Through the mousehole . . .

      I will be adding more crafts for mice in mid to late November here, 2024.

How to Craft Mouse Dolls:

• How to make a sock mouse for display...
• Town Mouse and Country Mouse paper dolls - color these in, both are male versions
• The Mousie Bride Paper Doll - in full color
• How to craft mice using dryer lint and cotton batting from my Christmas blog

How to Craft Mouse House and Furnishings:

• How to make a matchbox bed for a mouse... and see a pink country house for a mouse here
• Build a Shoebox House for A Country Mouse
• Craft a Rustic Country Bed for A Mouse
• How to Applique a Round Penny Rug for A Mousehouse
• How to craft a mouse size pot-bellied stove - it really lights up!

Read Mouse Stories Online:

• Whitefoot Spends A Happy Winter by Thorton W. Burgess - third grade reading level
• The Cat, the Rooster and the Young Mouse
• Little Mouse Tales and free book children can print
• Read about the mouse named Peanut who cares for a dollhouse family...
• The Mice and The Weasels
• Grasshopper Green and the Medow-Mice at Project Gutenberg
• The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse by Beatrix Potter
• Kindness Is Never Wasted
• Teaching Church Mice About Church
• Raggedy Ann and The Mouse - 4th to 5th grade reading level
• The Christopher Churchmouse Treasury
• The Country Mouse and The Town Mouse Story
• Christmas in a Mouse Hole

Mouse Book Read Alouds at YouTube:

1. ''There's a Mouse in My House'' read aloud by green grass story
2. ''Chrysanthemum'' read aloud by Storytime with Ryan and Craig
3. ''If you give a mouse a cookie'' read aloud by 5 minutes with Uncle Ben
4. ''Mice'' read aloud by pure star kids
5. "Mouse Soup'' read aloud by ReadingAllowed
6. ''Fierce Grey Mouse'' read aloud by Hubble & Hattie
7. ''Run Home Little Mouse'' read aloud by Meredith Plummer
8. ''Welcome Home, Mouse'' read aloud by Storytime with Judy
9. ''The Mother's Day Mice'' read aloud by Storytime Magic
10. "Mice and Beans'' read aloud by San Joaquin County Office of Education
11. "Goodnight Mice!'' read aloud by The Reading Nook
12. "A House For A Mouse" read aloud by Bed Time Buddies
13. ''A Mouse Called Julian'' read aloud by cawcawbooks
14. ''Brave As A Mouse'' read aloud by Doing It Right

Read Mouse Poems and Rhymes:

• Molly and the Mouse - by Maurine Hathaway - "Five -year-old Mollie Was holding her dollie...''
• Mouse's Tail by Helen Pettes - ''A little Mouse, so clean and neat, Would wash his face and scrub his feet..."
• Mouse Sized Rhymes - "A little white hen, duck and a mouse, Together they lived in a little white house..."

Mice that star in short films:

• ''The Box'' animated short film shown at CGMeetup
• ''Mouse For Sale'' animated short film by Wouter Bongaerts shown at Mickey Mouse Channel
• ''A Fox And A Mouse'' by ESMA shown at The CGBros
• ''Wings'' animated short film SVA Thesis at Gothfrog
• Mouse decorates the Christmas tree by MouseAgility

Mouse Clip Art:

• Church Mouse Bookplates for boys and girls...

Mouse House Video:

• Maileg inspired mouse house by I Spy With My Little Eye
• Building a mouse house for Lionel at the Totowa Library

The Lion and the Mouse - Puppet Show

 by San Marcos Public Library

The Doll Crafters and Young Puppet Masters Art Camp

Sample photos of novelty dolls and puppets from this craft camp for summer fun.

        Our doll/puppet crafter's camp is full of unique and interesting dolls/puppets that young students will enjoy making over the summer break. However, it will take a little time to upload all that I have for this summer camp folks, so please be patient . . .everything is on it's way!

Crafting Novelty Dolls for Summer Fun:

1. How to make egg-carton mermaids - made from recycled materials and patterned scrapbook papers
2. String a soda straw doll - this little doll is made using very simple art supplies
3. Assemble accordion fanfold paper dolls - use origami papers and simple fan-folding technique
4. Craft my envelope babies for fun! - These babies come with templates and also utilize simple envelope folding process.
5. How to make ballerina clothespin dolls - One of many clothespin doll costume designs; if you love making these dancers there are many more thematic clothespin doll designs on our blog to try!
6. Cut a paper-doll-chain to hang in your room - Learn two different folding techniques for this old-fashioned paper doll craft.
7. Make a bead doll necklace - this project combines both beads and buttons...
   
8. How to make an enchanted fairy doll... - These dolls are for outdoor play in the garden of course!
9. DIY a Bead Bottle Lupita - to store your favorite beads for jewelry crafts and to also display small bouquets of flowers...
10. How to craft adorable folk art spoon dolls - These folk dolls have been crafted by children and their parents for over 100 years...
11. Sculpt a clay doll from a pinch pot - using traditional classroom sculpting techniques...
12. Learn to sew an Edith Flack Ackley cloth doll - text and here are the materials you can use to stuff a doll body - This doll is more difficult and requires adult help.
13. Craft your own vintage kerchief dolls... - printable, vintage 1950s ladies
14. DIY a toy soldier candy container - from Thrifty Scissors blog, Fill him with your favorite candies!
15. Learn to sculpt a newsprint African folk doll... - My version of this novelty craft includes a baby in a sling too!
16. Paper dolls for the sewing basket - A great way to organize laces and ribbons in your trim collections.
17. Braid and tie a modern yarn doll... - pom-pom doll head

Cute And Tiny Dolls to Craft or Collect for Your 18'' Dolls:

1. How to sew pillow dolls for 'sweeter than ever' dolly dreams - pillows with personality
2. Make a princess doll themed birthday cake - for your American Girl dolls, My Generation dolls etc... 
3. How to make a Raggedy Ann Doll - free 6'' pattern -
4. How to make a tiny sock monkey for your larger dolls to play with - Traditional sock themed monkeys look so cute hanging from a doll's four-poster bed or rocking in a chair in her bedroom's corner. 
5. Twist and wrap a chenille stem doll - These dolls are only slightly larger than traditional worry dolls. But, they are perfect for your 18'' dolls to dress and play with...
6. Picking tiny baby dolls from resale... - mini doll collections 

How to Sew Traditional Rag Dolls:

1. Sew a simple pew baby for quiet play -
2. Learn to sew an Edith Flack Ackley cloth doll - text and here are the materials you can use to stuff a doll body

Craft Miniature Dollhouses: coming soon.

Make Miniature Puppets and Puppet Theaters for 18'' Dolls:

1. Punch and Judy Paper Theater - printable

Puppet Crafts and Collections for Drama/Theater:

1. Make my caterpillar stick puppet . . .
   
2. Pinocchio the puppet by Hi Sibley
3. How to make a paper monkey stick puppet...
   
4. My latex rubber hand puppet from the 1990s
5. Cut and Color a Scarecrow Finger Puppet
6. Sesame Street Workshop Puppets
7. Color printable paper ballerina finger puppets for toy theaters
8. The origins of ''jumping jacks'' - plus links to free jumping jack printables

Just Talking About ''Doll Play'' and/or ''Puppet Play'' for Educators:

• Master puppeteer Hopey Ford's magical creations inspire children & adults alike
  
• Boys and Doll Play: Why Every Boy Should Have a Doll
• Puppet play: how it helps child development
• Why Aren't There More Dolls for Boys?
• Ricky & Doris: An Unconventional Friendship in New York City With Puppets
• A Craftman's Legacy: The Puppet Maker
• The Becorns: little people photographed interacting with nature by David M. Bird and How to assemble your own nut and seed dolls from Art Education Daily

Recommended Books for Kids:

Stanley cover, first edition.

The Complete Adventures of the Borrowers by Mary Norton - Mary Norton, was an English writer of children's books. She is best known for The Borrowers series of low fantasy novels (1952 to 1982), which is named after its first book and, in turn, the tiny people who live secretly in the midst of contemporary human civilization. Read more about her 'Borrower books'...

The Borrower Films at YouTube:

1. The Original Borrows Film from 1973 - Watch for free from The Film Detective here
2. The Remastered Series ''The Borrowers from 1992 - All episodes here 
3. The Borrowers Film starring John Goodman, 1997 - trailer and behind the scenes here
4. The Borrowers staring Eccleston and Wood, 2011 - Pod's Adventure on British T.V. and behind the scenes here

Hispanic and Latino Heritage

Far left, poster celebrating Cesar Chavez. Center left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor as a
young girl. Center Right, cover from children's author, Alma Flor Ada. Far Right, award
winning actress, dancer and singer Rita Moreno.

 

       "National Hispanic Heritage Month is a period from 15 September to 15 October in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. 
       Hispanic Heritage Month began as Hispanic Heritage Week. Hispanic Heritage Week was established by legislation sponsored by Rep. Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. In 1988, the commemorative week was expanded to a month (September 15 to October 15) by legislation sponsored by Rep. Esteban Edward Torres (D-Pico Rivera), amended by Senator Paul Simon and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the commemoration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Hispanic countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, who all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile, Belize and Puerto Rico celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18, September 21, and September 23 respectively.
       Hispanic Heritage Week was first proclaimed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 in Presidential proclamation 3869. Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan gave annual proclamations for Hispanic Heritage Week between 1969 and 1988. National Hispanic Heritage Month was first proclaimed by President George H. W. Bush on September 14, 1989 in Presidential Proclamation 6021. Since 1989, all Presidents have given a Presidential Proclamation to mark Hispanic Heritage Month." Wikipedia

Internet Educational Resources:

• Listing from the NEA or National Education Association
• Hispanic American / Latino American History
• Overview and Ideas from Scholastic

Doll Play Artifacts:

• Learn About Early History of Colonial Latin America with Josefina Doll
• Learn About Exploring Space With Luciana Vega Doll
• BFC Club dolls: Noelle and Aliesha are twin, Latino sisters

Famous Latinitas For Girls To Read About and Study:

1. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz - The First Great Latin American Poet at EDSitement
2. Juana Azurduy de Padilla - Fought for Bolivian independence...
3. Evelyn Miralles - Engineer from Venezuela who inspires...
4. Policarpa Salvarrieta - The Revolutionary Teen Spy from Puppet History 
5. Susana Torre - An Argentine/American Architect
6. Rosa A. Gonzales - An exemplary nurse from Puerto Rico 
7. Teresa Carreno - A pianist and opera singer
8. Hermelinda Urvina - A pilot from Ecuador
9. Antonia Navarro - A topographic engineer and teacher from El Salvador
10. Matilde Hidalgo - First girl in Ecuador to graduate from high school. She became a doctor...
11. Eva Peron - First Lady of Argentina
12. Julia Alvarez - her biography from Chicago Public Library
13. Gabriela Mistral - She won a Nobel Prize in Literature, 1945.
14. Juana de Ibarbourou - important Uruguayian Poet
15. Dr. Ellen Ocha - works for NASA, astronaut
16. Pura Belpre - an award named after the first Latina librarian who worked for the New York Public Library
17. Mercedes Sosa - famous performer, singer, musician...
18. Sandra Cisneros - story writer and author
19. Mirabal sisters - "the Butterflies" who helped topple a dictator
20. Gumercinda Paez - Elizabeth Mischke reads about this beloved teacher...
21. Isabel Allende -  Acclaimed author, visit her website here...
22. Sonia Sotomayor - Supreme Court Justice
23. Frida Kahlo - famous portrait painter 
24. Julia de Burgos - Puerto Rico poet
25. Rigoberta Menchu Tum - a hero for Native People's Rights
26. Gloria Estefan - a famous singer, here is her foundation's page: The Gloria Estefan Foundation
27. Chavela Vargas - performer, musician and singer 
28. Alicia Alonso - Cuban Prima Ballerina
29. Victoria Santa Cruz - Professor of Drama PH.D.
30. Mercedes Doretti - a Forensic Anthropologist 
31. Claribel Alegria - a poet and novelist from Central America
32. Celia Cruz - The Queen of Salsa and Good Morning America and Latin Grammy Award Winner!
33. Sonia Solange Pierre - a Human Rights Activist
34. Dolores Huerta - Political Activist, Her Foundation
35. Rita Rosita Moreno - from Puerto Rico - actress, dancer and singer
36. Veronica Michelle Bachelet - Executive Director of UN Women
37. Maria Auxiliadora da Silva - self taught, 'outsider' painter from Brazil

School Supplies for Dolls Entering 4th -7th Grade

       The following contemporary school supply or craft supply may be needed for the beginning of the new school year. Check with your doll's homeroom teacher for each assigned classroom list. 

Supply Per Student: 4th - 7th Grade Doll Classrooms

1. Lunch box and thermos may be needed if your doll brings food from home
2. Laptop (provided by school for check-out)
3. Backpack
4. Binders and Folders and Subject Dividers
5. Calendar/planner
6. highlighter markers
7. Notepads and Index cards
8. Calculator (optional)
9. Rulers, hole punch, templates, Scissors
10. Pencils, Pens, Erasers, Pencil Case, Highlighter, Pencil Sharpener
11. Crayons, Watercolor set and or Colored Pencils
12. Glue sticks, Bottle of white school glue
13. Book Covers
14. Combination Lock for a school locker
15. Bandages, small bottle of hand sanitizer 
16. Dry Erase Board and Dry Erase Markers
17. 3 boxes of facial tissues
18. 2 boxes of sanitary wipes
19. shorts, tennis shoes, socks, tees and gym bag for sports
20. personal hygiene: deodorant stick, hair brush, soap and soap box toothbrush and toothpaste
21. Student ID Card, Library Card, Lunch Card

       A School Locker may be assigned to your doll, it is a loan from the school. The locker may be decorated only with things that are easy to remove at the end of the school year. Students are held responsible for the care of school property. Food and/or waste must be removed from the locker at the end of each day in order to prevent insects and rodents from being attracted to the contents of your locker. Lockers will be inspected from time to time to insure the rules are followed. Do not use this school property to store any illegal substances.

A desk will be assigned to your doll at the beginning of the school year.

• School Desks for 18'' Dolls

"Little Blossoms" Doll Summer Camp

Sample crafts for the "Little Blossoms" Doll Summer Camp: flower crown,
daisy flower bed, backyard pond, and watering can.

 

Lessons For "Little Blossoms" Doll Camp: Our flower camp for dolls includes lessons below by Chandler a teacher who lived and taught and wrote several science readers for the Primary Grades based upon the flora and fauna of California.

1. Buttercup: Lesson 1  - Ranunculus californicus, commonly known as the California buttercup, is a flowering plant of the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is a native of California, where it is common in many habitats, including chaparral and woodlands.
2. Buttercup: Lesson 2 - You can also find California buttercups in Oregon and on islands between British Columbia and Washington.
   
3. Parts of the Flower - A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants. Identification chart, parts of a flower.
4. California Poppy - Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy, golden poppy, California sunlight or cup of gold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to the United States and Mexico.
5. Cream-Cup - Platystemon is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the poppy family containing the single species Platystemon californicus, which is known by the common name creamcups.
6. Baby-Blue-Eyes: Lesson 1  - Nemophila menziesii, known commonly as baby blue eyes or baby's-blue-eyes, is an annual herb, native to western North America
7. Baby-Blue-Eyes: Lesson 2  - ''Baby-Blue-Eyes has several sisters, natives of California...''
8. Wild Hollyhock  - Iliamna is a small genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, endemic to North America. It is related to the bush mallows of California.
9. Filaree  - ''The Filaree gets its green rosette placed early in the year. Then, it can send out its flowers early...''
10. Miner's Lettuce  - Claytonia perfoliata, commonly known as miner's lettuce, Indian lettuce, or winter purslane, is a flowering plant in the family Montiaceae. It is an edible, fleshy, herbaceous, annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America. How Native Americans cooked this plant.
11. Wild Portulaca  - ''Some people call Wild Portulaca, Red Maids‚ because she wears such a beautiful red dress, but I think more people know her by the name I use..."
12. White Forget-Me-Not  - This flowering plant is native North America, Alaska, Canada and the United Kingdom.
    
13. Wall Flower - ''If you wish to study a flower that looks like a party and smells like a party, just take a wild Wall Flower...''
14. Shooting Star  - Primula hendersonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae.
15. Trillium - 'Trillium was called the Wake-Robin in the East because soon after it blossoms there, the robin begins to sing..."
16. Iris: Lesson 1 - Some people call this flower the Flag, but as Iris, she is known to all the World.
17. Iris: Lesson 2 - "What an odd flower Iris is! She has caught the curves and the colors of the rainbow and has brought them down to earth...''
18. Blue-Eyed Grass  - ''"Blue-Eyed Grass'' we call these plants because their leaves seem so grass-like...''
19. Fritillaria - The flowers are usually solitary, nodding and bell-shaped with bulbs that have fleshy scales, resembling those of lilies. They are known for their large genome size and genetically are very closely related to lilies. 
20. Soap Root - Botany facts and how this unique plant was once used by minors, pioneers and Native Americans...
    
21. Azalea - Wonderful odor but toxic to eat...
    
22. Johnny-Jump-Up: Lesson 1 - ''Every boy I have ever known, whether his age was seven years or seventy, seems to have a tender spot in his heart for this golden beauty...''
23. Johnny-Jump-Up: Lesson 2 - ''Not many insects visit Johnny-Jump-Up. Perhaps they find her honey too hard to reach...''
24. Farewell to Spring - pollinated by butterflies
    
25. Wild Cucumber  - Root system the size of a man!
    

Flower/Garden Themed Doll Crafts:

• Craft a Doll's Flower Crown (and the child too...) - fit it to any doll or child!
  
• Craft a Daisy Flower Bed for Dolls - Fill it with your doll's favorite flowers, if not daisies.
• 30 Tiny Floral Embroidery Ideas for Doll Clothes -Use these designs to decorate an apron, dress etc. for a child and her doll's clothing.
  
• DIY American Girl Doll Potting Bench - An important piece of furniture for your doll to store her garden tools in and also to learn how to prepare her plants on before transplanting them.
• Daisy Gives a Paper Doll Garden Party - Cut and display lovely paper dolls in a garden setting as long as the wind doesn't carry these away.
• How to craft felt roses for your doll doll camp activities - Every doll wants a garden filled with flowers so that she may display them inside her dollhouse.
• Craft a Watering Can for Your Doll's Garden - Even pretend flowers and plants need fake water to keep them happy and growing day by day...
• Assemble a garden pond for your dolls... - This craft can look new everyday if the children wish to plan it that way.
  
• Antique Floral Postcards for The Dolly Mail  - Dolls can send their friends and family news about the progress made in their lovely gardens through the dolly mail.
  
• How to craft felt carnations for your doll camp activities - Take the Spring flowers into the dollhouse to give it that special gardener's touch.
  

The Flower Children Garden Crafts and Flower Dolls - Miniature pages for young ones to download and print out a book for their dolls to read aloud, in simple verse. Plus new crafts, poems and stories about flowers are also included among these posts as I find them in the archive.

More Flower Poetry:

• Little Spring Verses - Short and sweet little rhymes for young students to recall and recite.
• Welcome, Little Seed! - ''Welcome, little seed,’’ said the sunshine ray, “You must burst, burst, burst, from your coat today.”
• Buttercup Land by Rose Henderson - ''Come, little girl in the new blue frock...'' and illustrated as well
• Rose, When You're Bored With Blooming  - ''I'm glad that there are roses, Roses, Are you glad there's me?'' and illustrated

Flower Songs for Young Children:

• "I love tulips song" CBCKids
• evokids sing "Daisy, Daisy Daisy Bell" - about a girl named after a flower
• Here is The Beehive Song from Super Simple Songs

More Youtube for The Young Gardener:

• Let's plant a garden by SciShow Kids - Young students can learn the basics for growing their very own veggies to eat.
• ''The Tin Forest'' brought to you by Reading Rainbow - Gardens or even forests can grow with dedication and hope in places you least expect...
• ''A Flower for Ambrose'' read aloud by A Book Outside - One of my favorite books to read from my childhood.
• ''Flower Garden'' read aloud by Karen Dzwoner - How does a little girl make a garden grow in the middle of her city?
• What's Inside A Flower? read aloud with author Rachel Ignotofsky - from Brightly Storytime
• Growing a Greener World - Crafting a meadow for children to observe wildlife daily!
• Transform Your Lawn Into a Wildflower Meadow -  Your backyard can become a classroom.

Pioneer Doll Days Camp For Dolls, 2023

Above are just a few examples of the doll crafts under our Pioneer Doll Days
 Camp for Summer. Learn to sew a bonnet, craft lunch pails, make a butter
  churn and put together doll sized washboards for doll play.

       In the summer of 2023, I will be building a collection of articles and activities for our young visitors to teach their dolls about American pioneers. This was a time when immigrants from all over the world settled uncharted territory across the North American Continent. They came with the hope of starting a new life and having land that they could farm and live on with new generations for many years to come. It was not always a time of peace; pioneers experienced calamity, struggle, poverty and survival.

Pioneer Doll Days Artifacts:

1. How to make a lunch pail for a Pioneer doll...  - Learn to construct using paper rolls and clothespins
   
2. Candle Making Mold for Dolls  - recycle and create with golf tees and cardboard
   
3. How Mary and Laura made butter... - use wooden craft sticks and paper mache butter, yum...
   
4. I found a doll sized kerosene lamp!  - hunt in for things that pioneers would have used inside a flee market or resale shop!
   
5. DIY washboards for your pioneer dolls... - It was hard work just to stay clean on the trail or living in a cabin!
   
6. Pottery and cookware for pioneer kitchens you can collect - What do you think your pioneer dolls would use in a kitchen?
   
7. How to Braid a Doll's Rug - Keep your doll's toes warm inside their play cabins...
   
8. Piece a Simple Patchwork Quilt for Your Doll's Bed  - Begin to keep a great pioneer obsession alive!
   
9. Cut and paste your doll's campfire - No matter where your doll sleeps, by a campfire, in a log cabin, sod house or out on the prairie he or she will need to know how to craft a campfire.
10. How to make soap for Pioneer dolls... - or any other dolls
11. How to make Mary's doll, Nettie and Laura's doll, Susan
12. Currier & Ives Prints for The Dollhouse - Pioneer homestead print 
13. How to craft old-fashioned wooden spoon dolls - You can dress these folk figures to look like pioneers if you like.

More Pioneer Doll Camp Crafts:

• Visiting A Pioneer Camp With The Outdoor Explorers!
• Build a Pioneer Wagon from A Box 

More About Manufactured Pioneer Dolls:

• The Faithful Friends Dolls - by doll artist Heidi Ott and a book series set in 1896 on the Illinois prairie
• The Ingalls Family Dolls - characters based upon the Little House book series 
• American Girl Doll, Kirsten Larson  - an American Swedish Pioneer doll

More Folk Dolls Made by Pioneer Children:

• Yarn Dollies: Praire Doll, Poodle, Modern Yarn Doll Version
• Corn Husk Dolls: History, Characters, 
• Hickory Nut Dolls: Miss Hickory Story and Craft
• Hitty Dolls: Her Story and make a wooden peg Hitty for kids

Pioneer Camp Days: Articles and Stories for 5th grade readers thus far.

1. Pioneer Home Life  - How did the pioneers "keep house?"
   
2. A Pioneer Church  - Charming times and music from that old country church.
   
3. A Pioneer School  - In pioneer days, as now, four things were essential to a good school...
4. Going to Mill  - In the "good old days'' they had to resort to various expedients in preparing the food for the table. Perhaps no phase of it is more interesting than the story of how they ground their corn and wheat.
5. Buck-Skin Breeches  - A humorous tale of young love and well...awkwardness
   
6. Money of the Good Old Days - How to survive without cash.
   
7. A Trapper's Predicament - How not to trap a turkey, and wolf, and a crazy man...
   
8. Pioneer Vocabulary - Words which originated out of the necessities of pioneer life

Poetry:

• Where The West Begins by R. H. Ward
• The Pioneer
• The Pioneer by F.B. Linderman
• The Prairie-Schooner by Charles S. Chapman

Books/Video for Young Students - The Pioneer Days:

• The Diary of Sallie Hester: Video 1, Video 2, Video 3
• 9 Terrific Quilt Stories for Kids! and The Patchwork Quilt by Valeries Flournoy
• Read Alouds for Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie Day and Going To Town
• Journey of a Pioneer Read Aloud from Katie Arkfeld

Learning about American Pioneers at YouTube: Advanced Skill Sets of living master craftsman!

• EngelsCoachShop: This channel shares the historically accurate coach builds for The American West and is fascinating for children to watch and learn....
• Raising and Notching the logs of a Pioneer Style Cabin by The Woodland Escape
• Master Canoe Carver Shawn Brigman shows how to build a canoe from a single cedar tree...
• The old colonial homestead tool store and Pioneer Blacksmithing and Master Black Smiths at Beckett's Blacksmithing Shop
• 123 year old sod home built for Oklahoma Sod House Museum
• Pioneer Village Tannery by the Vigo County Parks & Recreation Department
• Finding Freedom in a Frontier Life by National Geographic: Traders and Trappers
• The Way to Native Chronicles: Buffalo Hide Tanning Preparation and Moosehide tannings stretching, fleshing, scraping by Kunaq Tahbone here and Fern Cloud talks about buffalo hide painting here.
• Pioneer Life: Soap Making by Okefenokee Swamp Park
• How to Smoke Meats From The Pioneer Eras: Smoked Bison by Townsends and Smoking Fish at Kuskokwim River Fish Camp and Salting, Curing and Smoking meats from Bill Dixon's smokehouse

Crops In The 18th Century:

• Harvesting Tobacco in the 18th Century from Mount Vernon
• Agriculture in the Old West by the Arizona Ghostrider
• American Indian Planting from Colonial Williamsburg: 3 Sisters Crops: Corn, Beans and Squash
• The unique farming practices of the Hopi: 2000 years of planting

General Histories of The Old West:

• Part 1 - Daniel Boone and The Opening Of The American West and Part 2
• The Real Wild West: A History of The American Frontier
• America's Great Indian Nations - Full Documentary
• The Transcontinental Railroad and the Forgotten Chinese Workers Who Helped Build It
• Why the gold rush is one of the darkest moments in U.S. history
• How Native Americans farmed the great plains of America

Current Personal Histories of The New-Old West:

• I'm a Black Cowboy. This is My Story: Larry Callies
• Wrangling Wild Horses in the Mountains of Montana: From the 9 Quarter Circle Ranch - 3rd generation dude rancher
• Roping as a Way of Life: The Proud History of Texas' Black Cowboys

 

DIY Doll Farmer's Market Stand

Above is our families Farmer's Market Play Set. The rocker was handcrafted using cedar.
I do not know who made this; it was purchased at resale. At the stall is also a real mini
scale and doll sized calculator that we use to add up the cost of the produce.  

 

        I honestly think this doll market set is more adorable than those sold in toy stores today. Which is a good thing, given the prices toy companies charge for them. Most all of the fruits and veggies shown on this post  were made by hand using Sculpey and then painted using acrylics. The cast iron stand and rocker were purchased at a flee market.  

"An abundance and great variety of vegetables and fresh green lettuces are flooding our
 doll's farmer's market. Fine homegrown corn and peppers for roasting are just a few our
 featured vegetables on display."

"Soon a delectable crop of peaches will arrive and every doll knows how marvelous
these taste with homemade ice cream during the summer months."

"Don't forget our berries make the very best fruit preserves for canning and no doll's
breakfast table should lack for blue berries served on top of their morning cereal!"

Our dolls market stall made from recycled crates.

 

     I've included from our crafted vegetable and fruit selections, the typical food items sold at a Mid-Western farmer's market during the summer months of June, July and August in the United States.  If you live abroad or in a Southern state or on an island, the selections you might include in your own toy market could look quite different from ours!

Edible Family Groups at Our Farmer's Market: veggies, fruit, nuts, legumes, herbs, grains, etc...

1. Rose - Peach, Apricot, Nectarine, Apple, Pear
2. Mustard - Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels sprout, Cabbage, Bok choy, Radish, Turnip, Red cabbage, Mustard greens
3. Lily/Onion - Asparagus, Onion, Garlic, Leek, Green Onion
4. Nightshade/Potato - Tomato, Potato, Sweet potato, Peppers (all varieties)
5. Cucumber/Melon - Cucumber, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Squash, Chayote
6. Carrot - Carrots, Parsnips, Celery, Cilantro, Coriander, Fennel, Anise, Caraway
7. Sunflower/Daisy - Artichoke, Lettuce, Sunflower
8. Legume - Beans, Peas, Bean sprouts, Snow pea, Lentil, Jicama, Peanuts
9. Goosefoot/Beetroot - Swiss chard, Spinach, Beets
10. Palm (tags) - Coconut, Dates
11. Mallows - Okra
12. Zingiberaceae- Ginger root, Turmeric, Cardamon, Galangal
13. Rhubarb - Rhubarb root

Left, heritage tomatoes. Center, chip wood baskets full of berries etc... Right, fresh basil.

Left, the Swiss Chard, mushrooms and butternut squash. 
Center, three kinds of potatoes: sweet, red and Idaho.
Right are the giant shallots.

Left, details of pears. Right, details of cauliflowers.

Left, one of our larger doll crates made using big tongue depressors. Right,
the watermelons are painted wooden eggs.

Left the sign details up-close. Right, the back side of our market sign left unfinished
for now... Wew! we are tired!

 Additional Crafts for The Doll's Farmer's Market:

1. How to Craft Crates for a Doll's Farmer's Market Booth
2. Building an 18" Doll's Wooden Market Stall/Booth
3. Faux Chipwood Market Baskets for Fruits and Veggies
4. Antique honey jar labels for your farmer's market product...
5. Printable garden clip art for more signs if you need it....
6. Printable Garden Seed Packs for Dolls
7. Sculpting and painting a rainbow of farm fresh eggs!
8. Craft crates for your doll's market produce and make them look fuller with a crate lid transformation.

We had so many fruits and vegetables to play with that we needed extra tables! See
how to make the larger one in the back here.

  More Market Stalls for Dolls:

• DIY American Girl Farmers Market Stand
• Visit The Farmers Market (Our Mini Harvest) by Doll It Up
• Our Generation - farmer's market and hot chocolate review
• Lea's Fruit Stand Review
• Kit's new garden accessories from American Girl
• A review of American Girl's garden accessories for Kit by Rave & Review
• Doll Artichokes and many more veggies from My Sewing Kit 

What's cool about the farmers market? by Foodwise

More About Farmer's Markets:

• Healthy eating for kids by Oliver and Lucas
• From the field to the farmers market
• Food, Plants and You! - articles about food for kids

Watch more dolls go to market at YouTube:

• American Girl Doll Opens My Life As Farmers Market 

"On the way to our farmer's market."