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| | Children in Moscow |
Some Formal Issues
 Children born abroad to expatriate parents may find their citizenship rights affected, either by laws in the country of assignment or those of their home country. It is, therefore, important to check on both sets of regulations well before the child is born. Your embassy should be able to provide you with all the information you need.
If the baby is born in Moscow you should contact your embassy to receive citizenship for your child and to apply for a passport.
Circumcision can be performed in a maternity hospital, but you should discuss this with your doctor before birth so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
If you are interested in adopting a Russian child, your first step for advice should be your doctor/medical clinic in Moscow. They should be able to provide you with contact details for reliable adoption agencies. The Russian Ministry of Education and Science has an official adoption website at www.usynovite.ru with detailed information on the adoption process and information on thousands of children in orphanages across the country that are up for adoption.
Education
There are over 1800 high schools and 110 colleges in Moscow. Beside these, there are over 200 institutions offering higher education in Moscow, including 60 state universities and the leading Russian University - the Lomonosov Moscow State University, which was founded in 1755.
Moscow has a number of international schools and nurseries, which are popular with the expat community. All schools are fee-paying. The fees depend on the grade level, period of enrolment and whether or not your child requires any additional support programmes. In general, it varies between 3000 and 7000 Euro. The admission procedures for all schools are quite complex and consist of several steps (application form, test, interview etc); therefore, it is better to begin to do it well in advance. The academic year lasts from September 1st to the middle or end of June with summer vacations from July 1st to August 31st.
Books
The majority of bookstores have vast sections of children's books but mostly in Russian. Luckily there are some bookstores offering a selection of children's books in English, German and French.
Shopping
In Moscow you may find anything you need for your child (from an infants to teenagers) as there are plenty of stores to buy children's goods in: from markets and small local shops to large shopping malls and boutiques offering branded children's clothes and shoes. Note that closing and shoes sizes differ in Russia, Europe and USA.
Clothing SizesAge (y.o.)
Height (cm)
Size | 1-1,5
86
- | 1,5-2
92
- | 2-3
98
-
| 3-4
104
- | 4-5
102-112
5 | 5-6
107-124
6 | 6-7
114-132
7 | 7-8
124-140
8
| 8-10
140-145
10 | 10-12
145-150
12 | 12-13
147-155
13 | 13-14
150-157
16 |
Shoes SizesRussia
USA
UK
Europe | 13
7.5
n/a
24 | 13.5
8
n/a
24.5 | 14
8.5
n/a
25
| 14.5
9
8.5
25.5 | 15
9.5
9
26 | 15.5
10
9.5
26.5 | 16
10.5
10
27 | 16.5
11
10.5
27.5
| 17
11.5
11
28 | 18
12
11.5
29 | 19
12.5
12
30 | 19.5
13
12.5
31 | 20
13.5
13
32 |
Children's Entertainment
There are lots of options to keep your children entertained in Moscow: from animal theatres, to circuses, clubs, children's entertainment centers, cinemas, children's theatres, to museums and sporting opportunities: dance schools, skating rinks, parks for walking, etc. There are also lots of kid-friendly restaurants in Moscow. Most of the activities are held in Russian, which is a great way for children to quickly learn Russian and find Russian friends - an essential part of the experience of spending part of their childhood in this country. Some activities are also organized by women's clubs and other community organizations.
MUST-VISIT CHILDREN'S VENUES
Dolphinarium
Housed in the Palace of Water Sports, which was built for the 1980 Olympic Games the Moscow Dolphinarium was opened in 1994 and rapidly became one of the city's favorite children's attractions. The water shows are performed by the dolphins from the Black Sea, beluga whales, northern sea lions and South African fur seals. Performances are very fascinating and complicated and involve the animals dancing, clapping their flippers, "walking" on water, catching rings, balancing balls on their noses, jumping through hoops, and even "talking". The dolphins are very playful and friendly. Performances take place on Wednesdays on 12:00, 16:00, on Thursdays on 16:00, 18:00, on Fridays on 12:00, 16:00, on weekends on 12:00, 14:00, 16:00. To get to the dolphinarium, take the metro to the station Semenovskaya or Partizanskaya, once out of the metro, take the trolleybus 22 to the stop "Ulitsa Ibragimova", and walk for about 2 minutes.
Address: Mironovskaya ul., 27
Metro: Semenovskaya, Partizanskaya
Tel: 585-0892
Web: www.nice.pp.ru
Gorky Park
Moscow's most famous park runs along the banks of the Moscow River. Gorky Park is truly one of the most popular places for families to spend their week-end. Numerous fairground attractions such as the Big Wheel, the giant swinging boat, switchback (for unknown reason known in Russia as American Hills), swirling see-saw make children?s heads go round of joy while their parents are screaming of fear. There are horses, boats to hire and cafés. On holidays Gorky Park is a place of fetes with concerts and discos. An ice-skating rink operates in winter. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Park Kultury and cross the bridge over the Moscow River, or take the metro to the station Oktyabrskaya and walk for about 400 meters (0.2 miles) along Krymsky Val ulitsa.
Open: 10:00-22:00
Address: Krymsky Val ul., 9
Metro: Oktyabrskaya, Park Kultury
Tel: 237-0707
Web: www.propark.ru
Kva-Kva Park
Kva-Kva water park is the largest in Russia. In an aqua park you can enjoy see seven slides from 90 to 120 meters each (295-393 ft.), including the slide "Wild River", aqua-drome "Cyclone" or "Black Hole". For extreme fans there is a unique slide called "Tsunami". The park also offers an open slide complex "Multislide". Children's small town adds points to the park, your child will feel safe and amused. If tired of bursting emotions, relax in Russian banya, Finnish sauna and Turkish bath. A bar and a restaurant can be a nice final stop after the whole day of pleasure. Water park "Kva-Kva" welcomes individuals, families and corporate clients. Kva-Kva club card is provided for regular customers. The park is located 1 km from MKAD. To get to the park, take the metro to the station VDNKh, and then take bus 333 to the stop "Furazhnaya"; or drive along Yaroslavskoe shosse from the city center, reach MKAD and drive 1 km more.
Address: Mytishchi, Kommunisticheskaya ul., 1, XL
Metro: VDNKh
Tel: 258-0683
Web: www.kva-kva.ru
Moscow Zoo
Moscow Zoo, the biggest and the oldest zoo in Russia, was founded in 1864 by the leading zoologists of those times. Nowadays the collection counts more than 6000 specimens of 1001 animal species. The territory of the Zoo consists of two parts (the Old and New ones), connected together by the foot-bridge across the Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street, and totally occupies the vast territory of about 19 hectares. It gives shelter for more than 100 rare species of animals, which are on the brink of extinction: orangutans and gorillas, spectacled bear and the giant tortoise from Seychelles. To get to the zoo, take the metro to the station Barrikadnaya or Krasnopresnenskaya, once out of the metro, take a 2 minute walk to reach the zoo castle-like entrance.
Open: 10:00-20 (summer except Mon); 10:00-17:00 (winter except Mon)
Address: Bolshaya Gruzinskaya ul., 1
Metro: Barrikadnaya, Krasnopresnenskaya
Tel: 8 499 252-3580
Web: www.moscowzoo.ru
Nikulin's Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard
A bronze cabriolet is parked in front of the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard; a man in a shabby jacket and funny hat stands beside it. This is the monument to Yury Nikulin, famous Russian clown, actor and director of the Circus in 1983 ? 1997. Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard is one of the oldest circuses in Russia. Albert Salamonsky, former rider and gymnast, erected permanent brick building for it in 1880. It soon became world famous thanks to the brilliant performances by Durovs? horses, as well as the braveness of its high-wire artists and surprising magic of the world-famous illusionists Kio. The Circus continued its performances even during World War II. To get to the circus, take the metro to the station Tsvetnoy Bulvar, the circus is a 2 minute walk from the metro.
Open: 11:00-19:00 (box-office)
Address: Tsvetnoy bulv., 13
Metro: Tsvetnoy Bulvar
Tel: 625-8970
Web: www.circusnikulin.ru
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