this is AWESOME!
I just have to try this!!
but.....well......
really????
4 WEEKS!!!!
are you KIDDING?
If your thought process went something like this... then the Henderson Variation is for you!
The Henderson's are close friends of ours who just so happen to have a brand new baby. Really, can you blame them for coming up with a shorter term Pioneer Experiment? I don't know if I would have even attempted it for a week when Lenore was just a month old....
So.... without further ado...
The Henderson Variation
Duration: 1 week
The week (any you choose) will begin on a Sunday and end on a Sunday.
We will start and end with a lesson. The first lesson will include "rules" and what to expect. The ending lesson will be a good opportunity to talk about our favorite and least favorite parts of the experiment.
Attire:
Around the house we will be wearing skirts, aprons, and bonnets that I will be making from inexpensive material.
Electricity:
For the week we will use as little electronic devices as possible- no TV, no computer -phones only for emergencies.
Pioneer Activities: We might choose a different aspect of pioneer life to focus on each day.
hand churning butter from cream, making a stitched sampler, letter writing, candle making, making corn husk or dried apple dolls, making rag curls, whittling wood or soap shapes, long walks, etc..
Food:
As for food- we will limit what we eat to foods that would have been available to the pioneers- fruits and vegetables, homemade baked goods- breads, certain meats- no convenience foods! We will try to use a dutch oven when possible- however, I will allow the use of the oven and stove when needed.
Subdivision life:
Since my husband is at work M-Th and won't get to participate in much of the experiment, and as we live in a subdivision and can't light fires in our backyard- I think we will go camping Friday and Saturday so we can let the girls gather wood, cook over an open fire, and experience a little more outdoors- iness.
Reading:
Our local library has many Little House on the Prairie in different age ranges- picture books for my younger daughter and a small chapter version as well as the original. I would like to co-ordinate these books, as well as any others I can find on pioneer lifestyle, through out the week. I would also like to have different real life pioneer stories that might be from our personal family history or of interest.
Field Trip:
Sometime before or after this week I would like to take a short family vacation to Pioneer Village http://www.thisistheplace.org/ in Utah to help reinforce things we will have learned about.
