On the Banks of Plum Creek

How does this story begin?

Page 1 — Laura’s family has traveled to Minnesota; they traded their horses, mule and wagon cover for a dugout and wheat fields

1

Describe the dugout.

Page 10 — A little house dug out of the side of a hill; clean and small; whitewashed; willow branches and sod used for walls and roof

10

Why does Ma say the girls will turn into “water bugs”?

Page 20 — They are always playing in the water and come into the house all wet

20

Why don’t Ma and Pa want the girls to go upstream to the hole full of deep, dark water?

Page 23 — They don’t want the girls to go by themselves in case they drown or get hurt

23

How did Pa teach Laura a lesson?

Page 24 — When she continued to go out into the deep water after being told not to, Pa swam under and grabbed her foot, pulling her under the water

24

What helped Laura stay safe and not go to the swimming hole?

Page 30 — A badger

30

Why did Laura tell her Pa that she disobeyed him?

Page 33 — She felt guilty and she knew she needed to

33

Have you been in a situation where you haven’t been honest and knew you needed to tell the truth? Explain.

Listen to your child’s answer

Why is it exciting for Laura’s family to have a milk cow?

Page 40 — They have been without milk and butter since they left Indian Territory

40

How did the ox get on the roof?

Page 47 — An ox got away from Laura and Jack as they tried to take him to the stable and he ran on their roof. One of his legs went through but out didn’t seem to do any harm; however, the next morning, the roof collapsed

47

Why did the girls get in trouble for playing on the straw stack?

Page 60 — As they jumped, slid and rolled down it, it spread the straw out; Pa needed the straw to be in a stack so he could feed it to the animals throughout the winter

60

Define grasshopper weather.

Page 63 — Warm weather around Thanksgiving; nights are chilly, days are warm

63

Summarize this chapter.

Page 67 — Ma, Pa, and Carrie went to town. Mary and Laura stayed home. Laura saw the cattle trampling and eating the hay. Jack helped them run at the cattle and finally got them to leave to the prairie. The cattle were there because Johnny had fallen asleep

67

What scary event happened in this chapter?

Page 74 — When the Ma and Pa were coming back from town, Bright couldn’t wait to eat at the stable and ran home without listening to Pa. Ma and Carrie almost fell to the riverbed in the wagon

74

What is Ma’s explanation of Santa Claus?

Page 85 — He is more than one person; he is everywhere and he is all the time. Whenever anyone was unselfish, that was Santa Claus

85

Do you agree or disagree with Ma?

Listen to your child’s answer

What special gifts were given and received on Christmas?

Page 93 — Mary and Laura made Carrie a beautiful button string and they all received candy in their stockings. They also received two beautiful horses and got to ride them down to the water

93

Laura was excited about the roaring creek. How would you have felt seeing and hearing so much water so close to your home?

Page 98 — Listen to your child’s answer

98

What sticky situation did Laura get herself into?

Page 101 — She snuck outside and got into the roaring creek holding onto the footbridge. She could have drowned since the water was so strong, but she pulled herself out and was ok

101

If you previously read the book, Little House on the Prairie, compare the home Pa built in that story to the home he built in this book.

Page 107 — In Indian territory, Pa built a home from logs he cut and stacked himself. This home is made from boards that were cut from a machine, there were lots of windows and a lean to attached. Pa also purchased a black stove

107

List two things Laura found exciting as they moved into their new house.

Page 118 — The new stove for Ma; there was so much light coming in from the windows; the curtains Ma had sewn; Laura and Mary’s new room with their own boxes; that she could hear the rain on the roof

118

What did Mary and Laura find along the path Pa told them to take?

Page 128 — Shallow water with minnows, a crawdad and leeches or bloodsuckers

128

Have you ever had leeches stuck to your skin? Explain.

Listen to your child’s answer

Summarize how Pa helped Laura understand the importance of going to school.

Page 138 — Not every child gets a chance to go; he promised her Ma their girls would go; that’s why they moved so close to a town with a school; her Ma used to be a teacher and understands the importance of book learning

138

Summarize Laura and Mary’s first day of school.

Page 152 — They arrived and met a few other kids; the teacher rang the bell and they went inside; the teacher found out their names, ages, and their reading level; the teacher let them borrow her slate; at lunch, everyone else went home while Laura and Mary ate their lunch in the shade

152

Choose two words that describe Nellie Oleson.

Give an example of each from this chapter. Example: Spoiled – Father gave her directions, but she didn’t listen and didn’t get in trouble when she should have; selfish – She has to have her way, playing Ring-around-a-rosy p.155&157

Did Laura enjoy the party? Why, or why not?

Page 160 — Yes and no; yes because she got to play with new toys and beautiful books; no because Nellie yelled at her for almost touching her doll’s silky dress

160

How did Laura get Nellie back?

Page 174 — Guided her into the muddy water with the blood suckers

174

Pa is very kind and selfless. Give an example of a way he showed these characteristics in this chapter.

Page 190 — Giving his hard-earned money to the church to put a bell in the belfry instead of buying himself new boots

190

Describe the devastation in this chapter.

Page 192 — A giant grasshopper cloud came through the area and ate everything in sight. Because the wheat crop is eaten by the grasshoppers, Pa didn’t have wheat to sell and couldn’t pay off the house. Their friends had to move out east.

192

Why did Pa leave?

Page 208 — To go find work since the crop was eaten and the grasshoppers have laid eggs throughout the prairie. There won’t be a crop next year since there will be many more grasshoppers

208

Why was the rain such a blessing?

Page 213 — It had been so dry that nothing new had grown since the grasshopper cloud ate everything. The cattle were starving and the water in the creek and spring was drying up

213

What good news did Laura’s family receive?

Page 226 — Pa was ok and found work. He walked 300 miles to find work and is getting paid a dollar a day and can buy new shoes. He also sent $5 home to them.

226

What does the title of this chapter mean?

Page 228 — Things were bleak and difficult on the prairie without Pa. When things became the most difficult, Pa came home. The symbolism of this title is that at night, just before down, it feels so dark outside, but then morning comes and everything is a little better

228

Did Ma and Pa purchase the chalice and overcoat?

No

Why not?

Page 243 — They both felt they needed to save that money since they aren’t sure what will happen next year

243

For Christmas, everyone in town received gifts from Brother Alden’s Church members in the East. Have you ever given gifts to people you don’t know at Christmas time? How did it feel?

Listen to your child’s answer

What strange behavior did the grasshoppers have?

For three days, they started walking westward. By the fourth day, they spread their wings and flew west in the same type of cloud they arrived in. 262

With your parent’s permission, do an internet search to find out if the grasshoppers’ behavior was common or was a phenomenon.

How did Mr. Nelson act like a good neighbor in this chapter?

Page 271 — He saw the smoke and took the initiative to help put out the fire before it got to the Ingall’s home

271

List two positives and two negatives of living on the prairie during the time Laura and her family lived.

Page 281 — Positives: different type of freedom, simplistic life, learn to work hard, learn to be self-sufficient; negatives: Blizzards are scary; fire is a threat without fire stations; crops can be ruined due to drought and grasshoppers

281

Why did the girls bring in the entire wood pile?

Page 286 — A blizzard hit and Ma and Pa were in town. The girls didn’t want to have to burn up the furniture or die from the cold

286

How did Laura’s family make it through these winter storms?

Page 296 — There was a sunny day between each storm, so they learned to take advantage of the sunny weather and play outside, do laundry, check the traps, cut firewood, etc.

296

What feeling do you think Ma has at the beginning of this chapter?

Listen to your child’s answer

What was the consequence for not listening to it?

Pa is away from home when the storm comes in and they don’t know if he’s safe

Have you ever had a feeling like that before?

Listen to your child’s answer

Why did Ma play games instead of have the girls study?

Page 316 — They were sad and worried about Pa, so she wanted to distract them

316

Why do the girls feel like they can’t cry?

Page 320 — Back during this time in history, it isn’t appropriate for them to

320

Summarize this chapter.

Page 321 — The storm went on fiercely; Ma did the chores and the girls tried to study but couldn’t; the day took a very long time to pass

321

Summarize Pa’s experience in the snow.

Page 326 — He got lost in the storm on the way back from town and decided to keep walking since he would freeze to death if he didn’t. He fell into a hole and was protected from the storm. He fell asleep and woke up with snow over him, but he could breathe. He slept as much as he could, waiting for the storm to end. He had some crackers and Christmas candy that he ate. When he couldn’t hear the storm anymore, he crawled out of his den and saw the house not far away. It was a blessing he purchased the buffalo skin coat and wore two pairs of socks.

326

Why were Laura’s eyes shining?

Page 338 — She was so happy she had tears in her eyes

338