A calm and friendly arrival time where little artists get comfortable, connect, and prepare for the creative adventure ahead.

Line and Pattern

Turtle Lines: Slow, Steady & Creative
Come out of your shell and get creative. In this calm and confidence-building lesson, young artists will create a charming turtle using drawing, cutting and pasting techniques that work to strengthen fine motor skills. As children experiment with line, they’ll discover that art doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful—mistakes aren’t just okay, they often make the best art. Although this project looks simple at first glance, there’s lots happening beneath the surface. Artists will explore different kinds of lines—curvy, wiggly, straight and bold—and learn how lines can express feelings and movement. This lesson encourages freedom, focus and self-trust, helping children build skills while creating something truly their own. Slow and steady wins the art race.

PLUS

Organic Lines & Living Colour
Growing confident artists, one line at a time. In this session, little Art Explorers will dive into bold, bright colours and flowing, organic lines inspired by one of the world’s most famous contemporary painters, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Hundertwasser believed that people, art and nature should live in harmony—and this idea sits at the heart of today’s creative adventure. Children will experiment with curving lines, natural shapes and vibrant colour combinations, letting their artwork grow and wander just like patterns found in nature. This session encourages freedom, imagination and self-expression, helping young artists create a striking piece of modern art while embracing their wonderfully wonky side.

Shape

Spring Birds: Collage with Colour
Young artists will create lively spring bird collages inspired by the bold, nature-filled work of Lois Ehlert. This project is packed with engaging art-making steps that keep kids curious, excited and creatively involved from start to finish.

The process begins with making painted paper—a wonderfully experimental stage where colours mix, surprise and delight. Children will cut out their own birds, branches and extra details, arranging and layering them to tell their own visual story. With an abundance of choice and room for personal expression, this lesson celebrates colour, nature and creativity, resulting in a cheerful artwork that truly feels like spring has arrived. Time to spread your creative wings.

Colour

Cat Tales: Colour, Shape & Word Play
Inspired by the delightful picture book Cat Tales by Michael Hall, this lesson is just the cat’s whiskers. It invites young artists into a world where curious cats chase words and shapes on a tongue-twisting adventure. As the story introduces homophones and homonyms, children will also discover how simple geometric shapes, bright colours and energetic lines can work together to create movement and meaning in art.

Using bold primary and secondary colours, artists will explore colour theory in a fun, hands-on way while arranging shapes and lines to bring their artwork to life. This lesson blends literacy and visual art beautifully—encouraging curiosity, playful thinking and creative confidence—making it the purr-fect companion to a colour-filled art session.

PLUS

Contrast & Emphasis

Blue Dog & the Colour Wheel
Inspired by the storybook Are You Blue Dog’s Friend?, this vibrant session lets us paw-se to talk about colour, contrast and emphasis. Young artists will follow Blue Dog into a world where colour does the talking, setting the scene for a hands-on exploration of how colours work together—and sometimes against each other.

Children will spin the colour wheel and discover concepts like analogous and complementary colours (and yes, those big art words will soon be rolling off their tongues!). Through playful experimentation, artists will learn how colour choices can make parts of an artwork stand out, feel calm, or pop with energy. This lesson is bright, bold and confidence-building—perfect for helping kids see colour as a paws-itively powerful creative tool.

Movement & Rhythm

Giraffes Can’t Dance: Moving Lines & Patterns
Inspired by the much-loved picture book Giraffes Can’t Dance, young artists are invited to explore movement, line and pattern through art. Children will be delighted to discover that they can draw a dancing giraffe—full of personality and rhythm—just like Gerald, who learns that everyone can dance in their own way.

Artists will practise filling spaces with playful lines and patterns to add texture, interest and a beautifully finished look to their artwork. Their dancing giraffe will then be cut out and placed onto a magical, star-studded background, bringing the whole scene to life. This lesson celebrates confidence, creativity and self-expression, reminding children that art—like dancing—is about finding your own groove. Draw it. Dance it. Believe it.

Value

Value Jellyfish: Glowing Underwater Worlds
Prepare to be bedazzled below sea level. In this colourful, calming lesson, young artists will drift beneath the sea to create a beautiful underwater scene filled with glowing jellyfish. Children will explore the idea of value by mixing light and dark shades of a single colour, blending them together to form a smooth value scale for their ocean background.

Artists will then draw their jellyfish and use chalk pastels to blend bright, luminous colours, bringing their underwater creatures to life. Along the way, children can choose whether to work with a warm or cool colour scheme, discovering how value helps create depth, mood and visual interest. This lesson is both soothing and exciting—full of colour, choice and creative discovery—resulting in an artwork that truly shimmers. Artists will really glow with the flow.

Texture

Lily Wool: Texture, Story & Being Yourself

Artists will create something truly un-baa-lievable as they explore texture while creating a mixed-media artwork inspired by the story Lily Wool. Lily is a sheep who feels a little different from the rest of the flock—and when she discovers a single thread of wool, she begins to understand just how special her role can be. 

Children will experiment with a variety of textured materials to bring their sheep to life, layering, arranging and building surfaces that invite touch and curiosity. Along the way, the story reinforces a beautiful message: being unique, imaginative and different is something to celebrate. This lesson blends storytelling, sensory exploration and creativity, leaving young artists with both a meaningful artwork and a warm reminder that there’s space in the flock for everyone. Be bold. Be kind. Be uniquely ewe.

Balance

Watercolour Rockets: Out-of-This-World Colour
Houston… we have a masterpiece. In this exciting, hands-on lesson, young artists will blast off into the magical world of watercolours. Children will be fascinated as liquid colours swirl, spread and blend right before their eyes, creating beautiful surprises on the page.

Artists will explore a range of watercolour techniques including wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, washing and blotting, learning how water and pigment work together in different ways. As they design their out-of-this-world space background and add their rocket, children will also explore balance in their composition. This lesson is full of wonder, experimentation and creative confidence—resulting in a vibrant artwork that’s ready for lift-off. 

PLUS

Form

Aztec Sun Stones: Clay & Culture
Clay, culture and creative sunshine. In this vibrant, hands-on lesson, young artists will explore the powerful symbolism of Mexican suns, which represent life, positivity and ancient traditions. Using a starburst template, children will shape their own Aztec-inspired Sun Stone from air-dry clay, learning how form, pattern and repetition come together in art.

Artists will add decorative details, curvy sunrays and a splash of bright colour, making creative choices that ensure every sun is as unique as the artist who made it. This lesson blends culture, symbolism and tactile making, encouraging imagination, confidence and pride in a one-of-a-kind artwork that radiates warmth and creativity. A session guaranteed to brighten their day.

Space

Constellations & Cosmic Space
In this starry lesson, little Art Explorers will travel into space to discover how artists use the element of space—it’s a double banger of learning and fun! Inspired by the book, ‘Here We Are’ by Oliver Jeffers, children will build an understanding of the stars, moon and planets that make up our small but special corner of the universe.

Young artists will create their own constellations, thinking about spacing, placement and the quiet magic of the night sky. With imagination switched all the way to on, this lesson blends storytelling, curiosity and creativity, encouraging children to look up, wonder and make art that sparkles with possibility. Perfect for starry-eyed Art Explorers ready to reach for the stars.

Proportion

Arlo Needs Glasses: Puppy Portrait Proportions
Paw-traits with personality. In this delightfully sweet session, young artists will explore the art principle of proportion—but with a fun twist. Instead of a human portrait, children will create a portrait of an adorable dog inspired by the interactive picture book Arlo Needs Glasses. It’s a gentle, engaging way to learn how sizes and placements work together to make a face feel just right.

Artists will experiment with chalk pastels, a fun and fast medium that’s perfect for capturing Arlo’s soft, furry features. As a final playful touch, children will design and collage a pair of glasses to adorn their cute puppy, adding personality and charm. This lesson blends storytelling, new materials and creative confidence—resulting in a portrait that’s as heart-melting as it is educational.

Unity & Variety

Miró Magic: Paper Compositions
In this imaginative lesson, Art Explorers will step into the playful, dream-like world of Joan Miró. Miró’s early work was influenced by Cubism, but over time his art became more magical, expressive and wonderfully child-like—full of bold shapes, lively lines and joyful colour.

Inspired by one of Miró’s colourful paintings, kids will create a whimsical collaged composition using line, shape and colour in inventive ways. BOAS Art Explorers may choose to free draw or use templates to spark ideas, encouraging confidence, choice and creativity. This lesson celebrates imagination and freedom, reminding children that art can be playful, curious and delightfully unexpected—just like Miró’s. Creative chaos… beautifully organised. It’s a Miro-cle.