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Laura Ingalls Wilder and
family lived in a dugout home on the banks of Plum Creek in Walnut Grove,
Minnesota. You can find pictures of their home here:
http://www.ingallshomestead.com/virtualvisit/dugout.html .
A dugout home is a home
that is dug into the ground. They were also known as “mud huts” or “earth
huts” because they were dug into the ground.
In order to help you
child learn more about dugout homes have the complete the following
activities.
- Have your children
imagine what it is like inside and outside of a dugout home.
- Have your children to
draw pictures of a dugout home.
- Help them by
describing it to them.
- Explain to your
children to benefits of a dugout home.
A dugout home could be
described as a dark, cave-like dwelling. However, because of the way that
it is dug into the earth it provides an adequate shelter for humans and
animals in that it keeps them out of the elements. In addition, because it
if dug into the earth it maintains a more constant temperature, therefore
though it might be extremely cold outside of the home, it is a more suitable
temperature inside, because the earth acts as a thermal layer for the home.
The same goes for times when the weather outside is hot. Inside the dugout
home, the temperature is more suitable.
The temperatures that are
adequately maintained by the earth is one of the major benefits of living in
a dugout home. You could probably think of others as well, such as the fact
that you do not have to worry about patching a roof.
You and your children can
discuss these benefits and come up with new ideas as well.
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