Ancient Art (Pre-historic)

Head of a Bull. Art that rocks. We’re stepping back in time… way back.

In this hands-on session, young artists will scrunch, crinkle and shape paper to transform it into a textured “rock wall,” just like the caves our earliest ancestors once painted on. Once our walls are formed, it’s time to become prehistoric storytellers.

There’s no fancy tools, just knowledge and a whole lot of stone-age style. Kids will create their own Lascaux cave-inspired artworks using earthy tones, and simple strokes. They’ll explore how the original rock-stars used art to communicate and record stories.

From ancient caves to the Branch Out Studio — great ideas are truly set in stone.

PLUS

Egyptian Art (c. 3000–30 BCE)

Scarab Beetle

Step back in time and roll into Ancient Egypt. Inspired by ancient Egyptian design, artists will create their own richly patterned scarab artwork using symmetry, line, shape and decorative pattern. Just like Egyptian artisans, students will work carefully and thoughtfully, building bold outlines, repeating motifs and vibrant colour details worthy of a pharaoh’s treasure collection.

As they create, artists will explore how Egyptians believed the scarab rolled the sun across the sky each day. Through guided drawing and decorative design, students will learn how art was used to tell stories, express beliefs and celebrate life thousands of years ago. This session encourages patience, precision and creativity while helping young artists come out of their shell and transform ideas into striking symbolic art.

Classical Art – Ancient Greece and Rome (c. 800 BCE–400 CE)

Medusa

Get ready to snake a look into Greek mythology, where legends, monsters and creativity collide! In this striking mixed-media lesson, young artists will meet Medusa — one of Ancient Greece’s most fascinating mythical figures, famous for her spectacular snake hair and powerful gaze. Artists will design their own bold Medusa portrait while exploring line, texture and relief sculpture techniques. Using layered materials, raised forms and expressive mark-making, students will bring Medusa’s wriggly, twisty snakes to life, creating movement that practically slithers off the page.

Artists will frame their work with decorative borders inspired by Ancient Greek patterns and pottery design while learning how myths were used to explain the world, tell stories and spark imagination thousands of years ago.

PLUS

Roman Busts

History set in stone! In this hands-on mixed-media lesson, young artists will create their own classical portrait bust, inspired by the sculptures that once lined temples, theatres and grand city spaces.

Artists will explore how Ancient Greek and Roman sculptors celebrated heroes, thinkers and everyday people through carefully observed facial features, flowing hair and beautifully draped clothing. Using drawing, shading and layered collage techniques, students will design a portrait that proudly sits upon its very own pedestal.

Young creators will experiment with light, shadow and proportion to give their sculptures a timeless, marble-like appearance — no chisel required!

Middle Ages (Medieval Art) (c. 400–1400)

Byzantine Mosaic

Byzantine Brilliance: Mosaic Masterpieces. Step into a world of gold, glow and tiny tiles, where art shimmered from palace walls and grand churches! In this dazzling lesson, young artists will explore the rich visual language of Byzantine mosaics, creating their own radiant portrait inspired by artworks that have sparkled for over a thousand years. Through layering colour, pattern and thoughtful design, young creators will transform simple marks into a portrait worthy of a royal reveal.

This lesson strengthens patience, planning and visual rhythm while encouraging artists to see how small creative choices can create monumental results.

Coat of Arms: Dry Felting on a Shield
Knights, Shields & Creative Fields. In this hands-on fibre art lesson, young artists will discover the joy of dry felting while creating their own small-scale coat of arms. Inspired by medieval traditions, kids will learn how coats of arms were once unique to each family, with colours, shapes and symbols chosen to tell a story. Children will decide whether to design their shield with symmetry or playful asymmetry, making creative choices that reflect their own ideas and personalities. This session blends history, storytelling and fibre arts into a richly satisfying artwork that feels both ancient and fresh. Poking Around in the Past - Felting Brave & Bold.

Renaissance  (c. 1400–1600)

Mona Lisa Chalk Drawing.  Mona Lisa from the Renaissance, with the world’s most famous resting art face, meets kids from Gen Alpha. The ‘Value’ (‘xcuse the pun) of this project is about all the shadows and highlights that make Mona special for her time. The final addition of a colourful, bold background that adds fun, contrast and personality. This session blends classical art techniques with contemporary flair, helping children understand why Mona was special in her time—while making her feel fresh, playful and totally their own. This session is truly smile-worthy.

PLUS

da Vinci sketchbook. In this creative lesson, young artists will step into the world of Leonardo da Vinci, making coffee-stained paper and a personalised sketchbook that’s bound to impress. ready for ideas, drawings and discoveries.

Just like da Vinci, who filled thousands of pages with art, inventions and scientific observations, children will be encouraged to sketch, experiment and let their curiosity take the lead-o-nardo. No need for 13,000 pages — we’ll keep it short and sketchy. This session celebrates imagination, inquiry and the joy of recording ideas, creating a keepsake sketchbook to treasure long after class ends.

Romance / Romanticism (late 1700s–mid 1800s)

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog: Feeling the Landscape
Into the Mist: Painting Emotion. Inspired by the Romanticism masterpiece Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich, this lesson invites young artists to slow down, imagine and feel the power of nature. Romantic artists believed art should stir emotion—and in this session, kids will almost feel the mist on their faces and hear the distant crash of waves.

Using mixed media and some unusual techniques, children will build a textured seascape with rock-like paper, create a strong sense of depth and space, and add a lone figure quietly watching it all unfold. This thoughtful, atmospheric project encourages observation, imagination and emotional connection—helping children create an artwork that feels both powerful and poetic. Pause. Look. Feel. Create.

Impressionism (c. 1860s–1880s)

Impressionist Waterscape Monet

Monet’s Light & Water: Painting the Impressionist Way
A little impression goes a long way. In this session, BOAS Saplings will step outside with Claude Monet, who loved painting plein air and was endlessly fascinated by how light changes colour. Kids will learn about the Impressionist art movement and discover how artists painted what they saw and felt in the moment, rather than every tiny detail.

They will create a shimmering waterscape using a variety of painting techniques, applying multiple colours together and experimenting with short, choppy brushstrokes to capture movement and light. Along the way, children will explore complementary colours and how they work together to bring harmony to a composition. This lesson encourages curiosity, observation and playful experimentation—resulting in a soft, glowing artwork full of atmosphere and Impressionist charm.

PLUS

Post-Impressionism (c. 1880s–1900)

Starry Night: Painting from Memory
Out of This Swirl-d. In this expressive lesson, young artists will step into the imaginative world of Vincent van Gogh and discover how he painted Starry Night from memory—recreating the night-time view outside his hospital window during the day. This idea invites children to trust their imagination and paint what they remember and feel, not just what they see.

Artists will explore perspective by using a horizon line to help objects appear close, far away or somewhere in between. With energetic brushstrokes and layered paint, children will experiment with mixing tints of colour and applying paint in an expressive, swirling way inspired by Van Gogh’s unique style. This lesson celebrates emotion, movement and creative confidence—resulting in a night sky full of colour, feeling and wonder.

Expressionism, Fauvism,Cubism (early 1900s – 1920s)

Head of a Man. Paul Klee’s ‘Seneco’ 1922

Paul Klee: Faces in Colour
Say Hello to Senecio!

In this thoughtful and imaginative multi-media collage, young artists will explore the colourful world of Paul Klee. Born in Switzerland, Klee was deeply inspired by a visit to Tunisia, where he discovered golden sunlight, amber hills and glowing orange deserts—colours very different from those of his homeland. These experiences stayed with him and found their way into his art for many years.

Inspired by Klee’s artwork Senecio (Head of a Man), children will use simple geometric shapes and a grid-like layout to explore colour, balance and expression. They’ll learn that Senecio means “old man” in Latin—but the real fun lies in interpretation. What does the face look like to them? A person? A mask? Something mysterious? This lesson encourages curiosity, personal meaning and creative thinking, reminding children that art doesn’t have just one answer—it invites us to look, wonder and imagine. It’sHip to Be Square.

PLUS

Surrealism (1920s–1940s)

Salvador Dali’s ‘The Elephants’, 1948

Surreal Creatures: Long, Lean & Dreamy
In this delightfully strange lesson, young artists will stretch their imaginations (and their drawings!) by creating an elongated animal inspired by the surreal world of Salvador Dalí. Dalí loved surprising people—both with his unusual artworks and his playful, attention-grabbing personality—and this session celebrates that same sense of fun and curiosity.

Children will explore how changing proportions can turn an ordinary animal into something wonderfully unexpected. By bending reality just a little, artists are encouraged to think creatively, take risks and let their imaginations run wild. This engaging lesson shows kids that art doesn’t always have to make sense—sometimes it just has to make you stop, look and wonder. Ele-fant-astic!

Orphism, Op Art and Pop Art (1950s–1970s) 

Roy Lichtenstein portrait

Pop Art Portraits: Lichtenstein Style
Pow! Bam! Creative Slam! In this bold and colourful lesson, young artists will dive into the exciting world of Pop Art inspired by Roy Lichtenstein, a modern artist born in New York who loved comic strips, everyday objects and eye-catching design. Kids will explore how Lichtenstein used bright colours, strong shapes and a clever printing technique called BenDay dots to make his art look almost machine-made.

Artists will learn about the four colours used in printing—cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black)—and create their own BenDay dot sheets to use in a Pop Art portrait. This lesson is part portrait-making, part writing exercise and all fun, encouraging creativity, experimentation and confidence. With dots, colour and personality bursting from the page, kids will love bringing their own Pop Art portraits to life!