We encountered mentions of Romania in a few unexpected books that we just happened to be reading during this time. We learned more about the grip of communism during the Cold War in this region of Europe. It was made all the more memorable by meeting new friends who had lived in Romania during that time. They led my kids through a book about beautiful Romania, introduced us to the work of Brancusi, and described their childhoods behind the Iron Curtain. We tried on a traditional wool coat, drank horinca (Romanian brandy), and had other Romanian treats.

Navigate this page: Missions, Booklists, Cooking, Composer Study, Folk Dance, Art Study, Game, Videos

Free Printables

• Crayola.com’s Free printable of Romania Flag and Map
• Seterra.com’s Free printable maps of Europe
• Seterra.com’s Free online geography games for Europe: Romania is grouped in the Eastern Europe Countries game.

Missions Spotlight

• Prayercast.com/Romania: Prayer Points, Summary, Quick Facts
  **parents should preview the short prayercast.com video for sensitive topics that may not be age appropriate.

Top 4 Book List

The following lists are a sampling of my favorite books for different age groups. (These are Amazon affiliate links that do not increase your price. I may earn a few cents on qualifying purchases.)

Reference Books for Romania

Cooking Romanian Food with Kids

The kids helped me make a beautiful Romanian Easter bread called Pasca. As with everything new, I had low expectations that they would be able to learn how to do a 6-strand pastry braid. I didn’t even know how and we followed this 6-strand braid tutorial video. They really surprised me with their ability and even made their own mini Paska, complete with braid, using some leftover dough.

Here are the Romanian foods that I cooked:

Composer Study

We continued listening to the music of Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, whose repertoire includes a few compositions influenced by Romanian folk music.

• Romanian Folk Dances for Violin and Piano
• Romanian Folk Dances for String Orchestra Sz.56 BB 68
• Bartók field recordings Romanian Folk Dances on a phonograph

Folk Dance and Music

Here is a wonderful showcase of traditional Romanian folk dance and music: Traditional Romanian Dance.

Art Study and Projects

We learned about Constantin Brancusi. Unfortunately, his name is mispronounced in both videos, but here is the correct pronounciation of Brancusi, which I learned from our Romanian friends.

• Art with Mati and Dada: Constantin Brancusi
• Khan Academy: Constantin Brancusi, The Kiss

Game

I didn’t have a game specific to Romania, so we played Ticket to Ride: Europe again.

YouTube Videos

• Rick Steves and Geography Now! are a fun and informative resources geared towards adults and older kids; I recommend that parents pre-watch before showing to younger kids.
  • Rick Steves’ Europe: Romania
  • Geography Now: Romania
  • Geography Now: Romania Flag