The When Mother Lets Us series is a collection of books published in the early 1900s. The series covers essential life skills, building projects, arts and crafts, playtime activities, and more. With so many books covering a wide variety of topics, there is something for everyone.

The When Mother Lets Us series is excellent for families who enjoy using living books in their homeschool. Parents could read the books aloud to younger children, or older children could read them independently. Keep in mind that children, especially younger ones may need help with some of the projects and activities in the books. Also, because these books were written over a hundred years ago you may occasionally come across outdated information or have to make substitutions for supplies that are no longer available.

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Where to Find the When Mother Lets Us Books

Fortunately, all the volumes in the When Mother Lets Us series have entered the public domain, making them free to read online. Because the books are free, they are accessible to any parent interested in incorporating the books into their homeschool curriculum. Below, I’ve listed where to find each free ebook.

Free Life Skills Books

These books teach important life skills, such as cooking, household chores, gardening, and caring for pets. They could be used on their own or as part of a home economics course.

When Mother Lets Us Cook by Constance Johnson– Teach your kids to cook with this collection of simple recipes and important cooking rules and tips for beginners. The book begins with easy recipes like boiled rice and scrambled eggs and continues to include recipes for meats, vegetables, sweets, beverages, and more.

When Mother Lets Us Make Candy by Elizabeth Bache and Louise Bache– Children learn to make fudges, brittles, taffies, caramels, and other types of candy with this book. The book covers using a candy thermometer, testing candy, measuring ingredients, and more.

When Mother Lets Us Help by Constance Johnson– This book provides tips to young people who want to help around the house. It includes cleaning, organizing, helping in the kitchen, caring for sick family members, hospitality, and much more.

When Mother Lets Us Garden by Frances Duncan– Beginners learn to grow and care for vegetable gardens, flower gardens, window gardens, and house plants. The book covers everything from when to plant to watering and dealing with insects.

When Mother Lets Us Keep Pets by Constance Johnson– This book teaches how to care for many pets, including cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and others. It describes each animal’s diet, care, habitat, bedding, and common health issues. While much of the information in these books is still useful, some recommendations, especially regarding dietary needs, have changed since its publishing. For more current information, Petco offers free pet care guides for several common pets. Also, STARelief provides free kid-friendly dog and cat care guides.

For more resources for teaching these skills and others, check out our selection of Free Life Skills Curriculum.

Free Making and Building Books

The books in this section are all related to making and building things. They are a great resource for families looking for ideas for incorporating handicrafts into their homeschool. The books about sewing and making gifts could also be used as part of a home economics course.

When Mother Lets Us Make Gifts by Mary Grubb– This book encourages children to make, rather than buy, holiday and birthday gifts. The gift-making projects in the book include needlepoint, sewing, card making, and other paper crafts.

When Mother Lets Us Sew by Virginia Ralston– This guide includes instructions on basic sewing stitches, mending, sewing on buttons, items needed for a sewing basket, and several simple sewing projects.

When Mother Lets Us Carpenter by John D. Adams– Teach your kids carpentry skills with these inexpensive projects that only require a few tools to build. There are instructions for nearly forty projects, including a soap holder, toolbox, kitchen shelf, footstool, and birdhouse.

When Mother Lets Us Make Toys by G. Ellingwood Rich– Encourage ingenuity and resourcefulness with this book of thirty toy-making projects. The projects use common household items like boxes, buttons, and elastic bands.

When Mother Lets Us Make Paper Box Furniture by G. Ellingwood Rich– This book provides instructions for making doll furniture out of discarded boxes. The book includes furniture for the parlor, bedroom, dining room, and kitchen.

Free Arts and Crafts Books

These books help kids learn to draw, make cut-out picture art, and model with clay. They could be used alone or as an addition to your art curriculum.

When Mother Lets Us Draw by Lee Thayer– Kids learn topics like perspective and pencil sketching techniques. Many of the drawing projects focus on nature, such as plants, flowers, and snow-scapes. There are also many cutout paper crafts, including houses, animals, and a windmill.

When Mother Lets Us Cut Out Pictures by Ida Boyd– Following the instructions in this book, kids can create pictures by cutting them out of paper. They may use any type of paper, including discarded wrapping paper.

When Mother Lets Us Model by Helen Adams– Encourage creativity with this book of clay modeling projects. The projects include toys, useful items, and decorative items. The book includes everything from the materials needed for the projects to instructions on finishing the projects with paint and shellac.

 

Free Children’s Activities Books

If your kids want something to do, these books have plenty of ideas. They include playtime ideas, party planning tips, instruction on putting on a play, and story-telling lessons.

When Mother Lets Us Play by Angela Keyes– This fun book is full of games, puzzles, riddles, and even plays for kids to act out. It’s a great way to pass a rainy day.

When Mother Lets Us Give a Party by Elsie Duncan Yale– Encourage hospitality with this book about party planning. The book covers food, activities, games, and numerous party theme ideas.

When Mother Lets Us Act by Stella Perry– If your kids like to act, this book is an excellent introduction to putting on plays. It covers acting tips, costumes, scenery, numerous types of plays, ideas for plays, and more.

When Mother Lets Us Tell Stories by Enos Comstock– Help your kids perfect the art of storytelling. This book teaches about plot, suspense, delivery, style, and more. The information could be used simply for fun or added to your language arts curriculum.

Free Travel Stories

Rather than teaching kids a skill or providing activity ideas like the other books in the series, these chapter books are stories about a family traveling abroad. They would make an engaging addition to your geography curriculum.

When Mother Lets Us Travel in Italy by Charlotte Martin– This book tells the story of an American family traveling around Italy. Through the story, kids learn about the country’s regions, attractions, history, and customs.

When Mother Lets Us Travel in France by Constance Johnson– As children read this story about a family visiting France, they learn about the country’s attractions, history, and culture.

I hope your family enjoys using these free public domain books in your homeschool.

More Free Public Domain Books

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