Big. Blue. / Veliko. Plavo.

V usually draws with markers. They are his favourite art material so lines and detail dominate in his drawings. There are almost no surfaces in his drawings; no expressive movements at all.

So from time to time I offer him some other art materilas such as tempera paint with  large brushes to stimulate him to do some large-stroke-paintings with no detail at all (a large brush disables details and thin precise lines). He usually accepts this offer, but only for a short session. And that's fine. I never push! I offer, but don't expect him to always accept the offer if he doesn't feel like it. 

V najviše voli da crta flomasterima. Oni su mu omiljeni likovni materijal. Stoga u njegovim crtežima dominiraju linije i detalji. U njegovim crtežima gotovo da nema površina niti širokih ekspresivnih pokreta. 

Zbog toga mu povremeno nudim i druge materijale, poput tempera i široke četke da bih ga podstakla da ponekad slika i širokim potezima bez detalja (širokom četkom je veoma teško napraviti detalje i tanke, precizne linije). On obično prihvata ovakve ponude, ali samo na kratko. I to je u redu. Nikad ne vršim pritisak! Nudim, ali ne očekujem da uvek i prihvati ponudu ako ne želi.

When painting with tempera paint and a large brush, we usually do this on a large piece of paper, so that the strokes can be really big and large! And notice that there is no need for suggesting to paint Big: a large paper, a large brush, and the thick tempera paint - take you precisely in that direction!

Kada slikamo temperama i širokom četkom obično to radimo na velikom formatu papira tako da potezi četkom zaista mogu biti široki, da možemo da se razmašemo. Čak nema potrebe naglašavati detetu da slika Veliko: veliki format papira, široka četka i gusta boja (tempera) - jednostavno vode u tom pravcu!

So, 'What is this?' - I struggle not to ask this question. ('How' is more important than 'What', remember? And this question kinda emphesizes the 'What' and sends the message to the kid that 'What' matters most. Specially if that's the only question we ask, and usually it is!) I struggle because I am so so curious about What it actually is. Is it a sea? Is it a big wave? Are those small strokes - sprinkles of sea droplets around the big wave? Or are they little fish in the sea? I struggle because I would like to know about this beautiful inner life of his that poures out through these large curved blue lines and large and small blue strokes, and blue surfaces... I struggle to know What, in my grown up world, they are. 

And struggle even more to know Why can't I just be fine with knowing that it is just: Big. And Blue! 

Simple as that! 

Dakle, Šta je to? - borim se sa sobom da ga ne pitam. (Kako je važnije od Šta, sećate se? A ovo pitanje  nekako naglašava ono Šta i šalje detetu poruku da je to Šta najvažnije, naročito ako je to jedino pitanje koje postavljamo, a obično, nažalost, jeste!) I borim se sa sobom zato što sam vrlo radoznala da saznam Šta je to zapravo. Da li je to more? Da li je to veliki talas? Da li su ti kratki potezi - kapljice mora oko talasa? Ili su to ribice u moru? Borim se sa sobom jer bih volela da upoznam bolje taj njegov prelepi unutrašnji život koji se izliva kroz ove široke, dugačke, krivudave plave linije i dugačke i kratke plave poteze i plave površine... Borim se sa sobom da saznam Šta je sve to, u mom svetu odraslih?

I borim se još više da shvatim Zašto je toliko teško da se razume da je to jednostavno samo Veliko. I Plavo!

Tako jednostavno!

Family dolls for baby-sister/ Lutke za sestru

V and I made these small dolls for Baby Z for her birthday (which was a while ago). I think it is beautiful to make birthday presents, and I think it is good to involve kids in this process when ever possible. For me making presents with V gives me an opportunity to show him some important things: he is capable of making a present that is really special and valuable and which can really mean a whole lot to the person it is dedicated to; making for others means dedicating our time to them and time is, in today's life, one of the most precious things; we don't have to buy things and presents, we can make them, and probably they are more valuable since they have this special personal touch; and so on, and so on... 

I would like to show my kids, that in today's life, which is so so filled with the need and imperative for buying and possessing there is space for some different things as well: things that are small, simple but full of mind and love. And more than that: full of life and personal presence!

V i ja smo napravili ove male lutke kao rođendanski poklon za Bebu Z (koji je bio pre nekog vremena). Mislim da je veoma lepo praviti poklone, i mislim da je dobro uključiti decu u ovaj proces kad god je to moguće. Pravljenje poklona sa V-om mi daje priliku da mu pokažem neke vrlo važne stvari: da je sposoban da napravi zaista poseban i vredan poklon koji može da znači mnogo onome kome je namenjen; da pravljenje znači da posvećujemo svoje vreme onome kome je poklon namenjen (a vreme je u današnje vreme, jedna od najdragocenijih stvari); da ne moramo samo kupovati poklone već ih možemo i sami napraviti i da su verovatno ti napravljeni pokloni vredniji jer sadrže taj posebni, lični pečat; itd.

Volela bih da pokažem svojoj deci da u današnje vreme, u kojem toliko vlada imperativ kupovine, potrošnje i posedovanja, postoji prostor i za neke drugačije stvari i pristupe: male stvari, jednostavne stvari ali pune duha i ljubavi. I još važnije: pune života i ličnog prisustva!

V drew all the members of our little family (papa, mama, brother and baby-sister) on pieces of white canvas with Pentel fabric pastels, which are fantastic - so bright and so intensive colors! After that we ironed the drawings to fix them, I sewed another piece of canvas (right side facing) to every drawing leaving an oppening for batting, stuffed with batting and then sewed closed. 


V je nacrtao sve članove naše male porodice (tatu, mamu, brata i bebu-sestru) na komadima belog ameriken-platna sa ovim Pentel pastelima za tkaninu koje smo dobili iz Amerike. Ne znam da li ima sličnih pastela kod nas, ali sigurno ima flomastera za tekstil (npr. Faber Castell textile markers) u knjižarama poput Platoa, Vulkana i naravno knjižare Raško, u kojoj ima svega! Nakon što nas je V sve nacrtao, prešli smo peglom preko crteža da bi ih fiskirali, a ja sam zatim sašila "vrećice" od tih crteža, napunila ih vatom i zatvorila.

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.