Antonija Balić Šimrak

Snježana Cukrov
Renata Grdić
Slavica Laco
Jasna Lisac
Dubravka Pandl
Vesna Stojanović Hauzer

CROATIAN TRADITIONAL CULTURE

AND CHILDREN’S ARTISTIC CREATIVITY
PUBLISHER Antonija Balić Šimrak
Ivan Prskalo
Snježana Cukrov
Faculty of Teacher Education,
University of Zagreb Zagreb, Renata Grdić
Savska cesta 77 Slavica Laco
www.ufzg.unizg.hr Jasna Lisac
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Dubravka Pandl
Dubravka Težak Vesna Stojanović Hauzer

EDITOR OF THE BOOK

Antonija Balić Šimrak

TRANSLATION
Tomislava Balić

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Antonija Balić Šimrak
Croatian Traditional Culture
ISBN 978-953-8115-54-7 and Children’s Artistic Creativity
PRINT RUN
E- book

Associates on the project:

Tena Prelec, Ivana Mužić, Kristina Biluš-Brožić, Krešimir Plantak
SADRŽAJ
FOREWORD 1
INTRODUCTION  2
DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS AND PROJECT 8
LACE 10
TOYS 26
CARNIVAL 42
POTTERY  62
SASH 80
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 100
UTENSILS 118
GLAGOLITIC SCRIPT 136
ASSOCIATES ON THE PROJECT 156
ABOUT THE AUTHORS 162
LITERATURE 164
FOREWORD

Kindergarten Iskrica has existed in the Zagreb city quarter Trnje for almost fifty years. From the age of
one until starting primary school, the children of our neighbourhood grow up, gain knowledge and
develop in their game, supported in their childish curiosity, encouraged to express themselves through
various ways as only a child can.
The paradigm of early childhood and pre-school age, a ‘framework’ made up of science and practice,
have never been more connected than today.
Iskrica Kindergarten is an example of this connection that has existed through cooperation with the
Faculty of Teacher Education for over thirty-five years. Starting from doing student practice, exercises
from the field of kinesiological methodology to the methodology of visual arts, in which our preschool
teachers feel sovereign, open and honored by the role of participants in the process of developing
children’s creativity. With every step made in the space of our kindergarten one can feel the creativity
of art. Expressed in colors, shapes and forms, using everything available, and naming it as artistic
equipment, our children’s works of art “reveal their attitude” towards topics of today’s life, seen through
the eyes of the child ...
The topic of Croatian traditional values is strongly present. It is part of the vision of the development of
our institution, especially in the world of multicultural connectivity, which we contribute to through the
specifics of our national values.
The following pages introduce you to our experiences. We want this material to be an inspiration,
motivation, encouragement for preschool teachers and other experts, for research and creative games
with children. By nurturing the spark of our professional curiosity, we can believe in discovering the talent
that a child carries within itself. Preserving tradition is the predisposition of the survival of every nation,
and our task is to introduce the child to this process. The artistic creativity of the child, if encouraged and
discovered with respect, is a guarantee for achieving the goals we seek, but also a great satisfaction of
creativity for adults, as it certainly should be for the child.

Renata Grdić, defectologist, principal of kindergarten Iskrica

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INTRODUCTION ARTISTIC RESEARCH AS A CHALLENGE IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Antonija Balić Šimrak

“ Nothing is found in the intellect which is not first found in the senses”
CROATIAN TRADITIONAL CULTURE AND CHILDREN’S ARTISTIC CREATIVITY

What are the methods of artistic research? What is artistic research?

The preservation of Croatian traditional culture is largely present in the programs of preschool institutions. Analyses of this issue have been going on for two decades, and they have been particularly encouraged
Traditional culture, apart from social, material and linguistic content, includes a large number of artistic by the launching of the Bologna process in European higher education, given that research is at the
creations of a people and is a logical choice of topic when it comes to sensitizing children to traditional very top of its priorities. At first, artistic research was more like a socio-humanistic research and could be
art and values that are deeply rooted in the development of the identity of their own people. Through referred to as research in the field of art. However, the academic community was divided over whether
art activities based on traditional crafts and art creations, children master all art techniques, art speech artistic research should implement the principles of scientific research or if it should establish and define
and develop a personal expression. Combining awareness of national history and culture and adopting entirely new methods and principles of artistic research. The first variant, which most of the experts
basic art concepts and techniques are the reasons for the creation and implementation of this project, agree with, is completely inappropriate for art and specificities of artistic creativity, and it is only suitable
created in cooperation of the Faculty of Teacher Education of the University of Zagreb and the Iskrica for individuals who are inclined to accept standards of academic articles only for the purposes of
Kindergarten. establishing an academic career and therefore generally sacrifice artistic-creative practice. The second
variant in which artistic research becomes a distinct kind of research brings the danger of radical methods
In today’s era of technological domination, less attention is paid to traditional trades and crafts that also and modes of interpretation, which would not agree with the academic community.
represent the artistic creation of the Croatian people. It is precisely this aspect of human activity that is
ideal for promoting “manual work”, which has long since confirmed its importance in world pedagogic Copying the research practice of social and humanistic sciences is unnecessary and not in the spirit
practice and in the formation of educational curricula. Performing activities that deal with traditional of art. Artistic research is formed on the basis of a large amount of information generated during the
culture in working with children is also the best way to protect, preserve and further develop national process, during life and education, and on the creativity and personality of the researchers. However, it
heritage. With the upgrading of traditional culture - we open the way for a better understanding of is good to use the combined methodology wherever possible to ensure interdisciplinary research. The
history and creativity and the identity of our own people, which is an invaluable contribution to early and postmodern era in art is characterized by the fact that nothing is new or original, that it is not forbidden
preschool educational processes. to take over and completely change the meaning of another artist›s work. Consequently, in artistic
research, it is difficult to talk about discovery and innovation and about originality and ethics. All these
Croatia’s traditional culture is characterized by exceptional diversity and we have from a multitude of are the reasons behind the development of unique methods and strategies of artistic research that must
motives and areas that we planned as incentives for working with children, chosen eight of them to be in the spirit of art and its creators.
highlight the wealth of creativity: lace, toys, masks, pottery, handicrafts, Glagolitic script, knitting and
instruments. In this way, we provide a basis for researching colors, shapes, ornaments, volumes, surfaces
and the development of work in different techniques and materials.
THE PROJECT OF RESEARCH OF CROATIAN CULTURAL TRADITION THROUGH ART
By exploring and experimenting with traditional techniques, children could gain insight into the
The project of the research of Croatian cultural tradition through artistic activities of Iskrica kindergarten
traditional, but emphasis was placed on new and innovative methods that inspired them to research the
was launched within the framework of the Research on Children’s Artistic Work for the purpose of
transformation of traditional motif into a completely new artistic expression. The combination of familiar
introducing students of the 1st year of graduate studies of the Early Childhood and Pre-school Education
procedures and search for new opportunities has ensured the freshness of the educational process and
to the possibilities of exploring children’s artistic creativity and ways of connecting educational and
its focus on innovation and creative research.
artistic practices.

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These two practices are apparently unrelated, but they coincide in several essential key points: the opportunity to create the way an artist creates in his own studio, with the wealth of material at their
disposal in a space where works do not have to be removed until they are finished. In the area where
- of primary importance is the authenticity of the child / artist we live with the works for days, and they have an unobtrusive influence on the deepening of aesthetic
- the creative-research-cognitive process is the source of information and results experience and further creative thinking.

- reflective practice is the main instrument of evaluation The theme of the project originated from the interest of the project leaders and the children who have
been systematically acquainted with the traditional culture of the Croatian people for years and have
This is particularly noticeable in the way children adopt the contemporary art practice, they understand it shown great interest in the research of the same, which is the best path to successful learning and
because they are close to it, they see it as a process and a game, they interpret it differently and always creativity. The project has long been “living” in the kindergarten and particular attention has been paid
originally, and the final form, technique and skill of creating are of secondary importance. to it during this intensive period, and it will continue to develop as long as the child’s interest is present.

Children, just like contemporary artists, are looking for a new understanding of things, they intervene, The basic idea of the project was to observe the children in the creative process, to look at the students
interpret and give new meaning to familiar things. The principle of a creative game is present with as atelierists, to see where this process can take us. Everything is written down and documented by
children and contemporary artists alike. different media. Photos of the process represent a quote on the one side, and on the other a note which
describes the process.
Our wish was to bring students closer to the possibilities of artistic research, so that it remains “open”,
that it allows changes in the direction of research, and brings the moments that we did not count on, The key evaluation will, hopefully, be followed by both experts and through practice, in the way
and that it finally remains incomplete, and invites further creativity. Therefore, we have not defined the that the preschool teachers will be stimulated by the presented project, will record their new or old
methods or structure of the research in advance. The kindergarten became an atelier, and the preschool experiences regarding this topic and submit it to us, and this process will be able to be tracked at www.
teacher the atelierist and reflexive practitioner who leads the process with his previous knowledge and hrvatskatradicijskakulturaidijete.com . In this way we will continue this research of Croatian traditional
experience, leaving space for free creation. culture in children’s art, but will also be able to consider and systematize the methodology and methods
used in them.

The research was largely based on the process of creating a pattern based on traditional crafts, which
KINDERGARTEN AS AN ATELIER AND THE PRESCHOOL TEACHER IN THE ROLE OF AN then developed into the use of acquired information on rather new and creative tasks. The experience
ATELIERIST AND REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER the children gained by imitating the tradition greatly contributed to a fresh and innovative view of their
own interpretations. Experimental research based on your own experience is the best way to understand
Iskrica kindergarten was chosen for an “atelier” because this is what it truly is. Inevitably, throughout the
the creative process. Putting children’s creativity into the focus of our research has the opportunity to
years, thanks to individuals, the entire space gained the features of a real art studio. All rooms function
track and record all the specifics of the process that certainly bring new insight into how different media
as a living, working, but also as an exhibitional space. The walls are “paved” with children’s artwork
in the hands of children are shaped in a new and original way.
that bestows the love and admiration of artistic creativity. Preschool teachers have been investing in
the development of their visual skills for years, learned new techniques, and passed on knowledge and Artistic activities are, among other things, the means of encouraging and preserving creativity as the
skills to children in groups. Kindergarten Iskrica invests a lot in educating its teachers, in the material ability of an individual, in our case the child’s, so that it can acquire special and creative knowledge,
for the art of expressing and presenting children’s works. It presented its work on numerous exhibitions develop curiosity in the sense of research and creation, develop openness to solving problems in the
and gained a prestigious status among Croatian kindergartens. In addition to this, the kindergarten process itself, in a new and unpredictable way, and develop its unique artistic sensitivity as a visual
has been nurturing and encouraging the research of Croatian traditional culture for years, so it was not speech that conveys its feelings, thoughts and desires.
difficult to provide mentors for our research. Their knowledge and experience, and most of all love for
some of the traditional phenomena, served as a rich collection of necessary data to start the research, Children are motivated by stories and motives to think, imagine, and invent. They interpret these scenes
and the kindergarten provided a creative stimulating atmosphere. Also involved are external associates, visually and describe them very seriously verbally. They see what adults can not. They read the images
representatives of individual professions (making musical instruments, dance, folklore), and providing a in many ways, some change the story each time, and for some it is important that the details are always
visit to relevant institutions (Croatian Academy of Art and Sciences) in order to give children a complete the same.
insight into the topic.
There are several important postulates for promoting the development of creativity, that is, of discovery-
Didactic resources encompassed a wide range of equipment and aids and technical support to the creative abilities in children’s artistic creativity:
process that has always been trying to be innovative and attractive. In such an environment, children
could best realize the richness of visual research and make their contribution to expressing in visual - respect for the child as an autonomous and authentic being with an already established personality
media. As seen from the pictures, in the groups there was an “atelier” atmosphere in which children had - treating the child as an equal partner in the creative process
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- allowing a child to explore and discover freely by enabling it to be safe and secure in an art-inspired

environment

- motivation of the child by choosing artistic equipment

- allowing the child to evaluate and talk about its work during and after the creative process, ensuring

that every child involved in the activity has a chance to talk about its work DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS AND PROJECT
- recognizing the child’s specific artistic sensibility and respecting it

- allowing the child to choose the procedure, the motif, the materials and the technique alone A child of preschool age needs to express its abilities and potentials in one or more areas: music,
dance, sports, acting, speech and foreign language, cognition-mathematics, or through a visual-creative
- transferring the belief that there is a special understanding of the artistic expression of each child and expression.
that it is accepted and appreciated

- encouraging children to exchange ideas, to take over from each other, and through individual «Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and
understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and
approach give a personal touch to these ideas of others
understand.»
In the process of art creation, it is impossible to determine outcomes in advance, as they are derived
Albert Einstein
from the process and very often move in quite new directions. This is precisely the beauty of artistic
creativity - the process can be seen and interpreted only when it is finished. Previously accurate planning Artistic development of the child is the subject of this topic in activities of a preschool institution. The
is not desirable because it limits the artist’s freedom. Through the activities of the children, children had goal and objective is to enable every child to experience enriched activities, incentives and content in
the opportunity to explore various contents in a way that enabled them to look at the subject: which a child can express its abilities and develop potentials in artistic expression. The child, as does
every artist, needs a stimulus for its creative act needs an incentive that creates lightness in the desire to
- through different techniques and materials
express something new and ‘unrepeatable’.
- through visual, tactile and kinesthetic experience
Artistic creativity in the development of a child is a set of inherent traits and abilities that enables a child’s
- with the help of adults who were actively involved in the creative process artistic skills in line with its developmental age. Creativity is the ability and potential that each child
possesses, and depends on and develops in accordance with the conditions in which the child is given
- through different artistic forms the possibility of creating visual art. Abundant environment in terms of materials and artistic incentives
challenge the child’s creative potential and therefore the role of the preschool teacher is to provide a
- with complete freedom of artistic creation structured center of art. The child independently or in co-operation with the preschool teacher chooses
- with surface and spatial design the technique, selects the material and creates an experience by deciding on the technique, material and
duration of the activity. A child in such a medium freely chooses and combines expresses the creativity of
- through a miniature, common and large format making with ease, and if different materials are available, the child shows greater creativity and diversity
in its application. A preschool teacher who recognizes and supports the creativity of a child, and is
The characteristics of applied art to add to the product also the dimension of usefulness, certainly himself self-creative in a particular form, will more easily participate in the child’s creation, no matter how
contributed to the satisfaction with this project in children, because their works, besides decorative, much freedom the child achieves in artistic creations.
found a useful purpose in everyday life of the kindergarten. Scenography, costumes, toys ... all these are
areas that contribute to a deeper understanding of the beauty and importance of artistic creation. The process is important, not the final work that a child achieves. It is important that a child creates and
shows joy in what is created, because being creative means seeing the same thing as the others, but
expressing it in a unique and distinctive way. The child needs to know this and enjoy itself while creating.
In the implementation of activities with children in the themes of this project: Croatian tradition as an
incentive for children’s artistic creativity, we achieve these OBJECTIVES:

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• Through incentives and various art techniques, bring children closer to the tradition of living in our 7. Encourage the development of artistic imagination / ability of imagination, expressing the visual
region / northwestern Croatia /, cultural, national, religious and traditional heritage. impression of sensory and emotional experience, imagination and design on the surface and in space.
• Through designed artistic activities enable the child to acquire knowledge and to observe relationships 8. Encouragement in the development of artistic invention - ingenuity in expression: different or accurately
in traditional and contemporary life. specified materials, but in a different way, with different application.
• Improve the quality of the process by encouraging the development of the child’s creative and 9. Encouraging the child’s freedom of expression - spontaneity in creating new techniques, imagination,
artistic abilities, creating a personal experience of reality and artfully expressing it with the use of originality, freedom in creating the new and unusual.
specific art techniques.
• Encourage imagination and creative expression by supporting the child’s interest in the offered
incentives - an appropriate methodical approach. In the subject we were dealing with, the stimulus was Croatian tradition. The whole project presents an
overview of the visual arts and techniques of working with children in special programs of kindergarten
• Individualized approach - the child gradually enters and meets certain stages of work - a personal Iskrica:
visual expression.
Ethno program with elements of traditional culture ‘Child and Heritage’,
• Development of the child’s personality through the possibility of choice - initiative, self-confidence,
trust, perseverance. Program for promoting artistic expression and creativity of ‘Little Creativity’ and
Educational program for sustainable development and multiculturalism.

Through the richness and variety of approaches, methods and ways of working with children of preschool
age, analogous to this many TASKS of art/creation of a child are imposed:
The project involved children aged 4 to 7.

1. Encouraging and developing the sensitivity for different forms of visual arts and materials / pencil,
paint, crayons, ink, charcoal, paper, cardboard, sand, snow, stone, unformed and construction materials
- getting to know them, play with them, play, explore ... Dubravka Pandl, pedagogue consultant
2. Encouraging observation of a given whole, subject, detail, or artwork, in order to experience perception
as an incentive for artistic expression.
3. Encouraging and developing the skills of mastering various techniques of shaping / solving problems
how to paint with a paintbrush, with a thread, on wet or dry paper, silk, canvas; mosaics of seeds and
other natural materials, pieces of ceramic tiles, weaving, shaping with straw, branches, corn husks ... /
4. Encouraging and developing sensitivity for designing in space / volume, surface, color ... modeling,
building, construction - whole, parts, details.
5. Developing sensitivity for combinations / joining, stacking, assembling, imagination in grading and
grouping imagery, rhythm and changing elements: color, line, shape, size; layout of material on the
surface, in space; sensitivity to the relationship between visual elements and materials.
6. Development of surface shaping sensitivity: on paper, cardboard, canvas, silk, concrete; dot, line,
color, texture, symbols, shapes ..., harmony, contrast, string, rhythm, dynamics.

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 LACE

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 “Lace is round, with some big, small and very small holes. It serves for decoration on the table. It looks
soft like a spider’s net from the story of a ‘The dance dress of the yellow dandelion’ but without holes.
“- Igor P.

HISTORY OF LACEMAKING
This is how the cheerful world of children’s imagination is experiencing lace. Transferring lace- making
skills to ensure its survival is one of the most important tasks of European lacework and so is the transfer
of knowledge about lace from Lepoglava. Lepoglava becomes a cradle of culture of science, education
and art. The existence of Lepoglava lace is linked to the cult of Pauline (white friars). The skill of making
‘ bobbin lace’ flourished at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries thanks to Zlata pl. Šufflaj who
organized lace-making and enriched it with folk ornaments. Danica Brosler and later Ivanka Horvat also
played a major role in the development of lace-making. Danica Brosler’s lace designs are recognizable
by floral and baroque motifs, and are based on the knowledge of European lace techniques.
In 1937, Lepoglava lace was awarded with a gold medal in Paris, and in 1939, bronze in Berlin. The Lace
Association and the Lepoglava Lace Cooperative Society were established, which had great importance
in promoting lace through international lace festivals. Also, in 2009, Lepoglava lace was listed on the
UNESCO list of world, non-material protected heritage and is marked “Original Croatian”.
Crafted hands from a white linen or cotton thread on a round hard pad and an even pair of petals
(‘grandma-grandpa’) over a drawn template with stylized geometric and floral motifs, create an expensive
lace that characterized the garment details of aristocracy and later became the property of the village
people.

MOTIVATION AND REACTION OF CHILDREN - COMMENTS OF CHILDREN

Children’s experience with lace is different. For some lace is: “When something is round.” - Laura P., and
for others: “Lace has some lines and circles, one circle inside and a line. Something that can be hooked
on a Christmas tree, 200 years old. “- Patrik S.
Our children had an opportunitiy to get acquainted with lace as an ornament on clothing, through a small
fashion show.Visually exploring the shape, size, texture, feel the lace and of what material it was made
and the way of joining parts and pieces, has been stimulating for combinatory skills and constructivism
in visual expression.
Previously, wooden pads with arranged nails in the circle and wool were prepared. Encouragement for
children was the joining of the nails in different ways, as long as the child shows interest. The children
were changing places in working with wool and nails, and everyone was trying to connect the nails in a
different way. Now we are closer to making lace! The perceptive experience of photos of lace patterns
of different motifs has also been used as an incentive for observing and enriching the notion of the
whole resulting from connecting various elements. In order to provide an even better interpretation for
the child, we have provided the lace projection by means of an overhead projector. A large format of
projected lace inspired children to comment:
“We got a glittering lace! It is ‘spiky’, round and squarelike. “- Maro M.
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They tried to touch the image and with hands pass through parts and pieces of different shapes that
alternated. They realized that by combining different shapes, they build a whole. The game with glittering
lace continued in a way that the children moved the lace on the overhead projector, and the projected
picture on the wall was changing. The children saw new details on the lace. They noticed the contours
of the leaf, the flower, the big ‘holes’ which they can lean through with their head!
Good motivation encouraged children to create art through the use of different materials and art
techniques. A large role in achieving the objective is played by the organization of space and the
preparation of materials. The artistic expression is individual and original, depending on the ability of
children, and in order to achieve this, the necessary conditions of uninterrupted work are necessary.
To enable this, we prepared tables in two spaces. On each table, the material needed for a certain art
technique was prepared. Material for drawing techniques was prepared: paper and pencil, paper pads
and black markers, styrofoam pads, nails and thread.
In the room that is connected to the bathroom, a material for painting on silk and grattage was prepared.
Why? During the work this material is possible to cause ‘accidents’ - spillage of the paint, dirty hands,
which can interfere with the children. If we allow them to work freely without burdening them with the fear
of spilling, then the children will actively and safely enjoy the creation. Free movement in the workplace
is also encouraging for children who want to try different techniques and try out other materials. In this
way we activate their own individual potentials.
“The table runner is a tablecloth and can be made of wire, paper, rope, wool.” - Maro M.
And this is exactly what it is about! We prepared styrofoam pads wrapped in transparent foil. The
children firmly hammered nails to it according to their ideas. After the set shape, the children joined
the nails with the thread and created different shapes that created the whole. To put everything else in
place, we put on a diluted wood glue. We repeated this several times in a few days. After the works were
dried, we removed them from the pads.
“I put a nail on the square shape of a styrofoam, filled it like a block. I finally put my thread on nails,
where there was less there I put more. Then thread knots occured. I put some glue and then it started
to be sticky. Then it dried and we removed it from the pad and put it on the exhibition.“- Karlo V.
Grattage (fr. grattage) or (tal. sgraffito) is a painting technique that is performed by applying greasy wax
crayons onto paper, then covered with black ink and when dried it is grated with a stick on the pad and
a layer of ink is removed. We decided to work on clay tiles. Clay (ceramic) tiles were a connection to
tradition, and something new that children did not have the opportunity to try before. Some problems
were solved through the activity. As the tile was raised at the edges, the problem was created by
pressing the stick on the edge. And that is what every child resolved in its own way. Someone hugged
the tile, someone pressed the stick harder, someone asked for co-operation (help) of the other person.
The technique demanded earlier preparation of clay tiles.
“We rubbed the tiles with a candle and we coloured them with black ink and then we drew lace on it,
but big, made of circles that were connected.” - Simon M.
“I worked with a candle on a tile. We took off black colour with a stick. We had to work two days. I felt
as working hard! “- Igor P.

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 Silk painting is a visual technique that requires from children patience, creativity, and experience of
working with other techniques, since they can then be self-contained and free in their creation. This
technique and painting activity also required work in several stages. After preparing the silk handkerchief
on a wooden frame, the kids painted their lace with contour pastes. In order that the contour would not
smear, it was necessary to leave it one day to dry. Contour paste is also a barrier that does not allow color
to cross the lines. After drying, the color was added. Before the painting activity began, the children
thought of what their lace would look like. The possibilities were different, from colorful to shaded
surfaces. The experience they had in color tones(tempera) was applied to this activity. Silk colors were
prepared in different shades.
The paints were applied by thin brushes to the contoured shapes and filled the surfaces. Since the base
is of silk, the color has the ability to ‘travel’ out of its shape. This opens up the ability to experience
colors and to overcome the amount of paint on the paintbrush, then the position and pressure of the
paintbrush on the pad. For the unusual effects of ‘disappearing’ colors and creating unusual shapes, salt
is used. Salt for color has the role of color collecting and leaves special effects, is placed in places based
on wishes of the child. After the completion of the whole process, the created work has to be fixated
with the iron at the highest temperature.
“That’s nice. It looks like a spider’s net.“- Jana B.
Wire lace? Why not! The silver thin thread of the wire looks similar to the thread. It is suitable for shaping
different shapes: round, rectangular, oval. It is only necessary to merge parts that are different and can
be overlapped by creating complex structures. Out of cut wires, the children made shapes and joined
them, slid them and shaped them with their fingers. In this way, necklaces and earrings were created
from the lace parts, and with the help of imagination they made table runners.
“Our teacher cut off the wire and we started to wrap it.” - Vida V.
Analytical observation encouraged children to discover what lies ahead (lace). They saw the inner structure
in the form of ‘circling, vibrating lines’, lines, points, circles that in the final form create a whole. As
drawing is irreplaceable in the development of fine tactile skills and relationships - ‘sense-thought-arm’,
we offered them two possibilities for artistic expression. The first option was paper and pencil, and the
Photos of the Lepoglava and Pag lace served as templates for creating a decorative surface of a ceramic second option was a paper cake pad and a thin black marker. Children could, according to their affinity,
choose the means by which they would express themselves. In this way, we enabled the development
plate. The diversity and richness of detail ensures imaginative child’s interpretation and drawing, which
of those abilities for which a child shows inclination. The paper cake pad already has lace ornaments on
contains all the beauty of the line and the contrast of black and white. The white base of the tile was its edges, which subsequently fit into one whole. By drawing with a thin black marker different parts in
covered with thick, black coating, which was scraped with wooden sticks to the base. shape and size, they had the goal to connect everything into one whole. Different parts, fragments and
sequences were rhythmically embedded in different patterns.
And that is how our lace was created. Someone wonders if this is it? We had fun, learned and enjoyed
designing our creations. We tried out new materials, introduced new techniques, and you can do it too
if you watch through the eyes of a child.

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POSSIBILITIES OF FURTHER RESEARCH
Lace as an incentive can serve to explore further ways of expression in other techniques: eg graphics
(monotypes, collage printing), modeling (clay), kirigami (paper), spatial shaping (furniture). We want to
explore the possibilities of connecting decorative ornaments with garments and handicrafts. We also
want to cooperate with the local community in the organization of an exhibition and fashion show,
including co-operation with designers who are inspired by lace-making tradition, as well as involving
parents.
All of these features will be introduced in a special program “Little Creativity” (a program to promote
visual art and creation), as an enriched program to explore new materials and techniques in children’s
artwork. Through enriched visual arts with appropriate methodical approaches, with an individualized
approach to the child while acquainting it with certain new phases of work - the child will easily realize
a personal, original visual expression. It will be stimulated by the imagination and beauty of looking
through the ‘eyes of the child’.

Snježana Cukrov, preschool teacher consultant

Pre-activities were at the same time

independent creative activities as well
as the efforts to approach the lace in
an innovative way. Children enjoyed
winding the end around the nail stuck
in a thick board of styrofoam. There
were some kind of pictopastics that
contained elements of drawings, relief
and architectural forms. The wrapped
shapes were coated with wood glue and
were removed from the nail after drying.

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 Motivating children
by projecting lace on
the wall of the room
proved to be extremely
successful. After a
projection led by the
preschool teacher, the
children continued
to use the projector,
move the lace and
revealed all the
possibilities provided
by such technology.
With this activity,
children could also
get acquainted with
the phenomenon of
enlarging the motif,
playing the shadow on
the wall, could observe
their own movement
in relation to other
children. The theme
of the scenery and
the shadow theater
opened as a possible
continuation of
activities and research.

20 21
 Painting on silk is often
carried out during
artistic activities and
has also become
the trademark of
kindergarten Iskrica.
The children managed
to handle silk paints,
contour pastes and
work on a silk frame
without any problems.
An example is the
activity in which
applied arts come to
light, and children are
introduced into the
world of usability of
artistic handicrafts.
Through a painting
process that resembles
watercolor painting,
children had the
opportunity to observe
the behavior of color
on a soft, textile surface
and notice how the
pigment depends on
the amount of added
water, has a stronger
or lower intensity. They
also tried to add sea
salt to the color, which
resulted in additional
effects characteristic of
painting on silk.

22 23
 Getting acquainted with ceramics
through the sgraffito technique
is one of the more innovative
activities in the project, which
is characterized by a high level
of artistic expression expressed
through a drawing process. Thin,
baked, white clay tiles are an ideal
basis for testing this technique.

The project included the

process of shaping jewelry from
wire, accessing it as a game
and free design. The resulting
necklaces, brooches and rings
can be characterized as a very
contemporary expression of
jewelry design.

24 25
 TOYS

26 27
 “A toy is a source of joy, happiness, socializing. It is always interesting, irreplaceable, an integral part of
childhood, growing up, human life. It has adjusted to the time it was created, but it kept its role.
“Toys are needed so that we do not watch TV all day.” - Šimun L.

What did the children play with when there was no TV?

“So long ago, a 100 years ago, before you, even you, teacher, were born, children had only wooden
toys.” - Patrik S.

HISTORY

According to the data from the Ethnographic Museum’s inventory book, the first registered toy in the
museum is a cradle from Letovanić, a village near Sisak, intended for girls, made of oak around 1840,
and purchased for the museum in 1921.
Wooden children’s toys are recognizable as traditional products of Croatian Zagorje. Already at the end
of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the production of toys as a family craft was organized
in Croatia. In the village of Vidovec, near Zagreb, they made toys and sold them at fairs. According to
the written data, stored in the Ethnographic Museum, in 1932, the production of wooden children’s toys
began with the establishment of the “First Croatian peasant co-operative for the production and sale
of children’s toys in Vidovec. “Toys are made as animal figures, means of transport or household items.
In some villages (Laz Stubički, Laz Bistrički, Stubica, Tugonica, Turnišće and Marija Bistrica), the tradition
of making toys keeps up to this day. The mode of production was passed from generation to generation.
The most common are figurines of horses, butterflies and birds, whose wings are making the sound of
the so-called klepetaljka- a wooden bird held on a stick, dancers on merry-go-rounds, doll furniture.
They are manually made by men using soft wood from the immediate environment (willow, linden,
beech). After drying, toy masters tie the wood and use a special tool to cut and shape the toys using
Particular pleasure to children were the wooden or cardboard templates. Painting is mostly the work of women. They use ecological colors, and
attempts to imitate traditional patterns that they usually use red, yellow or blue as the background. Thereafter, it is followed by decorating with floral
decorated wooden toys. The form would or geometric motifs that are white, black, red, yellow or blue. Each toy is unique.
“revive” and the entire object would get Apart from these types of toys (horses, butterflies, furniture), musical instruments adapted to children
a tone. Children mastered the method of were also produced, and more will be said about this topic in the chapter “Musical instruments”.
painting on a three-dimensional object and Thanks to the craftsmen of wooden toys from the Croatian Zagorje region, these toys have been one
aligning the decoration with the form, in a of the most attractive handicraft products of the Krapina-Zagorje County for the past years. They are
way to support one another. included in the List of Protected Non-Material Cultural Goods, entered in the Register of Cultural Property
of the Republic of Croatia.
By enrolling - the art of making traditional wooden children’s toys from the Croatian Zagorje region to
UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, their importance and
Drawings with ink and painting with color value at the world level was confirmed. To date, the interest of children for the traditional toy is present.
ink on paper showed that children easily Especially for klepetaljke, and the masters of the toys adapted them for present generations.
and naturally adopt a “style” of Croatian
masters of crafts that decorated toys.

28 29
“Without toys, we could not live, because children play with them. You can make them alone at home
with your parents and in the kindergarten. Some toys are also made at the factory. There certainly work
good people - apprentices and masters. “- Tadej P.

Our kindergarten has a number of traditional children’s wooden toys (klepetaljke, wooden horses, wagons,
furniture, musical instruments) so they have the opportunity to meet and play with them. By watching
their game, sharing communication during the game (arrangement, division of roles, organizations),
a combination of modern and traditional toys in an imaginative game - I found out that interest in a
traditional toy is always present. The children found solutions in the game - how the ‘decorated chair’ can
be a lion throne, how with klepetaljke or, as they called them, bird carriers, bird caps, can a competitive
game or walk be designed or one can sing a song in the rhythm of ‘the movement of wings’ – playing
instruments.
Playing because as Šimun M. says: “It’s important for kids to play, because then you’re cheerful, socialize
with friends and learn everything,” the children have seen the characteristics of the material from which
toys are made (strength, joining parts , functionality), and they were especially attracted to the motifs
that were painted on them.

“Parents made toys for children. Of course, wooden, because at that time it was the strongest material.
They hammered nails into them, glued parts together, this is what dads made with tools, and mums
colored them. And the children were making their toys from what they found on the road - branches,
leaves, grass, stones. “- Igor P.

“Flowers, roses, circles and round lines and straight lines, squares were drawn on the toys, because it’s
nice.” - Patrik Č.

In addition to everyday games with traditional toys, as a motivation for performing art activities was the
presentation of a short film about making toys, different puzzles on the same subject. Cloth dolls, corn
husk dolls , sash (carpet or bed cover), painted linen for little beds – those are elements that enriched
the game, and the children initiated their making with minimal help from the preschool teacher. Vida’s
dad, who made us wooden horses, was also involved in the preparation.

The materials used were mostly from the child’s immediate environment (paper, cardboard, clay, wood,
tempera). By papier mache technique we made furniture and horseshoes. We cut pieces of furniture
from the cardboard. On the prepared cardboard, we put newspaper (adhesive as a combination of
woodcut glue, flour and water). To acheive better strength, the procedure was repeated in two layers.
After drying we colored the substrate with tempera and also drew decorations.
By the same technique of papier mache, with the addition of wooden elements (sticks of different sizes),
we also created horses (for riding). Small wooden horses were painted in acrylic colors and we adorned
them, and used hemp for the mane. The children painted some toys (optionally) with pencil or used
black ink and a colored ink - a combination of painting with a paintbrush and stick drawing techniques.
In addition to the above-mentioned techniques, children were modeling with clay. These were parts of
furniture, horses or locomotives and wagons. Observing painted ornaments on toys, especially furniture,
the children commented:

30 31
 Clay modeling enabled children to “I like the flower outside and the flower inside. Small circles and squares that go round in a circle around
explore the shape and solve static the flower. And these lines like little knives. “- Mark D.
issues of objects. Since these are middle “The flowers are different in size and look like a small flower in a big flower. The lines are slightly
and older children, all the works were surrounded as if they were reconciled, and the others managed to push themselves around like chicks.
designed in space and volume was “- Luke D.
achieved.
“Circles, dots, a big flower and a small flower and all around the white colour and everything looks like
you’re writing. Like you write a capital letter A on top, and a small letter a on bottom. “- Nikola M.
In further activities, children could be
offered the incision of the ornament
POSSIBILITIES OF FURTHER RESEARCH
into the clay surface. Such baked
terracotta, then could be patinated with Traditional children’s toys will continue to be the subject of our interest and research in children’s
red pigments and treated with finishing creative art. From the use of different art techniques and materials, to the combination of tradition and
techniques of sculptural design. There contemporary art - the use of recycled material, natural elements, material of different textures (fabric,
is also the possibility of finalizing these net, abrasive paper, metal, wire and the like). The possibilities are varied and will depend primarily on
works in the technique of ceramic the interest of children and the creative finding of new ideas in the immediate environment and materials
painting by engobe and glazing with that are suitable for children. The artistic expression of the child is the result of how it experiences his
transparent glaze. environment. What the world looks like through a child’s eye has always been a subject of adult research.
I think it is most important that a child feels successful, happy and joyful in what it does, and in such a
The time limit did not allow us to try spirit (of course, riding on a horse) Jana’s song was created:
out all the possibilities of shaping and
painting, but each new activity has
“Little horse-little horse did you fall in love with a female horse?
opened up a series of new possibilities
that can be applied in other projects. Choose, choose the nice red one. “

Vesna Stojanović Hauzer, preschool teacher consultant

The divergent shape of the body of a

horse, the soft material as a mane and
the extremely attractive painted motif
in red, black and white, have certainly
contributed to the motivation of children
and the beauty of drawing with ink.

32 33
The procedure of making furniture in the technique of papier mache is extremely demanding but gives the child
a valuable experience of creating a complete, multilayered object and reinforces its spatial perception.

34 35
36 37
 The ‘Puž/Snail’ group of
ateliers, in which the special
program ‘Little Creativity’ is
being implemented, is an
inspirational place which, with
its creative atmosphere, invites
to artistic activities and to the
research of visual arts. Here
is an important precondition
for quality art creation, which
means that “work in progress”
is allowed. Work does not
have to be removed and
space returned to its original
state, but one can work on it
for days so ideas can mature
and develop in different
directions. This option is
valuable and provides a good
result. The pace of making and
re-entering the same task with
a new “refreshed” look on
several occasions is necessary
for creative thinking.

The amount of material

collected and availability to
children, in this space is at an
enviable level, is an example
of the atelier space that each
group or at least kindergarten
should have.

38 39
 The toys created quickly found a
place in children’s play. The pleasure
because they had created them was
irrefutable and confirmed the well-
known thesis about the importance
of creating their own toys that give
the child a special dimension of
creative thinking for the purpose of
the game.

40 41
 CARNIVAL

42 43
 CROATIAN CARNIVAL TRADITION

Carnival, Lenten, Masquerade, Fašnik and Poklade – are only some of the names for this folk holiday
which is an integral part of our tradition. Carnival customs are the time before the beginning of the
Lenten Season, beginning after the Three Wise Men, and the culmination of the last three days, Sunday,
Monday and especially Shrove Tuesday before Ash Wednesday when it ends. Apart from timing in
Christian calendars, carnival does not have anything in common with Christianity, which means it relies
on older, pre-Christian heritage in the field of magic, religion, and mythology.
The carnival ceremony of wearing the masks at a certain time of year originates from the belief that by
wearing awesome masks with appropriate chanting, prayers and sacrificial gifts, the evil spirits of the
wicked are expelled from the earth and thus it helps the return of the good spirits of the summer.
Dressing up, being someone else, covering your face, changing your voice, some are the characteristics
of a carnival. However, certain contents are related to places, regions, customs, and often when disguising
one must respect the rules and rituals, their beginning and end.
Traditional characters are called differently, depending on the area they come from: mačkare, maškare,
zvončari, buše, didi i babe, naphanci, baukači. Dressed in furry scary masks with a human or animal face,
somewhat filled with straw, metal bells or rattles, they went to the villages, raising the noise , scaring
them, and bringing joy to the inhabitants who gave them eggs, donuts, sausages and whatever they
had at home. The masks are given presents because they make winter and all evil go away, but also by
magic, ensure fertility and happiness, protect them from supernatural forces and disasters.

Fašnik was somehow the beginning of a new life, and during that time there were plenty of superstitions,
rituals that followed it. Carnival festivities usually include masked parades, dances, and eventually
burning the ‘carnival prince’ - a culprit for all ugly and evil.
The traditional figure of the carnival masks in Maruševac (Hrvatsko zagorje) was a “pile/gomila”. It is
a figure of an animal whose head is made in the form of a big horse head. It was often made with the
moving jaws loudly clogging. The head of the pile was attached to the rod, and the body of the animal
was made up of two young men covered with a thick dark blanket or a long white sheet. The pile had a
mane and a tail.
In some places it was customary for masks to represent a wedding crowd. There are permanent characters:
bride, bridegroom, bestman. Homes were also visited by small masks dancing on house doorsteps with
a stick in their hands saying, “Let God give you such a big turnip that you can not even put it on the
cart.”
The traditional characters of the Međimurje carnival area: LAMPE - wooden masks in the form of human
cheeks with animal elements (horns, ears, muzzle). The masked figure - NAHPANEC wears a ‘beline’, a
folk costume of a domestic white canvas linen, and under the clothes it is filled with straw. Naphanci carry
objects for making noise and plundering (chains, bells, ‘iron pitchforks’, brooms). LAFRE are wooden
masks in the form of human cheeks, often with grotesque lines. The masked woman wears old clothes,
parts of folk costumes. SELNIČKI PIKAČ comes wrapped in straw - invokes good harvest and is the
symbol of the end of winter. ČAPLE are masks that are not put on the face, but the young men carry
them above them on the stick and are covered with a sheet.

44 45
“People are masked when they go to carnival. It’s only once a year, you can not do it every day. “
- Mia P.
The time of revelation for many is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year, because then there may
be someone else, crazy, mocking, and nobody can blame them. So we had the opportunity to dress
up, be masked. True, we were practicing almost the whole month, but the closing ceremony was “The
Masks in Iskrica”. Then we gave way to our imagination ... because today I can be what I want. A lion,
wolf, dragon I can scare, today I’m not afraid of anything ...

“I love masks because they dance, sing and eat donuts. Sometimes I’m scared a bit, but that’s how it
should be. “- Petra K.
“This is good for you when you are a mask. Then no one recognizes you. I like to disguise myself and
when my friends are masked. “- Martin Ž.

“Some masks are loud and sing loudly. I do not like it, but I like to disguise myself in the bee
Maja. “- Laura P.

The discussion about masks, the fears that are present, and the delights they bring, were the motivation
for art creativity. Sound, movement, appearance of the masks (color, shape, characteristic parts) are
initiators of children’s activities. Video footage, a puzzle game, a memory game, colorful crepe hats,
music, stories about terrible and unusual creatures - are some of the incentives for planned artwork.
The creation of the great NAPHANEC masquerade encouraged some children to find and paint their
own masks in the richness of the collected undefiled material. Simon L .: “When we do work we do it
creatively, something special, interesting, ‘unusual’. I’m happy because it’s great. “

On a large paper format, a group of children painted a fascinating masked parade with tempera. Mixing
colors, creating new shades, playing with color – the experience of masks and carnival, movement,
music, crowd.
In clay they modeled the masks using a variety of accessories: slot knives, wooden sticks, thrusted
different materials (marker caps, walnut shells).
A smaller number of children are included in the enriched “Little Creativity” program, so the assemblage
technique is not unknown to them(fr. Assemblage-joining, folding, sculpting technique of coliaging
different objects and creating a three-dimensional composition). On the cardboard we glued with a
wood glue different materials and textures: plastic caps, straws, fabric, paper and the like. Children
could choose whether to first paint a cardboard base with acrylic colors or paste the elements of which
the mask is composed and then paint it.

“It’s interesting when you glue on the cardboard , various cardboards, straws, toilet tubs, various
materials and then you color them all. Of course, you do not glue randomly. You imagine first and then
add. “- Igor P.

The technique of colography was described by Simon L .: “I was drawing with the glittering woodcut
glue a mask I imagined, in fact how I wanted it to look. Then I waited for the glue to dry because I
painted thinner and thicker. Again I painted the glue all over the cardboard,. And again it had to dry.
Then I painted with tempera, and in the tempera was glycerin. And then I printed one, two, three times.
“

46 47
 (colography is an art graphics technique where the matrix is prepared by gluing the elements of various
textures to the surface of the matrix, from which the image is printed on paper or on another surface.)
The technique is more demanding, but the children were very interested in both the course itself and
the final stage.

“It’s all fun to me, because I’m doing something new and I have to think.” - Patrik S.

A special interest was caused by a great sculpture of ‘naphanec’. We created it in several stages. For
making the head (masks) we used unshaped material (plastic bottles and cardboard) which we, using
papier mache technique with newspapers, glued in two layers. After drying, we painted with tempera,
then glued the parts (eyes – bottle caps, tongue - potato nets). The base on which we put the head
was a large fabric cone, hands of a stick, all standing on the legs of an office chair. The body is a large
white linen stuffed with straw. When we made our “Stuffy”, as Nikola called it, it was “a bit ordinary”
according to some children, so we added a paper necklace and some other decorative details.

“We’ve made a mask like an animal with horns and a long tongue. I was not terrified, because the
masks only fear the winter, not us.“- Tadej P.

POSSIBILITIES OF FURTHER RESEARCH

We are planning to collaborate with the Ethnographic Museum by visiting an exhibition of masks,
masks and customs to help children experience this distinctive traditional element more intensively. So
far we could not achieve it because of the children’s age (bus ride).
Our research will extend to other parts of Croatia - Istria and the Primorje (zvončari). With different
techniques - monotypes, collages, grattage, and various materials (sheep’s fleece, natural elements,
metal, etc.), by crafting different mobiles, we will encourage children’s imagination and creativity.
W. Shakespeare said, and his thought is the motto of our group: “The world is as interesting as we are
curious.”

Vesna Stojanović Hauzer, preschool teacher consultant

48 49
 Masks are a motif that is
undoubtedly dominated
by colors and textures. The
playfulness of these two art
elements is expressed with
celebration, fun, joy, and
therefore, children find immense
pleasure in them.

By researching and compiling

material on the surface and in
space, children could maximally
express their creativity and
playfulness. They could feel the
relationship between texture,
their complementarity and
harmony when they found
themselves in a new entity with
careful reflection. The children
had the opportunity to paint in
large format, creating a common
composition in an unfolded
perspective that showed the
atmosphere of carnival.

50 51
 By modeling in clay, we have enabled the children to meet the relief. Since these were masks,
there was no question of surface modeling or inability to form an object in space, but the
principles of modeling a shallow relief form to which it was important to observe the mask
elements and to learn how to add clay to the surface and join it with the underlay to look like
they were made of one mass.
The design of ceramic masks is an ideal medium for the color and shape relationship, and is also
a technique that closely monitors the specificity of the motif of masks.

52 53
 We tried to approach the motive of the
masks in a more peaceful, less playable
way. This was obtained with wood
glue which we pressed out on the
paperboard, treating it as a drawing
tool.
The obtained pictotoplasty is an
example of an innovative process in
which the line becomes a stain and the
drawing becomes a relief. The purity
of the work emphasized the different,
more calm and purer way of motivation.

54 55
 The boy Šimun L. (age 5) spent a
lot of hours and days shaping and
painting a masquerade mask. The
persistence and pleasure of “work” is
an exemplary example of a artistically
gifted child who, with pleasure in
accessing the work, works in his
own way, explores, combines and
ultimately enjoys the achievement.
Undoubtedly, his dedication to
visual arts greatly contributes to the
“generational” creative spirit.

56 57
NAPHANEC is a great mascot that required the involvement of all the participants in the production process
and proved all the benefits of working in large format. Joint and teamwork contributed to the creative pursuit,
and the masquerade itself acted like a large painted sculpture that resembled Indian totems. NAPHANEC has
also become a common big toy where children can overcome any form of resistance and technique, more
demanding projects.
The procedure of skeleton making, solving the doll’s statues, and the choice of doll body fillers, an example of
how different materials can be used, and the use of sculpture and painting techniques, can create an attractive
artwork that, besides the quality and dynamic process, guarantees an exceptional result that achieves tenfold
satisfaction and remains as a witness of that in the group a long time later.

58 59
 The group ‘Puž/Snail’ is proud of its
assemblages that they have been
working on for years, combining the
most versatile material as a formative
tool. We also met this technique
in a special program called ‘Little
Creativity’.
Leaving the work uncolored or coloring
them with various pigments, children
have the opportunity to develop the
ability to compile on a surface that will
surely also serve them for a different
type of composing.

60 61
 POTTERY

62 63
 HISTORY

Pottery is a craft that, with the influence of modern life, is becoming extinct. The tradition of pottery
in the northwestern part of Croatia dates back to prehistory, the Roman period, the Middle Ages until
the present time. Traditional pottery was transfered from one generation to another. Knowledge was
acquired at home, and the beginner would learn from his father or older brother. Today pottery is being
taught at art schools and faculties.

The tool used by potter masters is simple. When working, he is sitting on a slanted board with the top
plate, and the wheel is kicked. His hands are free for making objects. Decorated objects are decorated
by drawing a color or theusted in color. Ornaments on pots are usually of geometric shapes, with straight
or corrugated lines, motifs from the environment - plant and animal world.

The availability of raw materials (there are great deposits of clay near Ivanec, Marija Bistrica, in Plešivičko
prigorje), the simplicity of the tool, the easy handling and the widespread use of finished products, has
caused a lot of craftsmen to sell their products from northwestern Croatia throughout the country.

Mud as a material is a favorite and accessible toy for all children. Games in it are favorite from early
childhood to late age. Children enjoy mixing mud and making ‘cookies’. They love it when they pass it
between the fingers of the hand, ‘gash’ with bare feet and enjoy the softness and warmth of the mud.
We offered a play with mud and clay - as fine material to children aged 3 - 7. At an earlier age, it was
testing and familiarizing with the material, the possibilities of its design, and creating useful objects in
the older group. They realized that we can form the clay with fingers, wooden modelling tools, various
sticks, metal blades. By treating the clay they could express their emotional states, their observations,
express their ideas, their fantasies in three dimensions. Through modeling, children developed motor
skills.

With pottery as an old craft and the potter wheel, children were introduced to in ethno-village Kumrovec.
There they experienced how clay objects were made. With the potter’s work they were introduced in
ethno museums and fairs. Our small museum in the living room, through cooperation with parents,
was enriched with various pottery (a variety of sizes, ornaments, food storage containers and building
materials). Children can experience the product through all senses every day. Motivation of children at
work, after visiting specialized institutions, is high. The use of various techniques creates imaginative,
richly decorated objects. In learning about clay as a material, children from the age of 3 to 7 have learned
about some techniques: extraction from a lump of clay and shaping of objects, through the technique
of joining elements (elements which we want to merge we scratch out with a stick and adhere with clay
glue , and the dried clay children crumbled with wooden sticks into powder, added water and got the
adhesive to form the object. With the addition technique, clay pieces are added to the clay mass, which
must be firmly joined so as not to separate from the mass. Thin clay tiles were used as a substrate for
drawing the motif of our heritage, for making lace, and we wove fabric from the modeled strips we wove
sash - making jewelry.

64 65
We baked clay objects in a ceramic stove. So out of clay objects we got ceramic ones. We paint and
decorate these pieces in our kindergartens. In addition to household utensils, we used clay in architecture.
We created small cubes - bricks and by joining techniques built houses - villages.

We used clay as a means of making traditional decoration - Licitar hearts. We made it accessible
to children every day, enjoyed infinitely in the examination and recognition of its properties. The product
of this game were balls, ‘worms and pancakes’. By gluing technique we combined them into useful items
that we used in our kindergartens.

Potter: “He makes pots of sheet metal.” - Borna S.

“He cooks in the pot.” - Luke Ž.

“He plays with lots of pots.” - Lara I.

“He make bells.” - Juraj V.

Potter’s wheel: “It’s a lot of people dancing.” - Fran P

“People are standing in a circle and holding pots.” - Lucija B.

“It’s a dance around a big pot in which lunch is cooking.” - Janko S.

Kraljuš- (Kralj=king): “The King wears it around his neck.” - Tin B.

In children of older age, the topic is present from the beginning of the activity to the finished job. We
were drawing motifs from a rich cultural heritage. For this we used videos, pictures and items from our
‘little museum’. The children used various techniques.

We made clay jewelry as a gift for moms (Mother’s Day), which they are proud to wear. In the same way,
there was a traditional necklace - the ‘kraljuš’, which the girls wore with embroidered clothes.

66 67
 POSSIBILITY OF FURTHER RESEARCH

In the richness of the knowledge that

children received through the enriched
program “Child and Heritage”, we are
examining their views of the traditional
souvenirs of northwestern Croatia. Using
clay softness and the child’s ability to
shape, our goal is to produce our original
souvenir. They would make it useful (jewelry,
household utensils, decorative items and
accessories for fashion clothing). We want
to examine the possibility of mixing clay
with various materials - natural and non-
shaped material. Then we will form the
manipulative elements of the game from
clay and use them in everyday work.

Slavica Laco, preschool teacher mentor

68 69
Introducing children with ceramic production technology is a seemingly too demanding task, but if we When painting the ceramic pot or sculpture, it is important for children to have ceramic colors in
put aside the ceramic baking process (handling ceramic furnaces and glazing), the process is not more containers where water can be added and that they are instructed to paint in several layers. In this way,
complicated than any design or painting task. Ceramic paints (angobas) represent the body of the baked they will be able to control the color coverage, or if they are remain on only one layer of paint, they will
form in the same way as with tempera or watercolor, that is, the proportion of water in color produces get a sharpness, if they apply two or three layers to the previously dried layer of paint, the color will be
an aquarelled or filled surface, whereby the combination of these two types of application of color is nicely fused. In time, the child will get a sense of painting the ceramics and will know how to apply the
actually the most beautiful, because the partly transparent coating allows the biscuit body to reveal specificity of the material for theartistic idea. It is possible to think with the material, it is one of the most
itself, and a thick layer potentiates the pigment in all its beauty. Such a painted object can and does not desirable abilities, which is acquired only by frequent work with certain materials and techniques, and
have to be glaced, because both options represent the final treatment of the surface each carrying a therefore, the most important thing, when it comes to artistic creation, is to enable as frequent contact
special beauty and impression. and work in the kindergarten’s studio

70 71
The ethno group of kindergarten Iskrica in its inventory contains many very beautiful, carefully collected and they in turn reward them with special ritual sensations. Of course, because of the number of children
items and a rich collection of materials that contribute to the artistic atmosphere of space, and this is we can not always work with the best materials, but we can sometimes allow this luxury and enjoy the
also one of the factors that stimulates artistic thinking. There is indeed a great supply of art material on effects it brings. In this way, we deepen the child’s sense of art, we enter that feeling into their memory
the market, whether it is a material intended for professional, amateur or creativity in education. The and it later finds the way of recognizing quality in his life.
touch of professionalism is always good, working with professional tools and materials certainly makes A high quality pigment in all types of colors refines the imaging process and once we try to work with
the participants satisfied, makes them feel important, and self-confidence is welcome in the creative good pigments, we hardly return to an average quality or at least we can see the difference. It is good to
process. This effect is comparable to the habit that children sometimes offer tea in fine china instead of awaken this feeling in children as this is perhaps the easiest way to adopt and understand the difference
tea in metal, unbreakable cups. They are also able to cope with such precious objects, in quality and to shape their criteria in this, but also in all other areas.

72 73
 Painting pottery products with tempera, enabled
the children to explore form and ornamental
decoration and to illustrate them in their own
way. It is surprising how much they managed to
conjure up the heat and even the heat of the
terracotta, using a warm color scale and quite
gently contrasting them with the accents of a
cold blue color. This procedure has made ceramic
objects in the picture glistening and burning just
like it is after the opening of the ceramic stove.

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76 77
 Particularly pleasing in modeling children found the experience of decorating the surface with clay
pieces, ribbons and balls that needed to be fastened to the substrate so as not to fall off while drying.
For this purpose, we used clay mud that acts as a soil adhesive and helps the added elements to fit to
the surface. If we add a small percentage of paper (fibers obtained by tearing paper tissue paper and
mixing them in a blender for the production of baby food) to the clay layer then this mixture becomes
really sticky, because the fibers enter all the pores of the surface and bind together. This procedure
is good to use when children model the figure of a man or animal, because then children can further
tighten all those gentle limbs that they like to display in movement and are not burdened by the volume
compaction. Such works are more likely to survive through the drying process (the process should be
slowed down by covering the papers with newspapers) and it is more likely that they will come out of
the ceramic furnace undamaged.
78 79
 SASH

80 81
 HISTORY

The thread, a gentle, thin, fragile invention of the human mind, created by the work of skilled hands, is
the basis of our cultural heritage. Our old made it from the stem of flax, hemp, wove from a yarn of wool
and skillfully interwove it in their everyday life. Their creativity is encountered in the dressing culture,
because the thread is the basis of clothing, weaving the fabric for sewing scarfs, gowns, skirts, blouses
or in one word woman’s dress.
In men’s folk costume, from the woven fabric, they sewed the shirts trousers and short woolen pants,
waistcoats, surin. The costumes are richly decorated with woven or embroidered motifs of nature
(flowers, lace knitted or woven). A thread of thin strip of skin, we meet in footwear-opanci. It is skillfully
interwoven and ornaments by the weaving technique are created.

In the housing culture, the thread is the basis of linens and mats richly decorated, woolen cloths that
are created by weaving with different thickness of threads. They are colorful, rich in colors and motifs
and they call them ‘šarenice’. They were decorating cars and horse harnesses. The walls of the house
are covered with ‘zidnjaci’ or linen cloths like kitchen towels in which they usedto weave the beauty of
nature. The walls were also insulators from outside temperatures. On the floors of the house are carpets
made of woven cloths, created by cutting old clothes. In the kitchens above the stove on the wall, there
were “cooks” with the instructional messages: “Cook speak less and you will not burn your lunch.”

In food culture, the thread is the basis of utensils. Baskets for carrying foodstuffs are made of twigs and
sticks, the willow or the birch and the bark of the tree. They were covered with cloth , a kitchen towel.
With the techniques of ‘interweaving’ the sticks, fences and buildings have been built in architecture.

In creating our cultural heritage, children were actively involved. In the early age, they acquired the
skills of weaving, knitting, sewing, crocheting. Why not share the same experience and skills with
today’s generations of children? The eternal question is how? The answer is - simply, in an accessible,
appropriate manner for the child’s age. Improving the quality of the process in all segments with child-
friendly educational procedures, in accordance with the development opportunities of children aged 3
to 7. Let us develop in children the knowledge that the thread is something that arises from the work of
our hands and that it has great power. Into the life of the group, we bring something new, and in essence
‘something old’.

We brought children closer to our cultural, national, religious and traditional heritage, opening grandma’s
chests, visiting museums, specialized institutions, ethno villages, fairs and visits to the grandparents’
property. We have closely introduced the old crafts to children: weaving, embroidering, pottery,
horticulture. We introduce the child into an active experience, getting to know, expressing and creating
our cultural heritage.
Through various forms of work, we have brought children closer to the tradition of living in our region.
We have enriched our cooperation with parents through various forms of interaction, such as workshops,
joint visits to cultural events, gathering activities, poster presentations, celebration of holidays, traditional
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games and customs. Through such activities, we formed a small kindergarten museum and children were
enthusiastically introduced to traditional creativity. It is very rich and diverse in Croatia. We have activated
children’s cognitive and creative development, based on cultural heritage. Motives and themes for artistic
expression, we found in the richness of ethno culture: in folklore, ethnomusicology, linguistics, literature.
We founded the center of old crafts, we equipped it well (looms, spindle, spinning wheel, hemp wool,
wool, sewing and knitting needles, sewing machine, jute, ...). We made them appealing to the children,
encouraging and at all times available to the child. In order to create a fabric, we introduced children to
the ‘thread’ through the game and characterization. We wore a wool and created a wolf. We tied it up to
the spindle and wound the wool on it. We knit knots, made yarns of one or more colors of threads, we
wrapped up different objects and shapes. We created a motif with pins on the styrofoam and created
interlacing and knitting nodes around the net. From the created objects, we made useful items that we
use in everyday game.
We used one old, and children’s famous game, as a preactivity for weaving - ‘gumi-gumi’ is the
interweaving of threads, which is the basis of weaving. We played the same game with a woolen thread,
interlocking our fingers. We showed children how the thread is drawn into the needle, passes through
the paper or how the fabric leaves a trail - the motives that we want to carry out or weave. For this
purpose with children, we used sewing needles for sewing wool (dull top), wool in various colors, and
the basis for work was our jute tightened on a wooden frame. The rough weave of jute and the visibility
of its threads enabled children to create new motifs - needlework with needles and various colors or
wool. We made the technique of weaving closer to acquaint them with the loom (ethno museum, ethno
village, grandmother’s houses, fairs) and the concepts of weft and the basis.
Wooden frames are introduced to the group, which on the two opposite sides have nails at a distance
of 0.5 to 1 cm. This is our loom.
As a thread, we used spaghetti, wool, fabric straps that the children themselves cut out. The type of
thread we will use is chosen according to the purpose of the fabric that will be created. We introduced
children to the weaving skill.
Through these activities, children learned the characteristics of the material from which the thread was
made, we named colors, developed fine motor skills of the hand, logical thinking and concluding.
We made items for use in our group from woven sashes. Sewing techniques created handbags, doll
clothes, dolls dressed in folk costumes, bedding for furniture in our house. Furniture and home furnishings
were created by papier mache technique. The motif of the sash was carried through artistic techniques
and materials: painting-tempera, ink, watercolor, pastel, collage, color chalk, color pencil, drawing-
pencil, ink, marker, graphic printing techniques, grattage, modeling, plasteline.
With weaving techniques, we made traditional jewelry - ‘zapanjec’, decoration on the Prigorian women’s
folk costume. We used a wooden frame (as for a woven sash) and an odd number of threads of wool in
color. We shaped the woven sash in ‘ribbons’, rings, ties.
With embroidery techniques on jaw, we decorated the ends of the necklace - ‘kraljuš’. The characteristic
of this embroidery is two identical pieces that are attached to the coral necklace (beads made of clay
and painted with tempera) and a red ribbon with which the necklace binds around the neck (in Trnje, a
necklace of 32 rows of corals was made, and they called it ‘đunđ ‘).
We introduced the children of older age (5 - 7 years) to the embroidery technique. We offered them
stitching needles, a lace strap and a jaw as the basis. We found motive links in rich heritage and in
traditional plant and animal life. With this technique, we made a Christmas tablecloth, doll clothes,
bedding for a doll or crib. Children have realized the possibilities of wider use of this technique in
everyday life. A modern touch to our work on traditional heritage, we gave on the theme: “Modern

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 children’s clothing with elements of our cultural heritage”. Children for their clothes drew on the motives
and techniques of applied art: bonding, weaving, ‘sewing on’, gave it a new look and purpose. With
these activities, children developed graphomotorics and a positive image of themselves, their abilities
and skills.
For learning about sash in addition to visiting, we also used modern technology: informatics, DVD,
photography, to familiarize with it as the basis of our cultural heritage. We have connected with the
cultural artistic societies in our surroundings, brought them to the kindergarten and went to visit them.
We replaced the modern children’s game with serial-made toys with new old games and activities and
thus actively influenced the development of their creativity. The activities offered to the children were
appreciated and welcomed. The center of old crafts was the place of morning gathering and long-term
stay of children in it. Activities were selected and retained according to their own choice. Children leave
kindergartenswith a rich knowledge of our cultural heritage and national identity.

Children’s thoughts on ... (children aged 4 - 7 years of age)

Rubača: “T-shirt for dance” - Lucija B.

“A shirt with ornament” - Pavle K.
“Scarf for a walk.” - Margita R.
“My grandmother’s clothes.” - Lucia B.

Zapanjec: “This is the city.” - Lara I.

“That’s one log.” - Noa M.

Zidnjak: “It’s a wall in the winter.” - Pavle K.

“The Great Stone Wall.” - Marko K.
“Brown brick wall.” - Borna S.

Loom: “A special apartment for guests.” - Lea J. Š.

“Grandmother’s house.” - Lara I.
“Where people knit.” - Lea J. Š.

POSSIBILITIES OF FURTHER RESEARCH

Motivation of children for textile heritage activities included a visit of members of a folklore society
dressed in folk costumes. They talked with the children, told them stories, and finally danced to the
music. It was a wonderful introduction to the activities that are part of everyday program for this Ethno In our future work, we aim to link the tradition of continental and Mediterranean Croatia and explore
how the climate influences the development of the culture of living.
Group. The interest of children was remarkable, and the time spent in the activities surprisingly long. We want to explore the possibilities of child creation through techniques of applied art, with special
The music impressed them most, and the dance invited them all to participate. After this prepared attention to the techniques of sewing, stitching, crocheting and embroidery. Through these activities, we
motivation, it was quite natural to work on the design of dolls, clothes, fabrics and jewelry. For a few strive to link the motives of continental and Mediterranean Croatia through contemporary expression.
For the work we will use the raw material characteristic of our habitat and absorb it naturally (shells,
days, children talked about their impressions and definitely got a valuable experience that will always tie
stoneware, pressed and dried autochthonous plants). With a series of activities we want to create usable
them to the Croatian tradition. objects for our playgrounds, to design new toys on the basis of our rich tradition.

Slavica Laco, preschool teacher mentor

86 87
Ornaments from Croatian folk costumes and other textile creations,are studied by children from the
group that for many years fosters this aspect of Croatian tradition, in a way that they go through all
art techniques. They model, draw, paint, work in miniature formats, but also make great joint works.
Ornaments are just an inexhaustible source of ideas and allow the child to develop a whole range
of competences which, in addition to all the arts, include spatial, mathematical (enumeration, strings,
geometric forms), linguistic (writing, calligraphy). Minusiac scratching on the wax surface and the
emergence of the substrate to the surface allows them to develop graphomotorics, to practice precision
and orderliness, and to make it freely, as this is required by the technique and not imposed on them
as an achievement. This is an example of how fine art activities inadvertently affect the entire child’s
development.

88 89
 Clothes design is not a
very common activity
in kindergartens and
should be dealt with
more often and on a
larger scale, because it
is a segment of applied
art that the children
will be experiencing
for a lifetime. Raising
awareness for dressing
principles and designing
functional and beautiful
clothes, besides being
interesting and fun, it can
absorb children’s habits
to think about dressing.

Also, the “old new”

project was implemented
and children were
acquainted with the
recycling of clothes. Old
white cotton dresses and
shirts were embroideried
by the children,
completely gentle and
subtle, and as a result,
unique clothing items
were presented at the
fashion show for parents.
Many girls will remember
this process and will
happily use it in later life.

90 91
 And the boys were very Jaw was used for
interested in making rag rag dolls, which is an
dolls, making their clothes extremely grateful
and decorating with material, rooted in the
embroidery. They were Croatian tradition. With
absorbed in needlework its pale yellowish color it
and fine movements with is an ideal substrate for
their fingers. all types of interventions.

92 93
The work in the material was preceded by the right design of garments. The children cut out forms - cuts
of dresses, vests and trousers and decorated them in the collage technique. The process is that which is
used by professional textile designers who use the collage technique as a quick and creative technique
of shaping ornaments that they then transfer to other techniques and materials in order to finally form
the final pattern.
All these procedures show a thorough and inspiring approach to artistic creativity, and the quality of the
results that came out of this prepared and implemented process thus do not surprise.

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 All folk motifs with
textile objects were
also processed through
painting and drawing
materials, and by using
colors they showed the
diversity and richness
of motifs of Croatian
textile traditional
culture.
The imagination and
playfulness of the motifs
perfectly coincided with
the child’s imagination.

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 It’s amazing how many children like to use fine motor
skills. Fine winding of the sash, stretching of threads,
embroidery, stringing of fine pearls are all the activities
that they approach with interest and without fear, have
long been occupied with these precise tasks and enjoy
the feeling of accomplishment.

Colored threads that serve as a painting medium on

a small cloth, colored ceramic balls that replace coral
or semi-precious stones, are a wonderful example of
handicrafts that contain almost all the artistic elements
and find the way to the original compositions in the
children’s hands.

98 99
 MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS

100 101
 Original and stimulating motivation was provided
by Stjepan Večković, a musician who nurtures the
production of traditional Croatian instruments.
He showed us a large number of instruments and
played on them. Sometimes the sounds of the
children seemed to be too penetrating, and at first
they covered the ears with their palms, but the
time spent with the bagpipe musician remained
remarkable as a unique experience after which
children with great enthusiasm approached the
themes of the instruments through many fine art
techniques.

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HISTORY

„I am a musician, made to entertain...“ music, song and dance are an indispensable part of childhood
upbringing. It runs through the whole life span, it just depends on the person how much it will allow it to
enter their life. And that it is so, has been proved by many researches that can be found at the Institute
for Ethnology and Folklore Research.

„We are musicians, but while eating a greasy porridge!“ - with the continuation of the song started, we
join the children’s traditional expression. As before, even today, children often mimic adults in singing
and playing. Once children in Croatian Zagorje used their skills and creativity in making toys - playing.
From the materials that they could find in their environment: the leaves of grass, the walnut tree, cane,
leaf - they produced ‘instruments’. They produced certain sounds, but they lasted short, because they
would be broken, worn out, or the children’s interest would be focused on something new. More durable
instruments required adult help.

Croatian musical instruments show the cultural distinctions known only to Croats (reglasta klepetalka,
zvrk, “buga čiga”). The musicals become part of the ethnic identity in Croatia, the influence of various
cultures and historical events, have created a wealth of music and instruments. The area that includes
Croatian Zagorje, Primorje, Turopolje, Žumberak, part of Pokuplje, Gornja Posavina and Bilogora - is
characterized by musical diversity.

We will get acquainted with some of the characteristic instruments related to the area of Hrvatsko
Zagorje. Flutes, two flutes or dvojnice are two pieces made of one piece of wood so that they can both
be played simultaneously. The music they produce is always two-part singing and with a limited range
of tones. They regularly had four to five holes on the right, and on the left three to four. Dvojnice were
played in all parts of Croatia, so they got other names: žveglice, diple, dvogrle, dvojkinje and so on.

‘Maid/ Sluškinja’ is a forgotten traditional instrument from Croatian Zagorje, and belongs to the group
called ‘žveglice’, doubles which have six holes on one side and on the other none. That’s why they are called
‘maids’. Trstenice or orglice are an old traditional instrument, made more like children’s and shepherd’s
instruments, made from cane of different lengths. Bagpipes and duda are typical musical instruments,
and their music was accompanied by village parties and dancing, as well as the city festivities. Diplice is
a sound instrument similar to bagpipes and duda, made of pieces of cane or elderflower. This instrument
was also used as a toy for shepherds and as a fashion instrument for future bagpipe musicians. Tambura
is a wired instrument and represents a symbol of Croatian music identity. In the Croatian people, they
are still called danguba, dangubica, kozarica or simply tamburica. In the villages of Hrvatsko Zagorje,
men made mostly flutes called žveglice. They were simple and made from tops of wood, decorated with
geometric decorations obtained by burning a wooden surface. Later they were painted in yellow and
painted red and green, and in the subsequent period, the change in decoration was noticed.

Various rattles,buzzers, children’s diplice, clay whistles can still be found in the Ethnographic Museum
or on religious fairs. But we did not have to go so far. Part of the children’s play collections, we found in
groups that nurture the program “Child and Heritage.”

To get to know children’s traditional instruments and traditional adult instruments better, we have
prepared photo albums and the name of each instrument. Initially, the instruments were all flutes for
104 105
 children, although they were not exactly the same. We searched for the name of each instrument and
read it (preschool teacher) and found the appropriate name printed on the card. There was a short story
about the instruments and the way of playing, and according to the method of play we determined which
group of instruments it belonged to (percussion, wired). Children noticed differences in instruments.
Some are made up of several parts, thin, long, decorated as an inflated balloon.

While some children got introduced to the instruments through the album, others had a bit more difficult
task! Puzzles with traditional instruments, divided into six parts, were not easy to put together. After the
difficult part, help came in the form of the background of the same instrument. We provided details that
would allow them to integrate parts into the whole. Some children counted the holes on the double, the
other the length of the stick (cane ) and its order, which would later help them make the instruments. A music
memory appealed to a group of children who like this type of game. Visualization of shapes, similarities
and differences in instruments has inspired children to be curious and show interest in knowing more
about these instruments. Some answers were found from children using a musical instrument album. Not
only to have visual experience, we prepared traditional children’s instruments and supplemented the
experience of research with all the senses. With rich color, the instruments devoured the child’s attention
and inspired the desire to ‘play’. The hole at the top, the hole in the middle and breathe in and exhale
the air ... and you hear the sound! There were tones that were enough to create a clear atmosphere and
encourage children to sing well-known songs. After a variety of rich incentives, one surprise followed. In
the expectation of our mysterious guest, music reached the ears of children.

“This music is like coming from heaven!” - Patrik S.

“It seems to me coming from the walls” - Nikola M.

Our mysterious guest, musician Stjepan Večković, appeared with the sound of the bagpipes. The
instrument of the type of clarinet with a bag, with its music, created the atmosphere of something unreal
and left the children breathless. It took a few moments to understand where the music was coming
from. There was a multitude of questions to answer, all in order to get to know the bagpipes better. As
music of the bagpipes once accompanied the dance and we continued the tradition, formed a circle
and danced. Just as the bagpipes were silent, they heard the dvojnice, then the trstenica and so on the
traditional instruments which were stored in a suitcase. Encouraged by external impulses, the internal
motivation and the creative process of visual artwork were launched through various techniques.

The prepared space was divided into two parts. In the first part, three centers were designed. In the
first center, drawing tools were prepared: black ink, a stick, a paper. In the second center, painting:
paintbrushes, pallets, brushes of various thicknesses, water bowls and paper. In the third center, modeling
was planned and prepared: pads, clay, sticks, sponges and water. In this center were prepared also by
using the papier mache technique the trstenicas, jute, rope, wooden beads, shaping glue.
The second part of the space was equipped for papier mache technique and painting the prepared
workpieces. As a long lasting process, which is to be carried out in several stages due to drying, we have
made some instruments with the children: the dvojnice, trstenica, tambura.

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 The technique of papier mache
and painting with tempera,
this time was based on
cardboard packaging, which
was transformed into various
instruments by the intervention of
children and preschool teachers.
We used traditional instruments
as templates for our own musical
instruments, toys. We dealt with
the design and surface finishing of
various materials. Following the
example of the Croatian Zagorje
wooden toys, all the instruments
were painted and decorated with
a rich finishing layer.

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“A flute is for playing. You blow in it and then the voice is heard.“- Lucija R.
The sound that creates the instrument is what children experience and only after that are ready for
further observation.

“On flutes you flute. It has two connected flutes, the holes are squeezed, the fingers are placed. The
holes are in a row, here are three, and there are four. They are in the middle of a flute, because you
blow in it and no sound has to be heard. On the flute there are squares and x shapes, and a ring like a
snowflake and round it a circle. That is as if it has pictures on it.“- Martin Ž.

“I painted dots and circles of different colors on the flute, yellow, blue and blue stripes and rounded
white ones.“- Damjan K.

During observation, the children observed the form of a flute that is long, a series of rounded shapes
that are arranged below each other, lines of various shapes and in different combinations. What matters
to a child has been transferred to the drawing.
Given that children’s traditional instruments are extremely full of color, this was a sufficient incentive for
painting. The plain and simple shape allowed children to concentrate on changing colors and shapes,
colored lines of different thickness, dots, circles requiring thinness and sharpening brushes.

“The flute has a blue and a yellow round and in a row that’s all right. There is a line that keeps the circles
and lines. It has a brown box for playing. I like the flutes, because they are red.“- Luka D.

Although the children had experience in working with clay, molding in clay was not easy. It was necessary
to estimate how much clay would be enough to produce the flute. There was addition and rolling, but
also breakings, because they wanted to model a big flute. After examining the possibilities of working
with clay and final molding, it was followed by decorating the surface with visual elements (lines) and
the compositional elements (the repetition of the decoration, the holes). In the work with shaped and
unshaped material, we can see the originality of the child’s imagination and the freedom of artistic
expression of compositional elements. Freedom in expression manifests itself in the way the child
expresses and shapes the instrument, which is actually different from the original.

“We painted with blue, white, yellow, red and green colors. The top holes are played and then the
sound comes out. Some flutes are with a lot of holes and some with a few. Sometimes one plays with
holes, and sometimes without them ... then whistling is heard as a whistle.“- Nikola M.

That’s how our flutes made of unshaped material look like. The children noticed the ornaments on the
flute, exchanging of dots, lines (straight, twisting) shapes, figures, colors, and one row in the decoration.
Clearly arranged elements, exchanging colors and figures from which samples were made, were also
found in a guitar-tambura. Guitars are created by the joint work of adults and children. The molds used
were simple shapes (round, square) of the appropriate size and, with the help of adults, were blanched
with paper tracks soaked in a glue made of cooked flour. Over the course of a few days, we added parts
that were part of the guitar and so added to the image. The final phase followed after drying.

“We worked a lot with paper, then we were painting with brown color. We made decorations - dots,
flowers and stripes. We put that we can pull the wire to play.“- Laura P.

110 111
Although our guitar-tamburica look does not match the traditional instrument, it has achieved its goal
with children for its purpose, which is an experience of artistic creativity and joy in the game. White clay was suitable for
“We decorated a guitar, for example, with dots, colorful in a nice line and we put a wire that children engraving ornaments and exploring
can play.” - Mia P. the possibility of working with a a
“Play to us musicians, our heart pierces ...” - musicians or guci are the original Croatian music band, soft clay surface. The shape is not
composed of several violins accompanied by bajsice and bajs displayed as a surface because of a
lack of skills, but because it is not in
reality standing in space. In the first
POSSIBILITIES OF FURTHER RESEARCH
plan, the softness of clay was related
Further research on instrumental and visual creativity can be found through introducing musical to the technique of imprinting and
instruments from other Croatian regions. The wealth of Croatian traditional heritage is great and the
engraving.
possibilities of research are unlimited. It would certainly be interesting to have immediate acquaintance
with musicians and musical instruments. A step further may be the production of musical instruments
of different materials available today. Such instruments will be traditional in the future, because the
time is passable, and everything that is once new in a second becomes history.
Snježana Cukrov, preschool teacher consultant

112 113
Even with this motif, children had the opportunity to use painting and drawing techniques, and in that
way, studied and interpreted the motif of the musical instrument.

114 115
 It was not even important that the
instruments made were not real and
did not produce sound. Children’s
imagination can conjure up music
and color and the environment, so
the small instruments came to life in
their hands with the wholehearted
support and inclusion of a teacher
whose voice triggered the song
followed by “silent” sound.

116 117
 UTENSILS

118 119
 HISTORY OF KNITTING

Knitting is a common name for a part of the product in the field of folk life, and it refers to the material,
the way of making objects and appearance. Through knitting, we present an insight into the way of
managing, using objects for various purposes. These are objects of wicker, broom, straw, cane, bark,
wild vines and the like. The material that is at hand, found in nature, the fawn of the willow worm,
growing along the ponds and rivers, can be pealed raw or cooked. Then it is ready for knitting and it all
points to the primal way of life in nature.

Certain forms of knitting products are inextricably linked to forms of folk life. Knitted items that were
used at that time can be linked to the activities of everyday life and their necessity - the collection of
products in gardening, on carts, as a portable transport aid or to be held in it. They are the hallmarks of
past times as a usable part of reality. The features of construction and architecture are buildings filled
with platter, plastered with clay, storages for transporting people and things, storages for wicker corn.
The basic building elements and objects - all material for the construction of objects of traditional
construction, were taken from nature without professional masters. The fences made of stakes and braids
are called a plot with people. Fences of these natural materials can also be made in such a way that they
do not fill the whole surface, but only in one row, they served in the rural environment as the ‘enclosures’
of the property, the protection of gardens from entry of domestic animals, or for fencing of flowering
plants. From the sticks, more baskets of various shapes and sizes, furniture and other useful items are
used in the household, some in a modernized form, are still in use today. Knitted products were created
through self-study, as a handy material needed for everyday life and specific forms and accessories for
certain activities such as fisheries and beekeeping. Knitting baskets approaches the production of mats,
which are somewhat so perfect that they approach fabrics in fineness and softness, while knitting mats
leads to the art of weaving.

Before the invention of electricity, lighting and home lighting, various candlesticks, arcane, lamps,
lanterns, oil lamps were used. Over time, materials used to illuminate, altered and developed. Thus,
after the invention of fire, then torches and candles, the development of oil lamps also occurred. They
always represented the standard of living and the wealth of the one who owns them, illustrating the
culture of the 20th century housing, the folk aesthetics is well seen. Primitive lamps did not burn nicely
because they let smoke out, and by the development and expansion of knowledge and the invention
of new materials for burning, most often it was vegetable oil that was used. The first oil lamp was used
in the Stone Age, on animal fat, fish oil until the late 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century
electronic ones were made, and in the 20th century neon lamps. The external appearance and the
aesthetic component developed. Petroleum lamp - a lantern is a lamp with a glass cylinder. It is bright,
using traditional power sources without electricity, it is especially practical because there is the possibility
of lighting of outdoor space. It is lit by the combustion of petroleum, made up of a metal fuel tank, a
fitting that is immersed in fuel on the one side, and the other part is carried to a glass cylinder.

Useful metal items, used in pre-industrial times, was an iron, that is, iron on charcoal, a burning piece of
charcoal or wood is placed inside, it is extremely heavy, through the holes on the side air would come,
occasionally fire had to be sparked. This was accomplished by waving the iron, until the charcoal was
again turned into fire. The fabrics were purely natural and full of ‘plaits’ that were ironed under pressure
and high temperature. Other items used without electricity were scales, mills, pekas, etc.
120 121
In trying to reconstruct parts of the past and through active learning through personal experience, we
tried to bring children closer to the material possibilities, its structure and modeling techniques. This is
a valuable foundation for investing in sustainable development and the future we are in. Exploring the
past, we tried to get out of the kindergarten framework in order to broaden our horizons and enrich our
knowledge of our social and natural environment. “Maslačci/ Dandelions” have been implementing a
special program “Sustainable Development, Learning for Life and Multiculturalism” for two years now, this
is a very up-to-date and dynamic topic of research.
Industrialization has brought us a lot, both good and bad. We quickly accepted it and came to terms with
it, so that without it we can no longer imagine everyday life. Our obligation is to make our children aware
of and spread the idea of sustainable development, and with all the tools and mastered techniques we
transform this idea into a lifestyle. It is necessary to provide them with the opportunity to personally have
contact with useful objects, transfer to another time and experience some new concepts and experiences
of social environment.
“These items are very old.” - Tara B.

“The iron worked on charcoal, and when it was heated, they had to quickly iron it not to go out, it is now
on steam and it’s much easier! I only saw baskets that were made in such a way.“- Katja G.

“The lamp gave light when the darkness came down. We used to knit sticks zig zag, there and there,
through thick sticks.“- Lana D.

“Nikola Tesla invented the electricity and today we just turn on the switch. I was at the Technical Museum
with my mom, dad and sister, so I learned it there. When there’s a short circuit, then it’s a malfunction!“-
Katja O.

“It’s easier to live today, but it used to be a bit nicer because there were not so many polluters.” - Karla G.

“We have such a fence, wooden and with sticks in Novoselec, with a fenced garden and a house for
chicks” - Matej G.

“I saw such lamps only in kindergarten.” - Natali K.

“When we did not have electricity in Kosovo, we lit such a lamp.” - Bleon S.

122 123
 The value of upbringing and sharpening the senses, expand the space of perception and give a better
and richer basis for the development of intelligence. An important place in working with children, we
have placed on getting to know and explore personal contact with the matter and care for the immediate
environment. We studied all sensory modalities, creating the basis of ecological sensitivity, perceiving
the differences in form and relations through tactile perception.
Through all other sensory modalities, the child develops experiential learning that it further transmits
and involves operational synergy in other areas, creating the foundations for lifelong learning and self-
care.

Clay as a material is extremely informative and acceptable and gives the child the possibility of spatial
design and transfer of experience in a voluminous object. The child resolves it in its own individual way,
with the experience of visual perception, comparing quantitative and spatial relationships.
A diluted ink is a water-diluted ink, and its very specialty is that a child can show both shadow and
depth. Carefully observing the object they were painting, they could have something to emphasize and
elaborate another day. The child has more control over the brush than the stick, the lines are softer and
they create more possibilities in the expression.

POSSIBILITIES OF FURTHER RESEARCH

In the field of construction, we can further explore through other natural resources (stone and wood), by
constructing and observing: drystone wall indigenous settlements, animal settlements, nests of various
types of birds. We want to observe and draw various baskets, make rugs by knitting bags, paint eco-
bags, with natural materials and natural motifs. We also plan to make eco-cloths from recycled materials
and linen bags – with textile design. With the modeling technique, we want to make a poppy grinder,
spindle,a mill, and make mobile items from nature and make dolls of wool - ‘felting’. By papier mache
techniques and spatial design, we plan to make a hive for bees.

Jasna Lisac, preschool teacher consultant

124 125
 An old metal iron with
a wooden handle, it
is a great motif for
interpretation in the
technique of ceramic
modeling of rolling
plates. The walls of the
iron and the cavity inside
it are consistent with the
way in which we form
the body of a ceramic
object which, unlike the
sculpture, represents a
kind of “shell”.

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 Diluted ink is an ideal medium for conjuring an old oil lamp. The tones of gray, and ink cover, have shown
metal and glass on paper, the tension of glass and metal forms, and the linearity of the wire structure.
There were many interpretations of the same lamp, which differed greatly depending on the sensitivity
of each individual child, so the somewhat luminous lamp emphasized the dramatic contrast of the deep
black and pale gray, and some of them showed the smoldering light with gentle gray tones.

128 129
The knitting of the fence, made of wicker and its fixing for the construction of branches was a demanding
sculptural task, but the children just enjoyed the inclusion of the whole body, power and demanding
motor skills in the process of making. Knitting which we treat the same as textile, this time responded
with resistance, demanded the pressure and firmness of material handling. The result was three smaller
enclosures that acted like land-art works and were used by children for outdoor play.

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 The specificity of ceramic modeling is very close to children who are clinging to clay as if they were
making a spatial collage. In this way they encounter and deal with the interior and exterior space,
volume and surface as building elements of ceramosculpture. The chosen antique iron is just the ideal
motive, because the way it is made corresponds to the way children shaped flat surfaces. Terracotta irons
were not further patinated or decorated, because the purity of the form and the ratio of the hollow, dark
space and extremely red surface of the baked tile in their simplicity left a very strong impression.

132 133
 Wet, rolled clay surfaces are a great
medium for exploring textures
and prints that leave a variety of
accessories behind. When baked
they can serve as a basis for painting,
assemblage, glazing and find their
purpose as a useful object or as a
decoration in space..

Varijacija tkalačkog okvira

izrađena na drvenoj dasci
omogućila je djeci da isprobaju
i tkanje pamčnim trakama te
da izrade tapiserije u živim
bojama. Ovaj je postupak bio
drugačiji od pletenja šiblja,
mekana tkanina podatno se
prilagođavala dječjim prstićima,
a njima je bilo zanimljivo uočiti
The variation of the weaving frame razlku tih dvaju vrsta pletiva.
made on a wooden plank enabled the PROMIJENITI TEKST
children to experiment with cotton
straps and create tapestries in live
colors. This procedure was different
from knitting sticks, the soft mateerial
adapted to the children’s fingers, and
it was interesting for them to study
two different ways of knitting.

134 135
 GLAGOLITIC
SCRIPT

136 137
 CROATIAN HERITAGE THROUGH GLAGOLITIC SCRIPT

Glagolitic script is the oldest Slavic script. We do not have the exact sources of Glagolitic origin. It is
thought that the father of Glagolitic Church is Saint Cyril, the real name of Constantine. The brothers
Cyril and Methodius are known as the Holy Brothers and Slavonic Apostles. They had a mission of
spreading Christianity, and for that need, Cyril compiled the first Slavic alphabet and translated the
most urgent church books. Glagolitic is perhaps a unique example, that one national script was created
by one man, and it was then used for a long time. In the Middle Ages Glagolitic scribes were mostly
monks, the clergy who had the greatest access to education. Glagolitic script is specific in that it is wider
and more developed by scribes, travelers, monks of Glagolitics who have their own field of activity. The
scribes always carried their accessories, and they had to be able to prepare a writing pad, have a pen
and a color, and quickly and efficiently arrange it on the ground. In spite of the difficulties, the scribes
developed in the early days of literacy the fantastic design level of the handwritten Glagolitic. In the
Middle Ages, the Slavic Glagolitic script spread to Croatian territories and gained recognizable Croatian
features, square letters. Its name was derived from the word glagolati (speak, say) and the fourth letter
glagoli.

The oldest Croatian monument on the Glagolitic is the Baška tablet, a monument to Croatian language,
an announcement and a cover of Croatian glagoliticism. Sheltered of white limestone, a panel of 197
cm wide, and of the height of 99 cm, thickness of 8 cm, was built on the altar part in the church of St.
Lucija near the village Jurandvor near Baška on the island of Krk around 1100. It was erected from the
partition and built in the church floor, the archaeologists had discovered it fractured in 1851. The tablet
was thoroughly researched and studied and transferred to Zagreb in 1934 by the Croatian Academy of
Science and Arts and entrusted to custody. Written in old Croatian language, Baška tablet is the first fully
preserved monument of national language.

The group ‘Dandelion’ has a narrower scope of action and research through sustainable development.
The goal of sustainable development is to develop the ecological sensitivity of the child and its
active relationship in the immediate environment and to encourage multiculturalism in education and
development. Lifelong learning program is a contrast to everyday life. All the topics are offered through
carefully selected and designed activities, as a pledge and an introduction to our different relationship
to nature and the environment we have inherited, to be preserved, maintained and forwarded. Visit to
the Croatian Academy of Science and Arts was well-prepared, professional and presented with measure,
and the children were excellently motivated to continue exploring their own personal experience of
learning, reflecting on the experience. Our primary goal was not to teach the children Glagolitic script
but to receive the first information and knowledge about the beginnings of literacy in our area and the
first written monuments in Croatian.

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Children of the group are in the developmental phase of ‘growing literacy’ - hence their great pleasure,
comparing and revealing the similarities and differences of the sounds, additionally adorning them
with the elements of decorations. The wealth of incentives: puzzles, memory, puppet dolls with all the
glagolitic letters, educational glagolitic picture books, letters for printing, language exercises, wicker
patterns, plate models, chalk writing on pads, sand trails and more pre-activities have created a good
foundation for the very successful implementation of the “Glagolitic” project.

“The legend is that Cyril and ‘Method’ wrote in glagolitic, with a goose feather and black ink.” - Matthew
G.

“The legend is an old, very old story, not written but retold to each other.” - Umma Azzra H.

“The legend says also how Zagreb got its name.” - Viktorija M.

“Manda took water from the well and gave it to a thirsty horseman.” - Niko Č.

“Later, they learned to write in glagolitics, so they wrote it down and did not have to remember.” - Ema
O.

The richness of material and pre-activity content, as well as a very impressive, educational, and cognitive
visit to the Croatian Academy of Science and Arts, where the original Baška tablet is kept, were a highly
motivating support for children in their creative expression. Their experience of what was seen, they
could transform into their own work, in the creation of personal tile with a modeled glagolitic letter on
the clay tile, decorated with wickerwork, which they personally chose and transferred on the surface.

By grattage technique ( fr. Grattage is a painting technique for building a thick surface of oil crayon
and scrubbing the upper part of the crayon by a pencil or a blade) - by scratching on the underlay, the
children create their magical image.

The ink-scratching procedure from the substrate covered with wax or wax crayon requires no special
skill in preparation of the substrate. Because of the better understanding of the technique itself, it is
important for the child to participate in each stage of the work. Children by grattage technique reveal a
graphical medium - confronting dark with light (light drawing on a dark substrate). Materials eequired for
grattage technique: Paper about 250 g / m², wax or wax crayon, brush, ink, tempera and wooden stick.

They were especially impressed by their teamwork using the zgraffito technique (wall decorative
technique, engraving drawings in a plaster) they transferred on a large board with a glagolitic print and a
plaster decorated with the inscription of the name of our group ‘Maslačak/Dandelion’. The children had
the opportunity in a multitude of materials, with the method of trial and error to test Glagolitic letters,
then delete them and rewrite them until they were able to do more precise and demanding tasks. Even
younger children had this opportunity and had enough time to explore what they were interested in.

140 141
 POSSIBILITIES OF FURTHER RESEARCH

Given the rich experience in the art techniques, we plan to continue with fimo-mass modeling of
messages by caching the nature calendar by using glagolitic elements. In addition, we will research the
first printing machine and painting with imagination - create a self-made machine from unstructured
material. Through the new media we are planning to create ‘My Picture Book-Picture Story’ and make
‘A Dandelion herald’ - poster, heraldry (heraldry as a professional art discipline).

Jasna Lisac, preschool teacher consultant

142 143
 Glagoliticism has opened a series of possibilities for using art techniques. Although it
would be advisable to use drawing and painting techniques in order to make children
aware of the letter and handwriting, we selected a number of design techniques for this
motif. Children made letters of glagolitic paper and styrofoam, using the seals in a large
format, made a composition of letters in various colors, exploring the characteristics of
seal printing. A mild or cover print, painted in pure color or dyed out of several colors,
resulted in a very visual and visually appealing composition that acted like a poster.
Having studied letters through a series of activities, the children shaped them in a variety
of ways.

144 145
The most demanding task was the use of casting of plaster and engraving of the motif in the tablet,
modeled on the Baška tablet. The still moist surface of plaster casts was not difficult to handle with
wooden legs and this activity was a challenge for children. The carved board was later patined with ink,
and we tried to get a patina that looked more like a stone. This complex sculpture process was a big
challenge, and the result confirmed that children can overcome this technology without difficulty.

146 147
148 149
 To make letters from the Glagolitic script,
there were also clay slabs on which relief,
on the model of the printed template,
formed a letter or a pattern. The children
also used the method of engraving , and
the objects were subsequently baked and
patinated in the way we learned it on the
plaster interpretation of the Baška tablet.

150 151
Graphic techniques are extremely attractive and children see them as a game. The seals that they applied
were color-coded, transformed into small prints that made a composition in a large format.
Seal printing can be done with seals of various materials and it is desirable that the children themselves
make their own seals. It is customary to make them from cardboard, potatoes and sponges, but there are
countless possibilities to create a matrix for printing.

152 153
 The meditative activity of writing letters in the
sand was a full success. The fine powder material
allowed writing and erasing, and the nobility of
the material embedded in a fine wooden frame
reminded of the miniature zen gardens that
calmed the mind and increased concentration.
This is a didactic tool more than desirable in
everyday child activities, and its variations with
flour, salt and soil are equally good solutions.

154 155
 Kindergarten group Little Butterfly/Leptirić (older kindergarten group) Kindergarten group Snail/Puž ( mid-age kindergarten group) – aged 4-5.
Slavica Laco – preschool teacher, mentor, leader of the special Ethno Program’ The Child and Heritage’ Snježana Cukrov – preschool teacher, consultant, leader of the special program: Program of encouraging artistic
expression and creation ‘Little Creativity’

Vesna Stojanović Hauzer, preschool teacher, consultant

1. Bah Antonio
2. Bedeković Lucija 1. Biber Jana

3. Biber Janko Toma 2. Čerkezović Patrik

4. Bijonda Tin 3. Dragišić Luka
5. Cvjetko Juraj 4. Drobne Mark
6. Đimoti Šahman Tin
5. Kačavenda Damjan
7. Ivezić Lara
6. Kovač Petra
8. Juran Ščrbec Lea
7. Livaić Šime
9. Karlović Pavle
10. Kovač Marko 8. Lončar Šimun

11. Lugović-Ionidis Adrian 9. Magdić Ivana

12. Majer Lara 10. Matijaš Maro

13. Malešević Petrović Jakov 11. Matošević Šimun
14. Markuš Noa
12. Mrvoš Nikola
15. Matijević Jakov
13. Pavlek Rafael
16. Miković Barbara
14. Petolas Mia
17. Mucić Mihael
15. Petrač Tadej
18. Odak Bela
19. Pezelj Niko 16. Počuča Laura

20. Rajić Hana 17. Pokrivač Igor

21. Reich Margita 18. Radišić Lucija

22. Sučić Borna 19. Rosandić Jakov
23. Svetina Joško
20. Samahodaj Fjolla
24. Vugrin Juraj
21. Sučić Patrik
25. Žderić Luka
22. Viljušić Vida

23. Vinković Karlo

24. Vranić Matej

25. Žabek Martin

156 157


Kindergarten group Dandelion/Maslačak (mixed kindergarten group) –aged 3-7.

Jasna Lisac, preschool teacher,comsultant,leader of the special program “Program of sustainability and multiculturality“

1. Andrijević Luka

2. Brezinščak Tara

3. Cvjetko Alma

4. Čerina Niko

5. Čolić Nika

6. Dobrilović Lana

7. Galinac Matej

8. Grgac Ela

9. Grgić Karla

10. Grgić Katja

11. Hodžić Umma Azzra

12. Ivanović Luka

13. Konjačić Natali

14. Kos Simon

15. Krolo Eva

16. Lozančić Ante

17. Mrvoš Viktorija

18. Novak Elza

19. Oršulić Katja

20. Osmanagić Hana

21. Ostojić Ema

22. Petrač Ozana

23. Samahodaj Bleon

24. Varunek Kaja

158 159
Tihana Babić Ana-Maria Furda Ljubica Kovačević Nada Petrović Gordana Štrukelj

Tatjana Bašić Ivana Golik Homolak Maja Kovačević Una Pijanec Gordana Tepeš

Dora Batan Nikolina Grgurić Kristina Krajačić Kristina Pintar Darija Todorović

Josipa Batan Katarina Gulam Marta Kravarščan Krešimir Plantak Mirta Tomljenović

Valerija Bedeković Petra Horvat Valentina Krušec Andreja Pocrnčić Ana Topal

Jelena Beljak Kristina Hruševar Petra Krznarić Dora Prčić Andrea Trogrlić

Marija Beljo Marina Hubak Nikolina Kuprešan Monika Radić Sanela Valpovac

Andrijana Benc Ivana Igrec Jelena Kurtanjek Izidor Radmanović Ana Vampovac

Doris Benšek Martina Ivanić Ivana Latin Ana Rako Jelena Vidić

Viktorija Bižić Ana Ivanščak Martina Lončar Josipa Rister Marija Vidić

Morena Blažević Ana Jagarinec Antea Malenica Jasmina Sivić Karolina Vincent
STUDENTS OF THE 1.YEAR OF THE GRADUATE STUDY OF EARLY AND PRESCHOOL EDUCATION WERE PARTICIPANTS IN THE
Matea Brandt Mateja Jandroković Monika Mamić Iva Sliško Martina Vinković
PROJECT AND CARRIED OUT THE LAND ART ACTIVITY OF LACEMAKING OF THE BIG FORMAT AND WRAPPING IT AROUND THE
Ivana Buljan Matea Jazbec Ivona Marjanović Ivana Stančerić Ivana Vladušić TREES IN THE TEACHER EDUCATION YARD.

Kristina Cecelja Martina Jelić Marija Markanjević Kristina Stjepanović Marijana Vrljičak

Martina Ceković Tina Jurić Tena Matijević Ines Strapajević Ivana Vuković

Stella Cerovac Zdenka Jurišić Lončarić Barbara Matojina Ivana Šestanović Lucija Vulić

Anka Cerovečki Mia Kapović Josipa Mavračić Eda Škember Ana Zajec

Nikolina Cinčić Maja Karapandžić Nataša Mijatović Mateja Šlogar Željka Zovko

Iva Cvitešić Marina Klarić Ivona Miloloža Lucija Šmrček Sanja Zrinšćak Nuić

Tea Čerkez Jasmina Kokotić Valentina Nestić Josipa Šolčić Iva Žukina

Dorotea Čuk Martina Kolaković Lidija Nevistić Adela Šoljan

Martina Čustović Livia Kolarek Anamarija Noršić Jarmila Šoufek

Nina Dolanjski Marina Kos Nives Patek Natalija Špoljar

Stela Drpić Valentina Kos Dijana Peretin Ivana Štajduhar

Melania Filipović Martina Kosovel Sanja Petrinec Vesna Števinović

160 161
O AUTORICAMA Jasna Lisac was born in Zagreb in 1964 and
graduated in 1989 the Pedagogical Academy -
Faculty of Philosophy. Since 1982 she has been
employed in the kindergarten “Iskrica”, as a
Antonija Balić Šimrak was born in Patna, India in 1969. preschool teacher. She was promoted to the post
In 1987 she graduated from the School of Applied Art of tutor - mentor in 2009, and teacher - consultant
and Design in Zagreb and in 1992 graduated from in 2014. Head of the verified enriched program
the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, the Sculpture “Education for Sustainable Development and
Department. Since 2009 she has been employed at Multiculturalism”, active in the drama group of
the Faculty of Teacher Education at the University of the Center, a longtime mentor for kinesiology
Zagreb as an associate professor. She has exhibited at and children’s art students, Faculty of Teacher
fifteen independent and numerous group exhibitions Education in Zagreb.
in the country and abroad, she has received several
awards and prizes for her art work. She is a member
of the Croatian Society of Fine Artists, Art Organization
Slavica Laco was born in Gospić in 1954. She graduated in Zagreb where she
Mandala Studio and Croatian Association of Researchers
graduated from Pre-school Education at the Faculty of Philosophy in 1982 and earned
of Children’s Literature.
the title “Pre-school teacher”. She works at Iskrica kindergarten, where she has been
promoted to a mentor. She has a special affinity for traditional cultural heritage and
children’s creative activities. Since 2008, she is also the author of the verified all-day
program “Child and Heritage” and creates short and lengthy lyrics in function of the
child’s scenes expression. Afinity for aesthetic expression is expressed by the design
of kindergartens, by making scenography and costuming. Extremely open, sincere,
Snježana Cukrov was born in Ivanac in 1958. She cheerful, team-based and creative, communicative and humane, and a permanent
graduated from the Pedagogical Academy in Zagreb in member and donor of the Croatian Cross. She is a longtime associate of the Teacher
1978 and has been employed in Kindergarten “Iskrica” Education Faculty and mentor to the students of the Methodology of Fine Arts.
(then Stjepan Flajpan) since 1978. Organizer and
realizator of art exhibitions at kindergartens and wider
community. She actively participates in international Dubravka Pandl was born in Krašić in 1950. She
art competitions for preschool children. Head of the graduated from the School for Educators in Zagreb,
program of promoting artistic expression and creation enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy and graduated
of “Little Creativity”. Long-year mentor of TEF students in Pedagogy and Sociology in 1980. She worked as
(kinesiological and visual methodology exercises). a preschool teacher for twelve years and worked for
33 years as a pedagogue - a professional associate in
kindergarten Iskrica in Zagreb. During her pedagogical
work with the Faculty of Teacher Education, she
collaborated for 33 years with professors and mentors,
kinesiology and eight years in the method of visual
arts. She gained the status of pedagogue mentor and
consultant pedagogue. She is retired since spring 2015
and works as a lecturer and external associate.
Renata Grdić was born in in Đurđenovac 1962. She
graduated from the Faculty of Defectology and Pedagogical
Academy in Zagreb. She works in the pre-school system,
as well as with children with developmental disabilities, Vesna Stojanović-Hauzer was born in Zagreb
is devoted to promoting creativity in the child’s artistic in 1964. She graduated from TEF in Zagreb and
expression, especially silk painting. She has experience in since 1985 has been employed in the kindergarten
education of various art techniques and is a participant of “Iskrica” (then Stjepan Flajpan). She is a long-time
an international exhibition of ceramics. She has been the mentor to TEF students (kinesiological and visual
principal ofkindergarten Iskrica since 2007. methodology exercises). She is actively involved
in various projects at kindergartens and wider
communities. She has worked in realization art
exhibitions in kindergartens and at the city level,
as well as in international art competitions of pre-
162 163
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