Little House in the Big Woods - Barbie Log Cabin Made From A Box

The Frog Princess playing first thing after breakfast in her pjs.

The "barn" she built...notice the bear in the metal pot by the pig pen.
They were cooking him for dinner.

Pioneer Barbie "Ma" cooking at on her open fire.

Welcome to our little house in the (not so big) family room. The Frog Princess and I recently finished reading our first Laura Ingles Wilder book and she is digging the pioneer lifestyle. So, instead of building the world's largest Lincoln Log cabin (which I may still do for her birthday with the Freecycled lincoln logs I scored last month) we crafted this little Barbie love shack out of two empty xerox paper boxes.

Yes, that is a fireplace built out of half a kid's shoe box (wrapped in brown construction paper) with lincoln "logs" and a battery operated tea light "fire" Yes, that is a black construction paper stove with a paper towel tube chimney. And yes...those are real packing tape windows with working shutters to let in the light but keep out the bears and wolves. Yes, I know the cat is on the kitchen table trying to eat the roasted chicken. What can I say, she sets her little world up with quite a dose of reality learned from our own household!

Time invested: One little sister's afternoon nap on a Saturday while mom and the Frog Princess glued strips of brown construction paper "logs" to the outside of the box.


Result: Hours of play with pioneer Barbies trying to get through the harsh winter here under the Christmas tree without getting eaten by plastic bears or wolves hiding under the couch. Great plot lines and use of imagination and learning to tolerate Mini-Saurus barging in...and "Mooooommmmm!! She's wrecking everything I just set up!"

Finally, a life long (I hope) love of great books. We found three more from the series at the used book store this weekend and can't wait to dive in as soon as we're finished reading our second-hand Colonial Williamsburg-era books about Felicity from the American Girl Doll book series. I think I may have a hoop skirt sewing project in my future!

Yes, that's the felt play mat as the front yard and pond where the pioneer Barbies bathe and get their drinking water much like the Godavari river but a wee bit smaller!