Turkish Marbling and Gifted Children

Abstract

Gifted children display different characteristics, attitudes and behaviours not only from their peers but also from one another. Gifted children should not mean a single type of children with similar characteristics. On the contrary, these children display different characteristics not only from other children but also from other gifted peers. For the teachers of young children it is very difficult to find an activity that is suitable and contributes to the development of these children. In this circumstance, Turkish marbling might be helpful for   the teachers. Although Turkish marbling (Ebru) is mentioned as a difficult art in various resources, it can be applied to children by using ready-to-use dyes and ready-to-use gum tragacanth. After all, marbling can be turned into an enjoyable activity by giving the children the opportunity to discover different characteristics of marbling and by not forcing them applying the marbling by using traditional techniques perfectly. Marbling activities done with children show that, pre-school and primary school children find it enjoyable and like to participate in these activities. Such characteristics of marbling as (a) giving opportunities for originality, (b) teaching patience, (c) experimenting, (d) allowing works in different in different ability levels, (e) relaxing and anxiety recovery, (f) suitability for different age groups, (g) giving chance for personal progression suits the needs of gifted children thus making it very advantageous for these children. Therefore, it is thought that marbling might make important contributions for the development of gifted children.