CSEEES Culture Boxes

Culture boxes are a fun way to bring different cultures and history directly into the classroom! CSEEES has collected select realia (objects and material from everyday life that can be used as teaching aids) from Eastern Europe and Eurasia including foreign currencies, toys, crafts, maps, posters, clothing items, and books to create mini culture boxes that can easily be shipped out to teachers across the United States. Teachers can borrow culture boxes from CSEEES to incorporate them into lessons or use them with the material found in some of our online learning modules. Each culture box contains 10-15 different items. Currently we have culture boxes available for Estonia, Georgia, North Macedonia, Poland and Russia, but we hope to add more in the future as items are made available to us.

Additionally, if you would like to donate items to a culture box, please email CSEEES' outreach coordinator Alicia Baca (baca.31@osu.edu) to organize a donation pick-up/drop-off. Currently, we are seeking items for Ukraine and Uzbekistan boxes. 

CSEEES Culture Box Request Form

Culture boxes can be loaned to K-14 educators throughout the United States for a minimum of 1 week to a maximum of 3 weeks. Full descriptions of each mini culture box can be found below along with images of the items that are inside of them. Once you have decided which culture box that you would like to borrow, please fill out the form linked below.

Ohio State faculty, graduate students, and educational staff can also request to check out a culture box for a course or educational lecture. Culture boxes can be borrowed for a minimum of 1 day to a maximum of 5 days to those on the Columbus campus. Please note that if multiple requests come in for a single culture box, priority will be given to K-14 educators. 

In order to ensure that culture box contents are not lost, individual items cannot be loaned out.

K-14 Educator Culture Box Request Form

Ohio State Culture Box Request Form

Available Culture Boxes

Curated by Dr. Lorraine S. Wallace, the Estonia mini culture box contains the following items:

  • The Baltic Guide (in Estonian)
  • Estonian flag
  • Map of Tallinn
  • Tallin area map of Rocca al Mare and Nomme
  • Tallin area map of Kadriorg and Pirita
  • Estonian phrasebook and dictionary
  • Northwest map of Estonia with tourist information
  • Map of Parnu with tourist information
  • Map of Tartu with tourist information
  • Fun facts about Estonia booklet
  • My Next Destination is Estonia/How to Impress Estonians booklet
  • Tartu Town Hall magnet
  • Traditional Estonian wooden knife
  • Marzipan decorated with the Estonian flag
    • Please do NOT open this container if you check out the Estonia box!
  • Postcard depicting a traditional smoke sauna
  • Estonia-Ukraine solidarity magnet
  • Eastern Orthodox Icon (In Russian)
  • Vabamu: The Story of Our Freedom Museum flyer
  • KGB Prison Cells Museum flyer
  • Soviet Concrete Block Housing
  • Soviet-era propaganda posters
  • Soviet-era annual calendar card
  • Estonia-USA friendship pin
  • Estonian currency (post-USSR, prior to adoption of the Euro)

Curated by Emma Pratt, the Georgia mini culture box contains the following items:

  • Map of Georgia
  • Georgia desk flag
  • Georgian alphabet magnets
  • Lotto Alphabet memory game
  • Reversible khinkali plushie
  • Set of postcards depicting Georgian folk costumes
  • Set of postcards depicting different cities and landscapes in Georgia
  • Postcard depicting the Georgian alphabet
  • 1st grade handwriting practice notebook
  • Needle felted replica of Adjarian khachapuri
  • Doll-sized replica of traditional chokha clothing
  • Georgian money (1 lari coin and 10 tetri coin)
  • Pins that say “I am Georgia” (English and Georgian), supporting the Georgian football team in the 2024 summer European championships

Curated by Dr. Lorraine S. Wallace, the North Macedonia mini culture box contains the following items:

  • Macedonian alphabet flashcards
  • Macedonian currency (2 denar coin, 5 denar coin, 10 denar coin, 10 denar bill)
  • Traditional Macedonian pottery
  • Macedonian flag
  • Map of North Macedonia
  • Old Bazar map and guide
  • Macedonian sun
  • Macedonian ruby
  • Traditional Macedonian brooch
  • Sinisha Noveski- famous Macedonian sculptor
  • Traditional Macedonian costume magnet)
  • Postcard depicting the Stobi Archaeological Site
  • Gladiator oil lamp (Roman period)
  • Postcards depicting Skopje
  • Postcard depicting Ohrid
  • Postcards depicting St. Naum’s Monastery
  • Mother Teresa rosary

Curated by Alicia Baca and Dr. Diana Sacilowski, the Poland mini culture box contains the following items:

  • Bolesławiec pottery (Polish pottery) plate
  • 2 wycinanki cutouts (Łowicz region design)
  • 2 wooden, painted Easter eggs (pisanki)
  • Amber decoration featuring a scene from Old Town Kraków
  • Scarf featuring the Polish coat of arms (Polska: “Poland,” bialo: “white,” czerwoni: “red”)
  • Polish flag
  • Replica sculpture of a Wrocław gnome
  • Postcard depicting a rest stop in the Tatry mountain range
  • Postcard depicting a map of Poland
  • Postcard depicting a traditional Polish meal
  • Polish stamps
  • Bookmark from Jagellonian University that lists different phrases, days of the week, and seasons of the year in Polish
  • Tickets from different museums in Kraków and Warsaw
  • Flyer for a Fryderyk Chopin concert in Warsaw 

Curated by various donors, the Russia mini culture box contains the following items:

  • Russian desk flag
  • Map of Russia
  • Fabergé egg replica
  • Matryoshka (traditional stacking dolls)
  • Russian money (10 ruble bill, 100 ruble bill, and 1,000 ruble bill)
  • Birchbark décor from Tomsk
  • Pecking chickens traditional wooden toy
  • Postcards depicting scenes from Russian fairy tales
  • Ushanka hat
  • Pin depicting the Russian coat of arms
  • Pin depicting former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin
  • Kokoshnik headpiece
  • Postcards from various cities in Russia
  • Russian alphabet magnets