Eighteen academically gifted elementary students were randomly assigned to either a figural treatment or verbal treatment condition. Analysis of pre and post tests of creative thinking suggested that unbalanced programing of figural creative thinking abilities and verbal creative thinking abilities over time may cause significant decrements in…

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)

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)