World Culture Activity Video: Russia

Create your own Russian nesting dolls!

Activity best for children age 3 and up

Today we are going to learn a little bit about Russia and create our own matryoshka dolls or Russian nesting dolls. Russia spans across two continents: Europe and Asia. It is the largest country in the world, and it’s so big that it has 11 different time zones. Some animals you might find in its snowy forests include reindeer, Siberian tigers, polar bears and arctic foxes in the north. Due to the harsh climate, most people live on the western side of the country where the larger cities are like Moscow and St. Petersburg.

For the activity today we will be making Russian nesting dolls. These toys are made out of wood and include several dolls that fit inside each other. They symbolize motherhood and the painted designs on the outside of the dolls usually represent women, but they can also be of animals, and even fairytale characters.

Materials you’ll need:

Plastic or paper cups in different sizes (two of each size)

Colored paper

Scissors

Glue or tape

Drawing tools (markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc.)

Directions

STEP 1
Wrap your cups in colored paper. If you are using paper cups you might be able to draw directly onto the cup. If not, add the paper to make it easier to decorate.

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STEP 2
Draw a design on your cups. You can create animals, characters from a story you love, or even your own family members.

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STEP 3
Place the smaller cups inside the larger cups. Now you have your own matryoshka dolls.

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