Brilliant Activities for Gifted and Talented Children - That Other Children Will Love Too

Ashley McCabe Mowatt

Bedfordshire (UK): Brilliant Publications (2003)

Reviewer: Belle Wallace, Director TASC International

The book presents a series of ‘brain teasers’ and creative activities that have been trialled by Ashley, a primary teacher, with groups of able children. However, I strongly agree with the sub-title of the text - ‘other children will love them too’.

The ‘brain teasers’ are challenges that can be given to children at any time - some taking perhaps a few minutes - others requiring a little more thought. But they are clever, humorous and fun to do! Other activities consist of longer creative projects. The project ideas include topics such as: planning a perfect day, being part of a circus for the day, creating sweets for a sweet shop, forming a club and working out the rules, finding a giant egg, growing wings, designing greeting cards, and many more.

So many able children feel aggrieved if they are handed ‘more work’ that is merely ‘more of the same but harder examples’: however, this collection of activities does not provide ‘more of the same’. They are exciting activities - but I repeat my earlier remark that other children will also love and enjoy them. Creativity and challenge are words that are back on the education agenda; and providing all children with creative challenges is the best way, not only to encourage creativity, but also to develop identification of potential through the provision of opportunities to demonstrate it in practice. 

A very useful collection of ideas.

Gifted Education International Vol 21 No 1