"Octopus" cookies, part 2 / Kolači "Hobotnice", 2. deo

In this post I wrote about our favourite Octopus cookies that actually never become octopuses. Here, we made them again, and V made small snakes this time.
Why do I insist to always make new shapes, and never to make octopuses? It is not that I don't like octopuses or something like that. It is beacuse I am trying to show V that the same material (in this case cookie dough) can always be used in new and new ways. And that is one among other things that creativity is about.


U ovom postu sam pisala o našim omiljenim kolačima - Hobotnicama, koji zapravo nikada ne postanu hobotnice. Ovde smo ih ponovo pravili, i V ih je napravio u obliku zmijica.
Zašto insistiram da uvek pravimo drugačiji oblik ili da koristimo testo na drugačiji način, a da ne pravimo hobotnice? Ne radi se o tome da ne volim hobotnice ili nešto slično tome. To je zato što pokušavam da pokažem V-u da se isti materijal (u ovom slučaju testo za kolače, ali važi i za sve druge likovne i nelikovne materijale) može koristiti uvek na nov i iznova nov način. A to je jedna od odlika kreativnosti.

And for those I promised here goes the recipe:
125g (4oz) soft margarine
125g (4oz) caster sugar
1 medium egg
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
175g (6oz) plain flour
greased baking tray
1. Mix the sugar and margarine in a bowl until they are creamy
2. Sift the flour and the cocoa  into the bowl. Add the egg and mix them well to make dough
3. Use your hands to press the dough into a large ball. Wrap it in plastic foodwrap.
4. Put the wrapped dough into a freezer for 30 minutes or into the fridge for an hour.
5. Cut the dough in half. Put half of it back into the fridge. Use the rest to make your cookies in what 
    ever shape you and your kid like. 
6. Transfer your cookies onto a baking tray. 
7. Make cookies from the rest of the dough.
8. Bake them for 10-12 minutes at 190C or 375F.
Bon appetit!


A za one kojima sam obećala evo i recepta:
125g margarina
125g čećera u prahu
1 srednje jaje
3 supene kašike kakaoa
175g belog brašna
podmazan pleh
1. Kremasto umešati šećer i margarin
2. Dodati brašno, kakao i jaje i sve umešati dok se ne napravi testo. Zatim dobro umesiti i napraviti loptu.
3. Umotati loptu od testa u pvc foliju ili kesicu za zamrzivač i staviti u friz 30 minuta, ili u frižider 1 sat.
4. Nakon toga iseći testo na 2 dela. Jedan deo vratiti u frižider, a od drugog napraviti keks u nekom
    obliku.
5. Prenesite keks u podmazan pleh.
6. Napraviti keks i od presotalog dela testa.
7. Peći u rerni na 190C 10-12 minuta.
Prijatno!

The Book of Wandering / Knjiga lutanja

A few days ago we went to the theatre to see a beautiful interactive dance-play for toddlers The Book of Wandering (from the author - a Belgrade choreographer Dalija Aćin). The play was ment for toddlers, but children of all ages, including adults, enjoy this play as well. It is a simple story of a search for friendship, but told in such a magical and visualy exciting way, that no one can stay indifferent. It is played in a big white ballon full of different visual, tactile and musical wonders that engage all the senses in a very gentle and inviting way. The kids are anobtrusively invited to interact and participate in the play if they wish.
I think baby Z loved it, because she was so engaged looking, listening, touching and walking around curiously. 

Pre nekoliko dana smo bili u Malom pozorištu Duško Radović da gledamo jednu divnu interaktivnu plesnu predstavu za decu najmlađeg uzrasta (1+) Knjigu lutanja, autorke Dalije Aćin. Predstava jeste za najmlađe, ali i starija deca, pa i odrasli, podjednako uživaju u njoj. To je jednostavna priča o potrazi za prijateljstvom, ali ispričana na tako magičan i vizuelno uzbudljiv način, da nikoga ne ostavlja ravnodušnim. Predstava se igra u velikom belom balonu punom različitih vizuelnih, taktilnih, muzičkih i plesnih čuda koje angažuju sva čula na vrlo nežan ali primamljiv način. Deca su veoma nenametljivo pozvana da se pridruže i učestvuju ako žele.
Mislim da se bebi Z jako dopalo, jer je sve vreme pažljivo posmatrala, slušala, dodirivala i radoznalo šetala.

A Paper Sea And an Island / Papirno more i ostrvo

While we were still at home we made a blue paper sea and took it with as to the seaside.  It turned out to be a great inspiration for play and creating as well. Here's how we made it: we took a piece of large paper, rumpled it into a ball and then soaked it in water for a few seconds, took it out of water, squeezed out the excess water, unfolded it very carefully and layed down on a smooth surface (bathroom tiles). While the paper was still wet we painted it in blue using some liquid paint mixed with water and a large and very soft paintbrush. Finally we left it overnight to dry. V drew a lot of fish for the sea, we made some paper-boats, added some stones from the beach, a few sea-toys, and the play lasts for days, because there is allways something that can be drawn and added to the sea.

Još dok smo bili kod kuće napravili smo jedno papirno plavo more i poneli ga sa sobom.

To je bio pun pogodak, jer V ne prestaje da se igra s njim. Evo kako smo ga napravili: jedan veći komad papira smo zgužvali  (napravili loptu od njega) i umočili u lavor sa vodom na kratko da se natopi. Kad smo ga izvadili i iscedili višak vode, pažljivo smo ga raširili i ispravili na glatkoj podlozi (npr. pločice u kupatilu) pazeći da se ne pocepa. Dok je papir još bio vlažan obojili smo ceo papir mekom četkom (što širom - to bolje) umočenom u plavu akvarel boju i ostavili preko noći da se osuši.

V je za more nacrtao gomilu riba, napravili smo papirne čamce, dodali malo kamenčića sa plaže, poneku igračku i igra traje danima, jer uvek ima još nešto što može da se nacrta i doda u more.

We also made a papier-mache island. V put a goat-toy on top of it, and now he is very much concerned if she has enough food to eat.

Napravili smo i ostrvo od papir-mašea. V je na vrh ostrva stavio jednu malu igračku kozu, i sad vodi računa o tome da koza nikad ne bude gladna.

These days... / Ovih dana....

We are reading mostly books about seas, oceans, fish, boats...

Čitamo uglavnom knjige o morima, okeanima, ribama, brodovima...

We are drawing mostly fish, sea-stars, sea-shells, corals

Crtamo uglavnom ribe, morske zvezde, ježeve, školjke, korale (šarene ribe na srednjoj fotografiji je nacrtala naša drugarica A, kojima 10 godina)

Making paper-boats

Pravimo papirne čamce

Our house is, once again, loaded with cut paper-fish

Kuća nam je opet preplavljena nacrtanim i isečenim ribama

Every evening we have to stop to explore this poster at the entrance of a fish restaurant

Svako veče moramo dobro da izučimo ovaj poster sa ribama koji se nalazi na ulazu u jedan riblji restoran

We learned the names of almost all the fish in the sea

Naučili smo imena skoro svih riba iz ovog kraja: ukljata, širun, fratar, crnelj, san-pjer, zubatac, orada, salpa, sarag, skuša, cipal, brancin, palamida, murina, ugor, glavoč, itd.  

Daddy made as a small fish-hook and it is great fun to go fishing with our friend U whose father is the best fisherman in the town

Tata nam je napravio malu udicu-pecaljku i velika je sreća pecati sa drugom U čiji je tata najbolji ribar u mestu

We are so so happy when we catch a fish, but we allways throw it back into the sea. We still have a dilemma: is it ok to eat the caught fish or should we return it to the sea?

Radujemo se svakoj upecanoj ribici, ali je uvek vratimo u more. Još uvek se dvoumimo da li je u redu pojesti upecanu ribu ili je treba vratiti u more.

Drawings on Pebbles / Crteži na kamenju

We've been collecting pebbles at the beach for days now. At home we play with them and observe their beauty. They are all so simmilar, yet, as leaves on trees - there are no two pebbles that are the same. The differences are tiny, but they appear in color, shape and size. V loves when I ask him what does a pebble remind him of.

We also collected some flat stones which we used to make some fish drawings on them. And so he got a beautiful toy to play with! He plays with it for days now, talks with the stone-fish, feeds them with some leaves from the garden, puts them in a bowl with water, counts them, sings to them, etc. Every time I see him playing at the terrace - diving into the play so deep and enjoying it totally, without the need to be entertained by anyone, and every time I hear his tiny little voice changing in the attempt to imitate different characters of his play, when I see that he doesn't see or notice anything and anyone out of his play, completly soaked in by it, and that he can stay there for very very long time as if in a dream, I feel happy and calm and fullfilled completly, because I know that he is capable of doing the most important task in his life and that is to - play!

Danima skupljamo oblutke na plaži. Kod kuće se igramo s njima i posmatramo kako su lepi. Vrlo su slični, ali, kao i lišće na drveću - ne postoje dva ista. Razlike među njima su male, gotovo neprimetne, ali ipak postoje: u nijansi boje, veličini ili obliku. V najviše voli kad ga pitam na šta ga svaki kamen podseća. I njegova mašta potom putuje...

Sakupili smo i malo pljosnatih kamenčića koji su prosto mamili da ih iskoristimo kao podlogu za crtanje. V je nacrtao - šta bi drugo nego - ribe - i to na svakom kamenčiću! I eto nove igračke za njega! Danima se igra sa njima, priča sa njima, ređa ih, peva im, hrani lišćem iz bašte, stavlja u kanticu sa vodom, itd. Svaki put kada iz sobe čujem kako se na terasi odvija njegova igra - potpuna predanost i uronjenost u igru u kojoj apsolutno i 100 posto uživa, bez potrebe da ga bilo ko zabavlja ili animira, kada čujem kako "razgovara sam sa sobom" iz različitih uloga menjajući boju i ton glasa, kada vidim kako nikoga i ništa ne primećuje oko sebe i kako u tom stanju može da ostane dugo, dugo, kao u nekom snu, osećam se potpuno srećno, spokojno i ispunjeno, jer znam da je u stanju da radi ono što je najvažnije u njegovom životu sada- a to je - da se igra!

Pebbles and stones / Kamenčići i obluci

We are lucky to spend some beautiful days at the sea coast. In my opinnion a beach is one of the gratest places for little kids (and their parents) to be! So much things to explore, to play, to observe and absorb, to smell, to touch, to hear, to feel...

"Our" beach has some beautiful red-ish sand mixed with stones and pebbles of very light colors. We love to collect nice pebbles and stones, to observe their shape, texture and color, and then make "something" with them. And the redish sand is a beautiful background for what ever we make with stones. 

Imamo tu sreću da nekoliko dana provedemo na moru. Po mom mišljenju, plaža (van sezone!) je jedno od najboljih i najlepših mesta za decu (ali i za njihove roditelje!). Toliko toga ima da se istraži, da se igra, da se opazi i upije, miriše, udahne, dodirne, čuje, oseti...

"Naša" plaža ima divan, veoma sitan crvenkasti šljunak koji je prošaran oblucima i kamenčićima vrlo svetlih boja. Obožavamo da skupljamo kamenčiće i oblutke, da posmatramo njihov oblik, teksturu i boju i da od njih "nešto" pravimo. A crvenkasti šljunak je predivna podloga za sve ono što na njemu napravimo.

For more inspiration about how to do land-art with kids at the beach (but other places as well), please take a look at this great resource!

Za više ideja o tome kako da radite land-art sa decom na plaži (ali i na drugim mestima!), pogledajte ovaj fantastičan sajt!

Does a line have an end? / Ima li linija kraj?

This is a simple question but can initiate some very interesting (and long-time) drawings!

Ovo je jednostavno pitanje, ali može inicirati vrlo zanimljivo (i dugačko) crtanje!