We have been listening to the Little House series of books for a while now, and as an educator, I was thrilled when Anne AshLee wanted to have a Little House themed birthday party. She wanted it to be authentic so I found myself getting every Little House cookbook and craft book the library system had. We chose a few recipes: Laura's Heart Shaped Birthday Cakes, Popcorn Balls (which actually did not turn out as balls for me, but they were still yummy!) and Lemonade. We read the picture book of A Little House Birthday, and "Pa" organized the sack races and played guitar while we sang songs from the Little House songbook. We were very fortunate to be able to have this party at a local pioneer park--the homestead cabin was so neat! The "settlers" were really able to see what a pioneer home was like. The park ranger led them in making cornhusk dolls and took them on a hayride. Our wagon had shocks on it, and we talked about what it must have been like to ride in one of these for 4 months with no shocks. Each child got a pioneer bonnet or straw hat to wear, clove candy sticks, and a (used) copy of Little House on the Prairie book. The moms and kids had a lot of fun! One friend commented that is was the most educational birthday party she had ever been to-- Mission Accomplished! History can be fun!
On the flip side, pioneer cooking is not to be taken lightly. I used kitchen tools I have never used before. I can cook, but am not big on cooking "from scratch" so I found myself about to lose my mind the night before. Laura's heart shaped cakes were really butter cookies-- there HAD to be a misprint in the recipe because you couldn't roll the dough into anything! I just kept adding butter until it would stay together--3 sticks later, I had dough! With frosting and sprinkles on them, most kids thought they were great. I vowed to never make another birthday cake again...
The party was a lot of fun to plan, and my daughter really enjoyed coming up with ideas she remembered from the books. We had a great time, but next year, I am thinking something small and low-key....
Pictures from the party in the next post!
Lori, What a sweet idea for a birthday party! Looks like everyone had a great time!
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