Boys and girls were brought up together in mother's rooms until the age of 5 or 6, but later on the etiquette required separate education for them.
The heir apparent began to learn reading and writing at the age of 5 under the direction of a teacher. The boy had to read and memorize texts from the ABC book by singing it in imitation of the Russian Church chant. Church books were often used as manuals for reading, for example, the Psalter - a volume containing the Book of Psalms with devotional material for liturgical use. From the age of 7-8 children study books with samples of writing to develop their writing skills.
The next educational stage covered the period when a child received officials from the Ambassadorial department, who have been travelling abroad and possessed knowledge about countries, languages and culture to be shared with the heir. Children explored different branches of science, including liturgical singing. Study of peculiarities, procedure and texts of the church services was necessary for a Christian sovereign. It is known that Peter I was used to sing in the church choir all his life.
Tsarevnas stayed with mother till the age of 6. Later on they studied the same lessons under supervision of tutoress.
The exposition contains the manuscript Alphabet book by Karion Istomin of 1693. The text was written in ink and painted in watercolours with the use of gold leaf. The book was granted to the son of Peter I - Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and later on it was published by the author, the head of the Print Yard, at a circulation of 300 000 copies.
The Psalter, executed in Moscow in the late XVIth century, a grammar book of the XVIIIth century, a book with written notes of the XVIIth century, the atlas “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” of the XVIth century by Abraham Ortelius are also on display.
The item of particular attention is a children's pointer, which is considered to have belonged to Alexis Mikhailovich. It consists of a wooden polished stick, trimmed with gold tassels and pearls, and an oval cover of gold brocade, embroidered with pearls, emeralds and rubies; the center is finished with plaque of gold with diamonds.
The presented inkstand was executed by Turkish makers in 1761.