Mooseheart students learn about county's agricultural history

Before it was turned into Mooseheart in 1913, most of the land on which the Child City sits was known as Brookline Farm. And while there is still considerable acreage devoted to crops and animals, basically the eastern half of the campus is devoted to housing, educating and training the children and teens who call Mooseheart home.

In a way, Mooseheart's history is a microcosm of Kane County in general. Once nearly entirely rural, now only 60 percent of the land area of Kane County remains involved in agriculture, according to the census by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And only 10 percent of the county's population participates in agribusiness.

So it is not surprising that many of the 1,700 schoolchildren attending this year's Ag Days at Mooseheart's Fieldhouse are unfamiliar with the way in which agriculture impacts their lives. Ag Days is a three-day show put on by the Kane County Farm Bureau which takes place during National Agriculture Week, which culminates this year with National Ag Day on March 20.

On March 17, the second of the three days, Mooseheart's fourth- and fifth-grade students visited the exhibits with their teacher, Betty Wells.

"We live in Illinois, so I teach about corn, and how the soil and the climate teach us how to grow corn," Wells said. "But the word 'agriculture,' you'd be surprised how many of them don't really know the word. So we talk about how important agriculture is in Illinois."

Starting with a chance to touch some real farm animals, students go through a series of exhibits, learning how the various forms of agriculture come together to put food on their tables.

"They're learning a lot," Wells said. "The presentations are great because they're short. They're to the point with a lot of hands-on activities. They come down and they learn a lot and they love it," Wells said. "Even though we may teach it in school. They are here meeting farmers and people who are experienced in what they do."

While most Mooseheart students do not have an agricultural background, they do have experience with animals. When asked by area high school 4-H representatives how many were involved in the organization, most of the class members' hands shot into the air.

The Mooseheart group is out of the norm because they actually work with these animals," Kane County Farm Bureau Literacy Coordinator Suzi Myers said. "Most of the children coming through here have nothing to do with agriculture any more. Most people are two generations removed from the farm. We have some people who come through here who think that the little calves are dogs."

Some of those 4-H students hailed from decidedly nonrural areas such as Aurora and St. Charles. Living on a farm is not a requirement for membership. But there are still some who have farming roots and who aspire to continue the county's agricultural tradition.

Carolyn Thompson, a St. Charles East High School student who is a 4-H member, sees agriculture in action firsthand.

"I grew up in Plato Center on a farm," Thompson said, who added that one day she hopes to be able to take over that family farm. "St. Charles used to have a lot more fields. I grew up on a farm. My grandpa farmed and my dad has been doing it also and I'm helping out on farms."

Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, between Route 31 and Randall Road.

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations. Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. For information on the Moose organization, visit mooseheart.org, or call (630) 966-2229.