Shaving cream, sour cream / Pena za brijanje, pavlaka

The other day we did some fingerpainting with shaving cream on the smooth table surface. This is a great tactile expirience for kids of all ages. They love it, and I think it is great for parents introducing 'painting' to their kids, for various reasons: it is cheap, you get a great quantity, it is clean and great for quick and easy clean-up, but what is most important - it is not a real artistic material, hence parents usually feel relaxed and don't expect their kids to make 'something' 'artistic'. They feel more free and relaxed to let the kids experiment in the way they want! They feel much more relaxed when the kids dip their hands in a bowl full of shaving cream (than in a bowl full of tempera paint!) and then happily let them sqish it and squash it and spread it all around... What a beautiful feeling that must be for kids! Have you ever seen the glow in their eyes and the excitement while doing something like this?
And this relaxed attitude towards our kids with no expectations for what to do and what not to do is the most precious thing we can give our kids when introducing them to art or any other kind of creative actions. 


Pre nekoliko dana smo slikali penom za brijanje na glatkoj površini stola. Ovo je fantastično taktilno iskustvo za decu svih uzrasta! Deca obožavaju da se igraju sa penom, a pored toga odlična je i za roditelje koji žele da uvedu decu u svet slikanja i to iz nekoliko razloga: jeftina je, ima je puno, čista je i brzo se i lako očisti nakon slikanja/igranja, ali ono što je najvažnije od svega - ona nije pravi slikarski materijal te "ne obavezuje" da se napravi "nešto" pa još i "umetničko", kao pravi slikarski materijali, da ne pominjem one skupe. Čak ni slikarima nije stran ovaj osećaj "odgovornosti" koji izazivaju slikarski materijali kojem pokušavaju da se odupru. Kada deca slikaju sa penom za brijanje roditelji mnogo manje očekuju od njih da naslikaju "nešto umetničko". Mnogo su opušteniji i slobodniji da puste decu da istražuju na način na koji deca to žele. Mnogo su opušteniji kada deca urone svoje ruke u činiju sa penom za brijanje (nego u činiju sa temperom!) i počnu da muljaju, razmazuju i razvlače penu. To mora da je zaista divan osećaj za decu!
A ova opuštenost prema deci, bez očekivanja šta treba, a šta ne smeju da rade, je najdragocenija stvar koju im možemo podariti kada ih uvodimo u svet slikanja, umetnosti ili drugih kreativnih aktivnosti.

After playing with the shaving cream in his hands, rubbing it, clapping with it, spreading it, squeezing it, feeling it in all the different ways, V spreaded an amount of shaving cream on the table surface, made some lines with his fingers and q-tips, and eventually tried writting some letters as well.

Nakon što se poigrao sa penom u rukama, trljajući je, razmazujući, tapšući, gnječeći je i osećajući je na puno različitih načina, V je razmazao jednu količinu pene po površini stola a zatim prstićem i štapićem za uši crtao linije, da bi na kraju pokušao da napiše i po neko slovo.

And sweet baby Z? She just has to do everything her older brother does! Since everything ends up in her mouth, she got some sour cream instead to play with, which eventually did end up - in her mouth!


A slatka beba Z? Ona jednostvno mora da radi sve isto što i njen stariji brat! Ali, kako sve na kraju završi u njenim ustima, umesto pene za brijanje dobila je malo kisele pavlake, koja je na kraju, naravno i završila u ustima!

Potato stamps / Pečati od krompira

Most parents know what patato stamps are, and how to make them.

I love them for their simplicity: all you need to make them are a few potatoes, a knife, a little color and a paper or cloth.

Since it is so simple, even toddlers can do potato-stamping. Depending on the kid's age, this activity can be modified: simplified for the youngest (the parent makes the stamps, and the kid just does the stamping), or it can be complicated for the older (the kids make the stamps and do the stamping, or create some more complicated compositions out of simple stamps.).

Otiskivanje pečata od krompira je likovni postupak za koji većina roditelja zna.

Volim ga jer je vrlo jednostavan i uvek izvodljiv postupak i jedino što je potrebno za njegovo izvođenje su: krompir, malo boje i papir (a može i neka druga podloga, npr. platno).

Upravo zbog svoje jednostavnosti pogodan je za decu različitih uzrasta, počev od najranijeg - deca već od godinu i po dana, pa čak i mlađa, mogu da se igraju sa ovim slatkim krompirićima. U zavisnosti od uzrasta deteta, ova aktivnost može da se modifikuje - da se pojednostavljuje za mlađu decu (npr: odrasli osmisli i napravi pečate, a dete samo izrađuje otiske) i da se komplikuje za stariju (deca sama osmišljavaju šare, prave pečate, izrađuju otiske, osmišljavaju kompoziciju prilikom otiskivanja itd.)

Here I made some stamps for V, who did the stamping on a large sheet of paper which we then used to wrap a gift. I try not to expose him too much to images such as hearts, stars or schematic flowers, since these are quite stereotypical images that we draw when we do not have any other stimulus. (I shall write more about this topic in some future posts.) A ring, a spiral, dots, or lines are also simple images, and even easier to make on a potato surface, but are more interesting and visually richer than hearts and stars.

At this age (4 years) it is sufficient for the kid to just do the stamping without bothering about the composition he is making. I like to talk with V about the differences between the prints (despite using the same stamp), about how they are lighter and lighter every time they hit the paper if you don't dip the stamp in the color in between the hits.

In the end, the beauty of printing lies in these little and fine differences.

Ovde sam napravila nekoliko pečata koje je V otiskivao na velikom papiru, koji smo potom upotrebili kao papir za uvijanje poklona. (Namerno izbegavam da mu nudim oblike poput srca, zvezda, i cvetića, jer su to najstereotipniji oblici koje crtamo onda kada nemamo podsticaj. O ovome ću malo opširnije pisati u nekom od budućih postova.) Spirala, prsten, tufne, linije, su podjednako jednostavni oblici i šare, čak ih je lakše i napraviti, a deluju mnogo zanimljivije i bogatije od srca i zvezda.

Na ovom uzrastu (4 godine) dovoljno je da dete samo otiskuje pečate bez opterećenja o kompoziciji koju stvara. Volim da skrenem V-u pažnju da su otisci iako skoro isti - ipak različiti - sve bleđi i bleđi ukoliko se pečati ne umaču u boju pre izrade svakog otiska. Na kraju krajeva, lepota grafike (otiskivanja) je upravo u ovim malim i finim razlikama.

So, how are the prints done? First, you dip the potato-stamp into the color (or apply the color with a paint-brush onto the surface of the stamp), then press the stamp on the paper surface, and lift it up. That's it! Theoretically, the print shouldn't be 'fixed' with a paint-brush if it came out poorly, nor is it recomended to repeat the hit over the existing (poor) print.  The point here is to make a print, and not to use the potato-stamp like a paint-brush to paint or to spread the color over the print. I say: theoretically! Because, kids have a strong need to 'fix' the prints that came out poorly or pale. Since I don't like to restrain V in experimenting with art materials and processes, nor to tell him what he is not supposed to do in this process, I came up with this simple game that he accepted with delight: since he loves animals and everything related to them, I told him we could imagine our stamps were animals that jump (cangaroo, rabbit, squirrel, frog...) and that they needed to jump over our paper-surface. So there was a lot of jumping! And laughing! We played nicely, had a lot of fun, and along the way we got some prints exactly the way they should be. But, in the end, as it can be seen here (and as it usually gets when kids explore the art materials freely), the squirrel messed up the prints with its tail! And actualy, that is exactly the way it should be!

Kako se izrađuje otisak? Pečat se prvo umoči u boju (ili se boja nanese četkicom na njega), potom se otisne na papir (bez pomeranja u stranu i bez razmazivanja po papiru) i podigne. I to je to. Teorijski, otisak ne bi trebalo "popravljati" četkicom ako je ispao loše, niti bi trebalo preko njega ponavljati otisak. Poenta je napraviti otisak a ne naslikati ga, niti ga razmazati. Kažem: teorijski! Međutim, deca imaju jaku potrebu da "popravlju" otiske koji su ispali loše ili koji su bledi. Pošto ne volim da sputavam V-a u istraživanju likovnih postupaka i materijala, niti da mu govorim šta ne bi trebalo da radi u tom procesu, smislila sam jednu malu igru koju je on s oduševljenjem prihvatio: pošto on obožava životinje i sve što je u vezi sa njima, rekla sam mu da zamislimo da su naši pečati ustvari - različite životinje koje skaču (kengur, zec, veverica, žaba...) i da one skakuću po našem papiru! I bilo je puno skakanja! I smejanja! Super smo se igrali i zabavili i usput dobili otiske baš onakve kakvi i treba da budu, na moju veliku radost!  Međutim, na kraju je ipak, kao što se može videti ovde, (i kao što to obično biva kada deca slobodno istražuju materijale) veverica  svojim repom razmazala otiske! A to je, zapravo, upravo onako kako i treba da bude!

Treasure basket / Korpa sa dragocenostima

In her book How to Raise An Amazing Child The Montessori Way, Tim Seldin writes about very stimulating baby “toys” – treasure baskets. Even though they are not originally a part of Montessori materials, as they belong to heuristic (investigating) toys, they are used in Montessori educational process. The term “heuristic” means discovering properties of various objects.Treasure basket is a shallow wicker basket filled with a number of common household objects and those from the surrounding nature, for babies age 6 to 18 months. 

U svojoj knjizi How to Raise An Amazing Child The Montessori Way, Tim Seldin piše o vrlo podsticajnim "igračkama" za bebe: korpama sa dragocenostima. Iako ne spadaju u originalne Montesori materijale već u heurističke (otkrivačke) igračke, koriste se i u montesori pedagogiji. Sam naziv "heuristička" igra u svojoj suštini znači: otkrivanje karakteristika različitih predmeta.

Korpa sa dragocenostima je niska pletena korpa napunjena svakodnevnim predmetima iz kuće i prirode namenjena bebama od 6-18 meseci. 

These objects must be in every way safe for the baby: big enough not to be swallowed, without sharp edges that could cause injuries, without toxic or harmful colors or paints, as babies explore everything with their mouths. 

In order for the basket to be interesting and stimulating for the baby, and to provide longer periods of study, it should contain various objects that stimulate a number of senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell. They should be of various shapes, sizes, weights, textures, scents, colors. Up to the age of 12 months babies discover and learn about their environment by their senses and motor activities – mainly with their hands and mouths. A treasure basket offers a wide mental stimulus, which is of utmost importance at an early age.

Predmeti u korpi treba da budu bezbedni za bebu u svakom smislu: dovoljno veliki da beba ne može da ih proguta, bez oštrih ivica da se beba ne bi povredila, bez otrovnih boja i lakova, s obzirom da bebe sve ispituju i svojim ustima.

Da bi korpa bila što zanimljivija i podsticajnija za bebu i da bi joj omogućila duge periode istraživanja treba da sadrži što više predmeta koji stimulišu različita čula: dodir, vid, miris, sluh. Predmeti treba da budu različitih oblika, veličina, težine, teksture, mirisa, boje. Bebe do godinu dana otkrivaju i uče o svetu koji ih okružuje putem čula i putem motornih aktivnosti i to uglavnom rukama i ustima. Korpa sa dragocenostima pruža bebama obilje mentalne stimulacije koja je jako važna u prvim godinama života.

I made a treasure basket for baby Z, containing some wooden objects, objects from nature (shells, pebbles, pine cones), metal objects (mainly kitchen utensils), soft objects (raw wool,  pieces of cloth of different textures, soft and hard brushes). In principle, plastic and electronic objects should be avoided as they are no stimulus for babies’ senses.  

Napravila sam bebi Z jednu ovakvu korpu i u nju stavila drvene predmete, prirodne (školjke, šišarke, kamenčiće), metalne (uglavnom predmete iz kuhinje), mekane (nepredena vuna, tkanine različitih tekstura, četke različite mekoće)...      U principu treba izbegavati plastične i elektornske predmete, zato što su nestimulativni za bebina čula.

Baby Z adores her treasure basket. She can play with it for long periods of  time.

I try to just watch her play, without disturbing her. When I see that she has had enough, and that  she does not find the basket interesting any more (after several days, or even weeks, since  I only give her the basket once in a while), I replace the objects in the basket with new ones.

Beba Z obožava svoju korpu. U stanju je da se zaista dugo igra.

Trudim se da samo posmatram njenu igru i da je ne ometam. Kada primetim da se zasitila, i da joj korpa nije više intresantna (nakon nekoliko dana ili čak nedelja, s obzirom da joj samo povremeno dajem ovu korpu), menjam predmete i stavljam nove u nju. 

Transparent soap sculptures / Skulpture od providnog sapuna

I bought some transparent soaps in different colors the other day, cut them into cubes of different size, and gave them to V together with some toothpicks to make sculptures. The soap was soft and I could cut it easily. 

Pre nekoliko dana sam kupila providne glicerinske sapune različitih boja. Isekla sam ih na kocke različitih veličina i dala V-u zajedno sa čačakalicama da se malo poigra. Sapun je vrlo mekan, lako se seče nožem, i čačakalice se lako ubadaju u njega.

I usually don't suggest V what to make. 'What' is less important then 'how'. (As a matter of fact for small kids 'what' is not important at all!) I like to talk with V about the quality of materials (shape, color, texture, softness, in this case fragrance as well...) and try to motivate him to explore the possibilities of them. We talk about how we can use this small soap pieces and toothpics? In what ways we can connect them? What kind of structures can we build? How do this transparent soap-pieces look in the sun? How do they look in the shade? Are they smooth or rough? etc. All these questions are more important then a question 'what?'

Obično ne predlažem V-u šta da pravi. Šta je manje važno nego kako? (Zapravo, maloj deci pitanje šta nije važno uopšte. Ono je više važno odraslima, ali i to potpuno neopravdano!) Volim da razgovaram sa V-om o osobinama materijala, o obliku materijala, boji, teksturi, mekoći, u ovom slučaju i mirisu... Razgovaramo o tome kako sve možemo upotrebiti komadiće sapuna i čačkalice? Na koje sve načine ih možemo spojiti? Kako ovi providni sapunčići izgledaju na suncu, a kako u senci? Da li su glatki ili hrapavi, itd. Ovakva pitanja su mnogo važnija od pitanja šta?

But even so, V decided to make some airplains as well, so he did. And he loves playing with them. And we love observing them, their colors, their smoothness, their transparency and luminosity as he lifts his hand up high above his head for the airplane to fly in the sky against the sunny light.

Međutim, i pored toga V je poželeo da napravi i nekoliko aviona, pa ih je i napravio, i sada voli da se igra sa njima. Ali volimo i da ih zajedno posmatramo, njihove boje, njihovu glatkoću, providnost i svetlucavost dok ih njegova ručica podiže visoko iznad glave da lete u nebu prema suncu.