But when the city-born children come to Mooseheart they come into their own.

They trap rabbits and woodchucks, fight bumblebees' nests, wade and fish in the creek and go boating and swimming in the river and the clear lake.
When a boy gets old enough to leave the kindergarten and start in the primary school he mixes agricultural studies with his books.

First he plants a small garden and tends it.

Then he is taught to raise chickens.
Next he learns swine husbandry and then dairying and the handling of horses.

The girls learn poultry-raising, butter-making, gardening, cooking, dressmaking and millinery.
After the boy has had a general course in all the branches of agriculture he is permitted to specialize in any one of them if he wants to.