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We have had such a great time on our travel to Russia from home! We really loved the craft with this country and we watched more than one movie, so it was a hit all around.

A Few Facts about Russia

• Russia is the largest country in the world!
• Russia is in Eastern Europe and Asia
• The Capital city is Moscow and while you are there you will want to visit Saint Basil’s Cathedral  that has all kids of colorful domes.
• Russian’s eat a lot of vegetable soups, and its most famous soup is borscht which is a soup made from beets.
• Russia used to be part of the USSR which included countries like Georgia, Belarus, and Moldova

What to make for your Russian Meal from home

Borscht

Ok, I’ll be completely honest! Borscht was not a hit in my house. No one but me likes beets, and the last time I made it I was the only one to eat it. This time everyone ate a bowl but complained the whole time. My youngest downed his bowl because I told him that it could turn his pee pink if he ate enough of it!

If you think your family might be the same, here is my favorite stroganoff recipe.

But for those of you still making Borscht, here is the recipe and here is how we made it!

We decided to use our Vitamix blender to cut up the veggies. We put it on level 1 and it did a nice small chop on the beets and the carrots. It won’t work on potatoes as they are too soft, but it makes fast work of the other veggies.

I have made a few other recipes in my time, but this is my favorite. It has a lot more flavor than lots of options out there and is really homey and yummy. If you prefer to add meat you can braise some beef before hand and add it toward the end of the cook.

 

What to watch for your Russian movie

I hate to break it to you, but Russian movies are for the most part really depressing! And the last thing we need in the world right now is more depressing. So we chose some more uplifting ones that were set in Russia.

“Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol”

Our family are big fans of the Mission Impossible movies. We had already seen this movie before, but we were excited to see it again.  It involves a Russian nuclear plot and a team of agents that must do everything they can to stop it.

The beginning of the movie is set in Russia and has a scene where the agents have to break into the Kremlin. It is one of the best of the Mission Impossible movies to boot.

We really enjoyed the movie, and I think it would be great for kids 8 and up. There is some violence, swearing, and suggestive situations.

Rent it on Amazon Prime

“The Man Who Knew Too Little”

This movie is a long time family favorite, and a Russian nesting doll plays a very important part in the plot. It is set in London and Russia but is a great movie for the whole family.

An unwitting American man thinks he is taking part in a “theater of life” reality play when he is actually getting mixed up in espionage. Bill Murray is perfection as the nervous American.

Great for kids of all ages with mild violence and some profanity.

Rent it on Amazon Prime

“Anastasia”

Anastasia is a cartoon that follows a young girl from Russia to Paris while she tries to discover who she is and where she came from. She discovers that she is the long lost daughter of the Tsar and comes to terms with what happened to her family. It’s also a musical!

This is a great movie if you ask have younger kids who don’t have long attention spans. Plus it teaches them quite a bit about Russian history.

Available to buy on Amazon or available on Disney + and HBO.

What to read from Russia

We read “Russia ABC”

This is a charming book for kids under 8. I’m not sure it was the right book for my older boys, but it was really cute and we learned some things we didn’t know about Russia.

 

What to craft from Russia

Russian Nesting Dolls

Russian nesting dolls or Matryoshka are common throughout Russia and feature a matriarch on the outside with her sons and daughters on the inside. They are carved on a lathe to create dolls that descend in size.

I love this video of how they are made! 

The whole family really enjoyed this craft. We each painted a doll to look like ourselves (while my middle son decided he looked like Venom). We also painted a little one to be our dog, Pippin, and the tiniest one to be a sock because our dog is always carrying our socks around the house.

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We used craft paint and an assortment of paint brushes and each created our own designs. If your taste runs to more classic Russian dolls there are tons of examples online for you to follow.

I will be varnishing the dolls as soon as I can find where I put our varnish!

Learn to do the Russian Kick Dance

We were all horrible at this except for my husband! It takes a lot of balance, but with practice you should be able to do this! You will be dancing like the dancers at the end of “The Man Who Knew Too Little” in no time at all.

Music from Russia

This is a great playlist on YouTube with tons of Russian Music. We listened to it while we ate and while we crafted our Nesting Dolls. It felt very festive.

 

How else can you travel to Russia from home?

We watched this animated history of Russia and it is so fun! We also learned a few phrases from the Du0lingo app. There are dozens of things you could do to expand this and I want to hear about what you have done!

I love the National Geographic series “Are we There Yet?” it features kids exploring something unique about a country.

Purchase the activity bundle that will supplement your kids’ learning and buy you some peace and quiet!“>

 

More of Travel the World from Home

I run a  Travel the World from Home Facebook group where we can swap ideas and stay connected during this time where we are all physically disconnected. It is an invitation only group and you must be subscribed to this blog series to join.

 

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