Masterworks tiny tot art classes are a great way to expel some creative energy on a weekday morning.

Unfortunately, most art classes on the Island for the under-three age group are offered during the work week, which doesn't work very well for working mothers without nannies. Apparently, this is due to lack of demand. So if you have a child under three and would like to see art classes offered for the toddler group on weekends, call and demand!

To test out the classes my two-and-a-half year old daughter, Stephanie a glitter and sticker junkie, played hookie from nursery for the morning.

The classes are held in the basement of the Masterworks Gallery at the Botanical Gardens. One attractive feature is that there is no sign-up required. So there is no feeling guilty when you can't make a class. All you need to do is show up with your little one anytime between 10.15 a.m. and 11.45 a.m. on a Wednesday. The price is also a plus. It is $12 for non-members and $10 for members.

The class is taught by Tiffany Paynter who had a good rapport with the children. She also taught Saturday classes at Masterworks for children five-years-old and older.

According to another mother at the class, based on her experience with other activities hosted by other organisations, an instructor who likes children is not always a given.

"We were taking classes elsewhere, but we switched," said one mother. "In this class, the activities were less repetitive. The class was also longer."

On this Wednesday morning, Stephanie was first presented with a large piece of paper, glue and metallic confetti in various shapes including leaves and stars. For her this was heaven. While most children have a tantrum because they want to go to the store to buy candy, my daughter wants to go to the drug store to buy glue. Pouring globs of glue everywhere is the height of entertainment for her.

On this day she was quiet as she squeezed out her glue at Masterworks. She looked around at the other children. The class can hold up to about ten children. On this day there were about seven youngsters, all boys except for Stephanie and one other little girl.

"There's always more boys than girls," said Miss Paynter. "I don't know why that is. But it switches completely around when they get a bit older."

Miss Paynter said some of the other projects they have done in the class include painting miniature lawn chairs and painting piggy banks.

"We have painted plant pots," she said. "We put tape around the pots to create a design. Then the child painted the pot. Once a two-year-old starts painting it is just a ball of paint. You take the strips off when the paint dries and a design is created.

"We have done other things where it looks like leaf printing where they went out and collected leaves from the garden. We have done basic weaving of fabrics together."

On this day, after working with the construction paper, the children were given picture frames to paint. The picture frames all had little pots stuck around them.

Stephanie was given different coloured paint and a couple of paint brushes and off she went, painting her picture frame.

Warning about the paint: it goes onto the art pretty well, but doesn't come off fabric. So don't send them to the class in their best outfits. This goes for mom too. Expect your clothes to get colourful. However, Masterworks does present parent and child with t-shirts to wear over their clothes during the class.

"I try to do as much prep as possible before the class because we are dealing with such a young age group," said Miss Paynter. "That is why the parents have to be here. In this class, we are giving them something creative and fun and messy and also getting their fine motor skills up."

She said the key was to give them something shiny, something colourful, and something they could take home at the end of the day.

Masterworks also offers classes for nursery school groups, but so far only one nursery school has taken advantage of this.

As one little boy, Triton, got up to leave he put a little white bag over his shoulder. It had his name on the bag, and also various bits of art work. He showed everyone his bag, proudly.

"He did the bag in a previous class," said Miss Paynter. "Now he never goes anywhere without it. It carries his diapers and so forth."

At the end of the morning Stephanie somewhat reluctantly finished her art project. She wanted to keep going. "Would you like to come back?" I asked her.

"Come back again!" was her response, high-praise from a two-year-old covered in a rainbow of paint.

The good news is that although Masterworks doesn't offer regular toddler art classes on the weekends, it does hold a Super Saturday art day on the last Saturday of every month for children of all ages. That is sponsored by Montpelier Re and is free to the public. It is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Masterworks Gallery, and offers a variety of themed art activities.

Masterworks offers art classes for all ages up to senior citizens. For more information about them, contact Masterworks at 236-2950 or email mworks@logic.bm or check out their website at www.bermudamasterworks.com .