Farmer Boy and J (and some friends)

This school year we are going to read through the nine books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her growing up on the prairie. The first book written was actually "Little House in the Big Woods." We decided to start with her second book, "Farmer Boy" which is about her husband's childhood in upstate New York.

The reason we began with that book is that Almanzo's childhood home is now a museum and will close at the end of September. Since it's relatively nearby, we decided a Road Trip was in order! I invited another homeschooling mom and her lovely daughters to join together for this trip and off we went.

(As a side note, we visited the farm back in 2008.  I wrote a tear-wrenching saga regarding a huge disappointment that I experienced on that trip.  If you'd like to read that post, click HERE.  Please have your tissue box nearby.)

The house is the original restored structure. We were able to tour the inside of the house which is furnished as it would have been when Almanzo lived there. It was so wonderful to see the layout and recall passages from the book as we went around. (Picture from the website. I forgot to take one.)

If you've read the book, here is the stove placement between the parlor and the dining room. This was where Almanzo was when his sister pushed him too much and he responded by...well, I'll just let you read the book if you don't know the reference! (Picture from the website. I wasn't allowed to take any pics inside the house.)

The barns in the back of the house are reconstructed (the originals having burned many years ago). You can't see it in the picture, but the barns were built in a U-shaped pattern with a tall fence in the back that created a penned area for the stock in the winter. We saw where Blossom, Starlight, Lucy, Star and Bright were all housed. The whole farm is so ingeniously laid out and self-sufficient it (almost) made me want to homestead. Almost. (Picture from the website. Now I wished I HAD gotten one to show the cool plan. Another day, another road trip.)

Having stepped back in time, J tried on a straw hat and was instantly transformed into Almanzo II. (By the way, his name was pronounced "Al-MAN-zo." The TV series had it wrong.)

After the tour and a delicious picnic lunch, we crossed the road to see the Trout River where Almanzo and his father fished. Can you tell the youngins were a bit excited? Can you feel the energy zipping in the air?

"Wait!" declared J. In their minds they were all back in 1866 and he felt the need to remind the girls that they were wearing hoopskirts and should be careful when walking to the river. He's a cautious boy.

That lasted until we got to the river and it was discovered that many rocks were available for chucking. J was working on a small boulder while the girls collected their missiles.

Before we left, the children gazed upon the river with thoughts of 1866 in their minds. They were sad to go. They wanted to buy the house and live in it. I said no.

If you'd like to see more about the Wilder homestead, click HERE.