for bad weather?  What happened when the storm hit?  Why didn’t Manly spill any milk?

Manly said the geese were flying fast and not stopping to feed.  When the storm hit, Manly was in the barn.  He quickly took care of the animals and milked the cow.  He tried to make his way back to the house, but got lost a few times prior to making it safely inside.  Once inside, he realized that he hadn’t spilled any milk because it was frozen.

The Holidays:  Where would they spend the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years)?

Thanksgiving would be spent at the Boasts.  Christmas would be spent at the Ingalls.  New Years would be spent at the Wilders.

Laura’s Illness:  Why was Laura feeling ill?  How did Laura respond to the Dr.’s news?

Laura was pregnant.  She decided that she must keep doing what she could to help Manly even though she felt very ill.

Hail Storm:  What damage did the hail storm do?  What would this mean for Manly and Laura?

The hail storm ruined the wheat crop.  It also damaged buildings.  It did damage to the young trees.  It meant that they would not be able to pay off their debts.

The Homestead:  Why were Almanzo and Laura moving to the homestead?

They needed to “rent” the tree claim and house to help pay off debts.  They also needed to live on the homestead in order to get a mortgage on the house on the homestead claim.

Chapter Two: The Second Year

Hay:  Describe how Laura helped Manly.

The Baby:  How did Manly know to go get Ma?  Who came and helped with the birth of the baby?  What did they name the baby?

Laura was acting out of sorts.  Ma, Mrs. Powers, and the Dr. came to help with the birth of the baby.  They had a baby girl named Rose.

Christmas Present:  What had Manly brought home as a Christmas present?  How had he paid for it?

Manly brought home a beautiful clock.  He paid for it by selling a load of hay.

Shep:  What happened to Shep?  Who came to stay after Shep left?  What did he think was his job?

When Rose was born, Shep felt out of place, so he left and never came back.  A Saint Bernard came to visit and never left.  He felt it was his place to watch over Rose.

Chapter Three: The Third Year

Manly’s Surprise:  What did Manly bring home from town?  Why did he get it?  What did Laura think about it?

Manly brought home a hard coal heater.   He felt that it would save them on heating costs plus it would keep the house at a consistent temperature.  Laura thought that he shouldn’t have bought it, but it wasn’t her business.

Illness:  What illness struck the Wilders?  Who took care of Rose?  Who took care of Almanzo and Laura?

First Laura and then Almanzo came down with diphtheria.  Thankfully, Ma took Rose when Laura started to get sick.  Royal came and took care of Almanzo and Laura.

Tree Claim:  Why did the Wilders move back to the tree claim?

Almanzo had worked too hard after the diphtheria, had a stroke, and became partially paralyzed in his legs.  He was unable to work both the tree claim and the homestead claim, so they sold the homestead claim.

Farm Work:  Describe how Laura helped Almanzo around the tree claim.

Evening Rides:  What did Laura and Manly do in the evenings?

Laura and Manly put Rose to bed and went riding on their ponies.  They would check on her and ride some more.

Sheep:  Explain why Laura and Manly decided to buy sheep.

Chapter Four: A Year of Grace

Wolves:  What concerned Laura when she heard the wolf howl?  What did she do?

Laura was concerned that the wolves might try to get the sheep.  She went out to the barn to check on them.  She took the pitchfork with her just in case.

Far Away Lands:  Who stopped by to surprise Laura?  What did he bring?  How did Laura occupy her time in the winter months?

Mr. Sheldon brought a bag of books for Laura.  Laura read the winter months away.

Wind Storm:  Describe what happened to the sheep during the wind storm.

Rose:  Tell about some of the crazy things that Rose did.

A Son:  What did Laura want after giving birth to her son?  What happened to their son?

Laura wanted to have Rose with her.  She wanted to get back to keeping house as soon as possible to take care of Rose and save money.  Their son was taken with spasms and died before the doctor could come.

The Fire:  What was Laura worried about when the house caught fire?  Where did they stay after the fire until Manly and Peter built a new house?

Laura was worried about what Manly would say to her.  They stayed with Mr. Sheldon as his housekeeper.

Farming Success?  Explain how Laura and Manly thought about farming being a success or failure.

Additional Booklets

Vocabulary:  Define words of which you do not know the meaning.

My Tornado Story:  Tell a story about being in a tornado.