The “Little House on the Prairie” TV show wouldn’t have been the same without Melissa Gilbert and Dean Butler. The two made quite the pair as they played the roles of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder. They even share the same birthday month in real life! Melissa Gilbert celebrates her birthday on May 8th and Dean Butler celebrates his birthday on May 20th. Learn more about their lives then and now in these exclusive articles about Melissa Gilbert and Dean Butler.

This month we celebrate Mother’s Day, a time to recognize and honor our mothers and the other important women in our lives. A day when we reflect on all the wisdom they’ve shared with us and feel a sense of gratitude for how they’ve shaped us. For many, Caroline Ingalls was an inspiration and example of a strong, caring mother. She taught us many lessons about life. Which one do you admire most?

There are many portrayals of the Ingalls family across all kinds of media, including the books, the TV show, and the documentary. The real Grace Pearl Ingalls Dow was born May 23, 1877, ten years after Laura. She was only 8 years old when Laura left home to get married. As we celebrate her birthday this month, we invite you to learn the differences between the real Grace Ingalls and the Grace from the “Little House on the Prairie” TV show.

We know many of you miss your family and friends and have been doing a lot of video calls to see their faces and hear their voices. We thought it would be fun for you to use one of these exclusive “Little House on the Prairie” Zoom backgrounds for your next Zoom party. Just click the link in this post to choose and download your image.

An old-fashioned picnic is a fun and different way to enjoy a meal together as a family. After being cooped up at home, it can be a lovely change of pace to spread a blanket or quilt in your backyard and take in some sun while you eat and play games. Or you can set up a beautiful scene indoors and use your imagination if outdoor spaces aren’t available. Either way, Little House on the Prairie shows us the value of taking time to be present with family. Plan your own Little House on the Prairie inspired picnic with our tips for what to make and bring.

Lately, we’ve had to go back to a simpler time, remembering the activities and games the Ingalls family used to enjoy together. Laura and Mary expressed their creativity through paper crafts, playing with paper dolls and fashioning the clothes for them with Ma’s help. We’ve created some beautiful pioneer girl and pioneer boy paper dolls that are ready to be cut out and played with whenever you are!

This month, we’re spotlighting Laura Ingalls Wilder, American Writer on the Prairie, written by scholar Sallie Ketcham. Poised between fiction and fact, literature and history, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life is a fascinating window on the American West. By placing Laura’s life and work in historical context, and including previously unpublished material from the Wilder archives, Sallie Ketcham introduces readers to domestic frontier life, the conflict between Native Americans and infringing settlers, and the West in public memory and imagination.