Are you looking for lapbooking materials and activities to use with the book Down Down the Mountain? If so, you’re in the right place!
I’m using this book as part of the Five in a Row (FIAR) Volume 2 (2nd Edition) curriculum. I’ve also created a simple lapbook you can use to accompany this story in your FIAR adventures.
Down Down the Mountain Summary
Down Down the Mountain is the story of Hank and Hetty, two children growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, who dream of owning new pairs of shoes. Their family has no money for such fancy extras, so the children endeavor to grow turnips they can sell…down, down the mountain in town.
On their adventure, the children’s generosity towards the people they meet along the way results in them giving away all but one of their turnips. All is not lost, however, as the children are able to enter their one remaining turnip into the county fair competition and win! Their dream of owning squeaky, creaky shoes comes true.
This is a sweet story about children who work hard to achieve a goal and reap the rewards of doing so. It’s also a story about generosity and kindness, two wonderful character qualities to teach children.
Rowing Down Down the Mountain for FIAR
We enjoyed making a batch of cornbread using the recipe in the manual. We made a regular batch and a batch that was gluten free.
We ate it for dinner along with some ham and beans. It was a fun break from our normal dinner menu! If you plan ahead to have these ingredients handy when you row this story, it will add to the fun.
Finally, she tried her hand at making a drawing using only two colors. For additional examples of this illustration style, we looked at Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening illustrated by Susan Jeffers and Christina Katerina & The Box by Patricia Lee Gauch.
Additional Activities for Down Down the Mountain
We used this draw-along tutorial from Art for Kids Hub to draw a winter cabin. I love using Art for Kids Hub as a tool for simple and easy homeschool art.
I also picked up a bag of turnips from the grocery store. It’s good to get our kids familiar with different types of vegetables, but this is one that hasn’t made the dinner list…like ever! I plan to make this Simple Roasted Turnips recipe.
I honestly can’t remember if I’ve ever had turnips, but everyone in the story seemed to think turnips were delicious. I’m wondering if I might be missing out on something good! Perhaps its something I’ll try growing in my garden this year. It’s one vegetable I’ve never included in my garden.
Supplemental Books (and one movie) for Down Down the Mountain
- Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds by Cynthia Rylant
- The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills
- Dolly Parton Coat of Many Colors illustrated by Brooke Boynton-Hughes
- Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban-Our copy is from 1964 and uses only two colors of ink throughout the pictures as well.
Free Lapbook for Down Down the Mountain
I am happy to share with you the 15-page lapbook I made to accompany this book. It’s currently available in my ever-growing Resource Library for subscribers.
If you sign up, you will have immediate access to the library and this lapbook. You’ll also get access to other incredibly useful resources for your homeschool and personal self-care as a homeschool mom!
Conclusion
I hope this Down Down the Mountain lapbook will benefit you as you use the FIAR curriculum. It also works if you want to read a story that addresses themes of determination, appalachian culture and generosity. Either way, I believe this resource will be helpful and useful in your homeschooling journey!
Do you use lapbooks in your homeschool? Have you ever used Five in a Row? Leave a comment and let me know!
