Russia Unit Study | Geography Curriculum & Hands-On Activities for Kids

Explore the geography, culture, and traditions of Russia with our literature-based country study.

Read Favorite Russian Fairy Tales and The Genius Under the Table, explore the unique taiga forests that stretch across northern Russia, and discover the country’s landmarks and geographical features through mapwork and notebooking activities.

Along the way, you’ll meet artist Vasily Kandinsky and composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, create your own colorful matryoshka dolls, learn to dance the troika, enjoy a warm bowl of traditional kasha, and play Gorodki.

✅ What You're Purchasing:

Our unit studies are literature-based learning frameworks built around carefully curated books, mapwork, journaling, and hands-on cultural activities. While books and select media resources are referenced, they are not included. Each country study provides flexible lesson plans, ready-to-use printables, and engaging activities that make it easy to explore the world together as a family or classroom.

✅ What's Included:

• Russia Notebooking Page: Students record important facts, color the national flag, document their favorite discoveries, and draw scenes from Russia’s geography, culture, plants, and wildlife.
• Russia Mapwork Activity: Students will locate major cities, geographical features, and cultural landmarks on an outline map and are encouraged to personalize their maps with illustrations, labels, and symbols that reflect what they’ve learned about the country.
• Literature Study: Explore Favorite Russian Fairy Tales and read The Genius Under the Table while completing guided discussion questions and extension activities.
• Circle Round: Listen to several folktales from Russia and follow up with guided writing activities based on Judith C. Hochman’s The Writing Revolution method.
• The Writing Revolution Resources: Build writing skills with sentence-based exercises that connect directly to what students are learning about Russia.
• Science Notebooking: Discover the world’s largest forest biome, learn about the plants and animals that live there, and complete a guided science notebooking activity.
• Elapsed Time Task Cards: Build real-world math skills by solving elapsed time problems connected to places throughout Russia.
• Artist Study: Learn about abstract artist Vasily Kandinsky and create artwork inspired by his colorful shapes and patterns.
• Music Appreciation: Explore storytelling through dance with some of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s famous ballets and learn how to dance the Troika.
• Creative Arts: Design and decorate your own set of colorful matryoshka dolls.
• Cooking Class: Learn how to prepare a simple bowl of kasha, a staple food in Russia.
• Global Games: Play Gorodki, a traditional Russian game of skill, with our printable formation building cards.

✅ Bonus Materials:

• Printable Global Explorers Cookbook Page for Russia
• Discover Russia: Bingo Challenge activity sheet
• Russia Unit Overview Sheet
• Access to our optional digital planning tool in Notion
• Plus, more than a dozen extra printable resources, such as book passports, food chain pyramid templates, and more!

Format: Printable PDF + Optional Digital Access

Best For: Homeschoolers, co-ops, enrichment, Montessori continent studies, and classroom geography units

Why Choose Global Explorers?

At the Global Explorers Club, we believe geography should be an adventure and not just a list of places to memorize. Our secular, literature-based unit studies allow children to explore the world through living books, hands-on activities, mapwork, and meaningful cultural experiences. Designed for flexible, family-style learning, each study encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and a deeper appreciation for the people, places, and traditions that make our world unique.