Project Based Learning Day in Siberia

If I ever had any doubts about the merits of project-based learning, they were put to rest today at the Ethnographic museum in Vlasikha village which is about a 40 minute drive outside of Barnaul. 

Marina, the director of the English school at which we are teaching,  drove us past the birch tree filled forest. Her adorable daughter, Masha, joined us. Masha sat in the front seat. At eight years old, she's already reading picture books in English: we could be teaching children foreign languages this early. 

At the museum, we not only learned about Siberian crafts, but also participated in the making of them. The babushka below taught is how to weave bracelets and belts with our fingers using our pinkies as hooks. I wasn't sure that I would be able to figure out the finger work. 

And she seemed a little scary at first. 

But she worked with me and was patient.

 

I managed to figure it out after some practice and remembered how much I used to like latch hook, knitting and other crafts as a kid. I thought of my nieces and students who use rainbow looms. 

Soon I had the hang if it and found it relaxing. 

Finger looming is good travel therapy and I liked it. 

Next we moved on to pottery. Tracey fearlessly stepped up the the wheel and remembered all that she had learned from an early ceramics class. 

Masha clearly loved it. E, J, N, R, G and eventually S: this is a perfect aunt activity. 

Next we moved on to the craft of making little dolls. These are constructed from scraps of fabric. 

The dolls were used to ward off the evil eye, to help babies sleep or even to promote milk in nursing mothers. 

I do not think that I have a future in this type of work.

Next, we moved on to making a spring cookie in the shape of a bird. If I understood correctly, there is no butter or egg in this. They use pickle juice in the recipe (does the fermented juice provide the "lift"?) The cookies tasted like hard challah bread and we ate them with homemade jam and Altai honey. 

  

Masha was proud of her work. 

We watched a performance by the village children. If you'd like to see footage of this, please see my Facebook page. Students, please see yours. 

Parents send their children to the village school to learn the traditional songs. Some children were tiny and adorable. 

Others (equally charming) appeared closer to my students' age. 

Nearly all seemed quite happy with their fancy footwork and singing. 

The museum treated us to a traditional post (lent) lunch complete with pickled tomatoes, foraged mushrooms and cabbage salad. 

I tried everything. Meat and dairy is not permitted during Eastern Orthodox lent. 

My family, students and friends know that was worried about eating only potatoes and scallions for two weeks but this was the first time these appeared on the menu. 

Tatyana (our host teacher) has worked tirelessly to provide us with a once in a lifetime experience. 

This is the real Russia and I never would have seen it if I ventured only to St. Petersburg or Moscow. 

I certainly never could have met Masha who is hiding here in the model house in the warm sleeping nook above the oven.  

Students: what adventure travel awaits you?