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Each year Mrs. Loretta Knodel reads Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series to the 3rd graders at Avon Elementary School. Five of the 9 books take place just a little over 2 hours away from Avon in DeSmet, South Dakota. This summer Mrs. Knodel invited the 3rd and 4th graders along with their families to join her in DeSmet, SD to help bring the series to life. Those gathering for the learning experience ranged in age from 5 months old to grandparents. The group of 49 participants met on July 7th at the Laura Ingalls Historic Homes. They were able to tour three original buildings. These include the Surveyor’s House the Ingalls family lived in during their first winter in DeSmet, the school Laura and her sister Carrie attended, and the final house Charles Ingalls built. Tourists were encouraged to try to play the fiddle and pump organ and look through the stereoscope. Also included in the tour was a replica of the Brewster School which Laura had her first teaching job at, a discovery center with handson activities including learning about Braille, and an exhibit room with items belonging to Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. The group then caravaned to the DeSmet Cemetery to visit the gravesites of the Ingalls family. Buried here are Laura’s parents, sisters, and infant son. Students also found gravesites of other people mentioned in Laura’s books. The group took a break for lunch and shopping. Many families ventured into the construction zone on Calumet Avenue to get to the Loftus store to purchase souvenirs. The Loftus store was a store Laura would frequent during her time living in DeSmet. The afternoon found the group enjoying the myriad of hands-on activities the Ingalls Homestead has to offer. Everyone was able to explore a replica of each type of home the Ingalls family lived in during their travels to settle in the west. This included a covered wagon, a dug out, a homestead shanty, and Ma’s Little House Pa built on the prairie. This is where guests could play the pump organ, use an old-fashioned sewing machine, make a button string toy, and learn to make a braided rug. A laundry station was set up outside the house with lye soap, a washboard, and a ringer. It is safe to say the kittens in the hay roof barn there were the highlight of the afternoon and evening for many of the students. The big barn was a hub for people waiting for pony and cart rides as well as getting on the covered wagons for a ride to the one room schoolhouse. Everyone was invited to take a turn driving the team along the route. Lessons were given at the schoolhouse in spelling, arithmetic, reading, and solving a Mother Goose riddle. Students learned about what school was like in the late 1800’s including what lunches brought from home may consist of. The garage on the homestead offered many activities for all ages. Visitors could shell corn, make corn cob dolls, grind wheat, and make their own ropes. Besides the daytime activities, 9 families spent the night camping at the Ingalls Homestead. They enjoyed supper and a bonfire together while the kids ran and played throughout the evening. Some even slept in covered wagons. They were able to get up in the morning and do their favorite activities again before heading home. It was a great experience for families and friends with new interests sparked to know more about the books, the family, and the Pioneer way of life. This is a trip Mrs. Knodel arranges every other year. The next adventure to DeSmet will be in the summer of 2027