Want to help your adopted child explore his or her Russian heritage? Here are some cultural events taking place in the U.S. this month.

The first event came up in my July search, but it appears to be a permanent exhibit. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has devoted a section of its gems and minerals collection to the gemstone sculptures created by Vasily Konovalenko. Many of the pieces draw on themes from Russian folk tales.

If you are in or near Raleigh, N.C., you could catch a performance of Baba Yaga and the Black Sunflower. The Raleigh Little Theater says its musical version of the classic Russian folk tale (which I've written about here) features a young orphan girl, Maryushka, whose wit and will are tested by the forest-dwelling witch. Performances begin July 13 and run through July 22, and there are both matinee and evening shows. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children.

This next event is not for young children, but it is fascinating nonetheless. The Lincoln Center Festival and the Metropolitan Opera are presenting St. Petersburg's famed Kirov Opera and its version of Richard Wagner's The Ring. You have to buy tickets for the entire four-opera presentation, and they are not cheap. But if you or your family are opera buffs, it could be worth it to see the Kirov in action and hear Wagner in Russian. Performances begin July 13 and run through July 20.

Also starting on July 13, but on the other side of the country, is Napa Valley's Festival del Sole. The Russian National Orchestra will perform on opening day and again on July 18, and the event also features the Russian-born violinist and conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky, who is now the music director of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.

On Thursday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m., the Washington Balalaika Society will be performing at Alexandria, Va.'s Fun Side Festival. The Washington Balalaika Society, formed in 1988, bills itself as the largest orchestra of Russian folk instrumentalists in North America. You can learn more about some of the instruments it plays here, and if you can't catch the free performance in Alexandria, you might be able to sit in on one of the group's regular rehearsals.