Russian Unit Study

Russia is an incredible country. It’s the largest country in the world. It shares borders with fourteen other countries. Did you know that half of Russia is covered by forests and it contains one quarter of the worlds frozen fresh water? Russian bank notes have braille marking on them for blind people to know how much money they have in their hands so no one can cheat them. India, Canada, Mexico, and Israel also do this with their currency. There are twenty two republics each with their own constitution. Russia loves diversity. There are more than one hundrend sixty different ethic groups in Russia and more than one hundred different languages are spoken in Russia. Russia has the second largest number of immigrants in the world. America has fourty six million while Russia has twelve million.

Matryoshka Costume:

Matryoshka or Russian Nesting Dolls were created in the 1890’s. The famous Russian wooden toy has Japanese roots. Matryoshka represents a large Russian family where the main figure is a mother. That’s why it is named Matryoshka. The name Matrona was a very popular name back then and this name means lady or mother. Some believe that if you put a note inside of a matryoshka your wish will come true.

1.2 million of these dolls are produced yearly. They are made only from lime trees. A potato paste is used as a primer.

We ordered felt material off of Amazon. Used super glue and glued on different hearts. We did sew the head piece and the dress but you could super glue it, just make sure its big enough to fit easily.

Saint Basils Cathedral:

This orthodox church is located in the Red Square of Moscow. It is an important symbol of Russia which was beautifully built out of bricks. The height of St. Basil’s Cathedral is 65 meters. This Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible. The 9 domes represent the 9 different chapels. There were 9 assults on the city of Kazan.

You will need to google the Saint Bails Cathedral and print out a picture. Use playdough or clay and cover the picture.

Russian Map

Russia is the largest country in the world and made up of eight regions: North Caucasian, Southern Russia, Volga, Central Russia, Northwestern Russia, Ural, Siberia, and Russian Far East. There are eleven time zones across Russian territory. We decided to use food, spices, and herbs to separate the different time zones. My husband went to a Russian/Slavic store and picked up a few items.

Russians love sunflower seeds. It is something that people enjoy sharing together. It reduces stress, helps you stay awake when you are driving, and helps you communicate with others. We always have sunflower seeds in our home. We also always take a bag with us in the car. Sitting around a campfire and sharing seeds is something Russians love doing. When we went to New Zealand many years ago and we stopped by a gas station to ask if they have sunflower seeds, we were told to go to the pet store.

The first thing that disappeared during Covid-19 in Russia was buckwheat and toilet paper. Buckwheat is a survival food, and it is rich in protein. It doesn’t take a long time to cook like beans do and it is so tasty.

Dill is a national herb. It is used in soups, sandwiches, and all sorts of dishes. There is no such thing as having too much dill in a Russian dish.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

We decided to study Squares with Concentric Circles. You will need a 9×12 piece of paper. You want to have 12 squares. Have your child draw circles inside of circles using different colors.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky had a rare condition called Synesthesia. When he heard sounds, he saw color. As a result, he was able to listen to music and paint or draw what he heard.

When he saw the color green which is the most restless color, he heard a violin. White: silence in music. Black: total dead silence. Red: harsh trumpet sounds. Cool red: cello. Orange: violin. Violet: wood instrument. Blue: flute. Dark blue: bass. Very dark blue: organ.

Dmitri Mendeleev

What a great way to learn the periodic table of elements than by playing minecraft. You need to laminate four pages of the periodic table of elements. Use two folders to hold up the laminate papers. On the bottom each person wants to choose one group of five squares, one group of four squares, two groups of three squares, and one group of two squares. Use the top laminate paper for when you guess the other persons groups. Put an X on the ones you missed and circle the ones you got right.

In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev was able to piece together the framework of the periodic table. He knew that there were elements that were not yet discovered. He left the undiscovered elements empty in their correct locations. In 1955, the 101st element was named mendelevium to honor all the work Mendeleev did.

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