Šta beba vidi? / What can baby see?

Čulo vida, kao i sva ostala čula, novorođenče razvija postepeno. Razvoj ovog čula u tesnoj je vezi sa razvojem mozga i smetnje u razvoju čula vida može dovesti do zaostajanja u mentalnom razvoju. To naravno nije uvek slučaj, treba imati na umu da se svako dete razvija na svoj način.

Novorođenče u početku svet istražuje samo vizuelno, pa je izgled okruženja ključan za rani rast i razvoj. Želela bih da svom detetu od samog početka pružim mogućnost da posmatra umetničke slike različitih autora i epoha, kao i da ako je ikako moguće  iz bebinog svakodnevnog okruženja izbacim likove iz crtanih filmova i bajki.

Zbog svega ovoga me je jako zanimalo šta zapravo bebe vide u različitim uzrastima. Napravila sam malo istraživanje na tu temu i evo šta sam saznala…

Bebe odmah po rođenju imaju zamagljen vid i vide samo 20-tak cm ispred sebe, što je otprilike razdaljina od lica bebe do lica roditelja kada je beba u naručju. Takođe u ovom periodu bebe primećuju samo jake kontraste u bojama i prijaju im slike poput crno-belih geomterijskih mozaika.  Idealno bi bilo da su slike postavljene tako da ih beba može često posmatrati, recimo poput nalepnica na zidu. Trebalo bi da ima najviše jedna do dve slike istovremeno i da se menjaju nakon nekoliko nedelja. Do četvrtog meseca života bebe uče kako da fokusiraju objekte pogledom, razvijaju kordinaciju ruku i pogleda i počinju da prate kretanje objekata.

Od četvrtog ili petog meseca života do osmog bebe počinju da primećuju male objekte, kao i da formiraju trodimenzionalni doživljaj prostora. Ovo se posebno odnosi na daljinu između objekata. U ovom periodu već mogu razlikovati boje, kao i pojedine nijanse sličnih boja (npr. crvenu i narandžastu). Ovo je trenutak kada detetu možemo da predstavimo i detaljnije slike sa više boja i nijansi. Ipak sa time ne treba preterivati. Najbolje je da se postepeno uvode kompleksnije kombinacije boja i oblika.

Razvoj čula vida kod dece traje sve dok traje tzv. “upijajuća faza”, tj. do šeste godine detetovog života. Ovaj razvoj može se stimulisati različitim materijalima kojima je fokus na obliku/boji i razlikama u njima.

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The vision, as well as all the other senses, newborn develops gradually. The development of this sense is closely related with brain development and delay in the development of eyesight can lead to delays in mental development. This, of course, is not always the case, since every child has a unique way of development.

Newborn at the beginning explores the world  only through his/her eyes and therefore environment is crucial for early growth and development. It is important for me that this environment is free of cartoon and fairy characters. Instead it would be nice to have works of art of different authors and periods, adapted to child’s needs and visual capabilities.

Because of all this I was very interested in what actually the baby can see  at different ages. I did a little research on the subject and here’s what I learned.

Babies immediately after birth have blurred vision and can see only about 20 cm in front of them, which is the distance from the baby’s face to parents face when the baby is in the parent arms. Also in this period babies perceive only the strong contrasts in colours paintings such as black-and-white geometric mosaic are the most adequate. Ideally, they should be set so that the baby can often viewed them and not more of one or two at a time. Also they should be changed after a few weeks. From birth until the fourth month of life, babies learn how to focus their eye sight, they develop hand-eye coordination and begin to follow moving objects.

From the fourth or fifth month of life to eight month babies begin to notice small objects, as well as to form a three-dimensional sense of space. This is especially the case with distance between objects. In this period babies can distinguish between different colours and shades of similar colours (e.g., red and orange). This is the moment when we can introduce more detailed paintings with more colours and shades. Yet this should come gradually, introducing first simpler and then more complex combinations of colours and shapes.

The development of eyesight in children lasts as long as the so-called. “Absorbent phase” is lasting, usually to the age of six. This development can be stimulated by various materials that focus on shape / colour differences in them.

Učenje na primeru / Learning from Examples

S obzirom na to da je rođenje prvog deteta na svega nekoliko meseci od mene, nije čudno što se sve češće pitam koje su to vrednosti koje želim preneti svom detetu. Učenje na primeru je jedan od najmoćnijih alata u obrazovanju i vaspitanju, što stavlja dodatni teret na svakog roditelja. Biti dobar uzor ključno je u odgajanju dece, jer hteli, ne hteli deca od nas uče kako da se ponašaju prema drugima i kakav će odnos imati prema sebi.

Ovo su samo neke od stvari koje smatram bitnim i kojima želim naučiti svoje dete (redosled je nasumičan i irelevantan):
1. ljubav prema čitanju,
2. istrajnost i praćenje sopstvenih snova, čak i kada postane teško,
3. uporan i vredan rad na sopstvenim ciljevima,
4. vođenje aktivnog i zdravog života,
5. svesnost o ljudima koji imaju manje i spremnost da im se pomogne,
6. empatija,
7. poštovanje prirode i svega što nas okružuje,
8. praćenje sopstvenih želja, snova i strasti,
10. lojalnost i iskrenost kako prema sebi tako i prema drugima.

Kojim vrednostima vi želite da naučite svoju decu? Napišite u komentarima ispod, bilo bi zanimljivo podeliti mišljenja na ovu temu.

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Becoming a mother for the first time is just a few months away for me and it is no wonder that more and more often I am thinking of the way that I want to raise my child and which values to teach her. Since learning from example is the most powerful tool in education and raising a child much of what I want to teach her  is for me to improve or start from scratch first.

Here is the list of things I consider important part of my child’s upbringing (the order is random and irrelevant):
1. love to read and respect towards books, literature and science,
2. pursuing her dreams and not giving up when it gets hard, follow her passion,
3. respect the nature and everything around us,
4. lead an active and healthy life,
5. be aware of the people who are less fortunate than her and be willing to help,
6. have a soft heart for the ones who are weaker than her,
7. be empathic,
8. work hard on your goals and be persistent,
9. follow her passion,
10. be loyal and truthful towards yourself and others.

Some of those points I already have implemented in everyday life but on some of them I still have to work on.
What are the values which you would like to teach your children? Write me in the comments bellow, it would be interesting to exchange opinions.

Odrasli u Montesori svetu / Adults in a Montessori world

U okruženju gde su dečiji duh i dečiji razvoj u prvom planu i odrasli mogu naučiti mnogo toga. Ono što su deca mene naučila ili podsetila, tokom vremena provedenog u njihovom svetu, zaista je neprocenjivo.

1. Uspori i posmatraj svet oko sebe
Deca su radoznala. To nije bez razloga. Oni o svetu oko nas znaju jako malo (kao i odrasli uostalom, samo sto nam se značaj tog (ne)znanja izgubi u svakodevici). Dete koje vidi mravinjak u stanju je da provede i sat vremena posmatrajući mrave i njihove aktivnosti. Zatim slede pitanja: kako, zašto, koliko… Oni zaista očekuju da znate odgovor na sve to. Ali i ako ne znate nije strašno. Recite da ćete to otkriti zajedno i nadjite podatke koji interesuju vaše dete, osmislite način da ih predstavite na detetu zanimljiv i razumljiv način. Biće vam zahvalno. Naravno, nakon mrava na red ce doći poštanske marke, oblaci ili nešto treće što mi odrasli davno uzimamo zdravo za gotovo.

2. Pokupi stvari za sobom
U Montesoriju se jako podstiče nezavisnost. To ide dalje od pukog učenja kako da se zavežu pertle ili zakopča jakna. Razvija se svest da je svako od nas deo veće sredine i da o toj sredini mora da se vodi računa. Počevši od svoje sobe ili učionice. Ne treba mama da ide i sakuplja igracke, dete to može i treba da uradi i samo. Ako mu/joj treba pomoć, naravno tu je neko od odraslih da pomogne, ali ne da završi sav posao umesto deteta. Time se dete navikava na red i na odgovornost. U Montesori učionici možete primetiti da svako od dece nakon ustajanja od stola prvo vrati stolicu na mesto, a zatim radi sve ostalo. Ovaj mali, sićušni korak ka redu jedan je od prvih kojim dete stiče osećaj za okolinu i druge ljude oko sebe. Niko nije dužan da posprema stvari za detetom, a nije ni lepo da se na tu istu stolicu saplete neko od ostale dece.

3. Saslušaj druge sa razumevanjem i poštovanjem
Bez obzira da li nam je neko blizak ili ne, da li prema tom nekom gajimo posebne emocije ili smo na distanci, u međusobnoj komunikaciji neophodno je da postoji poštovanje. Međutim, tek težnja da se zaista razume ne samo šta nam sagovornik govori, nego i kako se sagovornik oseća dovodi do razrešenja eventualnih kofnlikta i uspešne komunikacije. Empatija se uči još u vrtiću. I kao i sve ostalo najbolje se uči iz primera. Ako učitelj ili drugo dete u komunikaciji koriste ohrabrujuće reči, pune podrške i razumevanja, velike su šanse da će i dete to usvojiti kao obrazac komunikacije. Ako isti način komunikacije dete ima i u porodici veće su šanse da sa pažnjom sluša i sebe i druge. Umesto vikanja ili reči “Nemoj” i “Ne može” (omiljene reči nas odraslih) uvek je bolje objasniti detetu zašto nešto nije dobro za njega ili nekog drugog. Deca nisu nerazumna bića. Objašnjenje dato u pravo vreme i na pravi način imaće daleko više efekta nego bilo koja zabrana. Probajte mali eksperiment: nedelju dana se obraćajte deci na isti način na koji biste voleli da se vaši prijatelji, vaše kolege ili vaš šef obraća vama. Iznenadiće vas promena u komunikaciji i ponašanju vašeg deteta.

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Environment where the child’s spirit and child’s development is in the focus gives the opportunity not only to children but also to adults to learn and to improve. While working with two to six years old I have learned a lot of new things and gained priceless experience which helped me in an everyday life and communication.

1. Slow down and observe the world around you
Children are curious, their knowledge about the world is quite limited and therefore they are learning everything from scratch. Many things that adults are not questioning any more or taking for granted children find amazing and mysterious. A child who, for the first time, sees anthill is able to spend an hour watching the ants and their activities. Then the curiosity starts: how, why, how long… Even if you do not know the answers to all of them it is not the end of the world. You can always discover it together with a child or find the information that interest your child and present them in an interesting and understandable way. S/he will be grateful for the given knowledge. Of course, after the ants questions will be about stamps, clouds or something else.

2. Tidy up after yourself
Montessori environment strongly encourages independence in children and it goes further than just learning how to tie shoelaces or buttoned jacket, it develops awareness that each of us is a part of a larger environment and that each of us is responsible for maintain that environment. Starting from child’s room or classroom. There is no need for mom or a teacher to go and collect toys, child can do that by her/himself because no one is obliged to finish things for a child. If s/he needs help there is an adult to provide it, but not to finish the work instead of the child. This way children get accustomed to order and responsibility. For example, in the Montessori classroom you can notice that after getting up from the table each child first push a chair back into it’s place and then continues with the activities. This little, tiny step towards the order is one of the first in which the child acquires a sense for the environment and other people around him.

3. Listen to others with respect and understanding
Regardless of whether we are talking with someone close to us or with someone who we know only shortly mutual communication should be respectful. However, only an aspiration to really understand not only what someone is saying, but also how that someone feels leads to effective and empathic communication. This is something we need to teach our children. Empathy is learned in a kindergarten and like everything else best way to teach it is through examples. If a teachers or other children use encouraging words, full of support and understanding, chances are that the child will adopt same form of communication. If the same method of communication child has in the family it is more likely that s/he will become empathic listener. Instead of yelling or saying “Do not” and “Can not” (a favourite sentences of us adults) it is always better to explain to the child why something is good or harmful for her/him or someone else. Children are not unreasonable beings. The explanation given at the right time and in the right way will have far more effect than any prohibition or punishment. Try a little experiment: for one week talk with your children in the same way that you would like your friends, your colleagues or your boss to talk to you. Changes in communication and behaviour of your child may surprise you.

Montesori i dečija sloboda / Child’s Freedom in the Montessori World

Ono što me prvo privuklo Montesori obrazovanju jeste davanje slobode deci. To nije sloboda po kojoj mogu da vam se “penju na glavu” i rade apsolutno šta god požele. To je sloboda da svoje potencijale otkriju i iskoriste u potpunosti.  Nema onog: “Ne penji se na stolicu. Ne diraj tu vazu. Prosućeš vodu. Pazi staklo.” Ako nikada ne istražuju kako će išta naučiti?

U našoj je prirodi da decu štitimo od svega. Međutim, sa tim štićenjem se poslednju deceniju i jače malo preteralo. Decu držimo pod staklenim zvonom, ne dajući im da iskuse i isprobaju išta, da se ne bi uprljali, ispolivali vodom,  sapleli… Na taj način sputavamo njihovu prirodu i njihovu potrebu da istražuju i otkrivaju svet oko sebe.

Montesori pristup se bazira na tome da se deci daju sredstva i pomoć da svet oko sebe istraže pod uslovima koji su njima prilagođeni. Ako je stolica previsoko, stavi  se manja da dete na istu može da se popne bez opasnosti po sebe ili okolinu. Ako je objekat koji ih zanima predaleko ili na staklenoj površini, približi im se i pokaže kako da se nežno sa istim rukuje. Na taj način dete razvija poštovanje prema sopstvenoj okolini i svest o krhkosti stvari. Ne treba uvek osujećivati svaki pokušaj deteta da nešto sazna i istraži samo zbog toga što  to nešto može biti polomljeno ili prosuto. Imajmo u vidu da mnoge stvari koje odrasli uzimaju “zdravo za gotovo” deci predstavljaju napoznanicu, tajnu i izazov.

Ovakav način ophođenja prema deci omogućava im da saznaju više, da razviju moždane puteve, da razviju motoriku i pokrete, da budu snalažljiviji u svakodnevici i da znaju da cene okruženje i sve oko sebe, da sa svime postupaju sa brigom i pažnjom. Ako je cena koju treba platiti polomljena vaza sa početka priče… pa neka je. Cilj koji se postiže daleko je vredniji.

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Child’s freedom – that is what first drew me to the Montessori education, more accuretly “freedom within limits”. This freedom doesn’t mean that children can do whatever they want, rather it assumes children’s freedom to discover their potential and make the most of it but “within limits”. Therefore sentences like: “Do not climb on that chair. Do not touch that vase. You’re gonna spill the water.” shouldn’t be used very often. Indeed if our children never explore how they will ever learn anything?

It is our nature to protect children from everything and with all that is going on in the world today that can seem like a quite reasonable approach. Problem occurs when parents become overprotective. After all “Road to hell…”. Prohibiting children to experience and explore world around them often leads to restraint of children’s nature and needs.

Therefore it is crucial to find some middle ground between safety and freedom and well adapted environment can be just that. Even more so when we have in mind that environment of the children has a great influence on their well-being. This is also one of the basic points at Montessori education. It is our role to provide children with resources and support so they can explore the world around them safe and under conditions adapted to their needs. If the chair is too high, put the smaller so the child can climb without danger to himself/herself or the environment. Objects that interests them should be within reach of a child and adult should show the child how to handle it. In this way children develop a respect for their own environment and awareness of the fragility of things. We should not always thwart any attempt of the child to explore and to learn something just because that something may be broken or spilled. Keep in mind that many things that adults take “for granted” for children are the unknown territory, mystery and challenge.

Giving children opportunity to “learn by doing” is priceless and it helps them to develop their brain, to develop motor skills and movements, to be more resourceful in everyday life and to appreciate the environment, to deal with everything with care and attention. If the price for that is one broken vase from the beginning of our story … so be it. The achieved goal is far more valuable.