Discusses the ways in which teachers can use art activities to provide a variety of learning experiences which encourage both creative expression and intellectual development. Lists basic art media and their inherent learning possibilities. (ED)

Giving children the opportunity to be creative requires allowing children to find and solve problems and communicate ideas in novel and appropriate ways. This paper presents 12 basic principles for teachers to follow when presenting art activities with children. These principles include: the process of creating a picture or project is more…

Reviews the place of creativity in the two major orientations of art education: (1) creative self-expression; and (2) discipline-based art education (DBAE). Asserts that critics of DBAE argue that it is dry and does not allow for creative expression. Rejects this notion and claims that properly implemented DBAE produces intellectual and emotional…

Argues that the arts are basic to educational development, as they provide the tools and skills that are central to early language development including story, metaphor, rhyme and rhythm, binary structuring and mediation, image formation from words, affective abstraction, and others that underlie more complex learning. (Author)

Argues that the arts provide a powerful means with which to promote future-oriented learning because they involve nonverbal, symbolic ways of knowing, thinking and communicating. Suggests that the arts in the emergent curriculum promote central education skills of discovery, pursuit, self-awareness, personal communication, social interaction,…

Argues that children need play time to explore the world because it is valuable, irreplaceable, spontaneous, and provides situations where children can learn with all their senses. Examines play in terms of its role in exploration, imagination, creative activity, work, learning, knowledge expansion, art, and the culture of children. (Author/SD)

Notes that children often need enticement into the world of books and reading and that the arts can be utilized to encourage excitement through aesthetic experiences and appreciation of world culture. Provides an annotated bibliography of age-appropriate books and series for Spanish-speaking children. (Author/SD)