Ice Age Landscapes, Flowers & Animals

A screen-free painting journey into deep time, natural history and the wonder of the Ice Age

What did the world look like when mammoths roamed, ancient flowers pushed through frozen ground and survival depended on adapting to a very different Earth?

Ice Age Landscapes, Flowers & Animals is an immersive art project that invites children to travel back in time and explore the extraordinary world of the Ice Age through painting, storytelling and thoughtful discussion. Working entirely away from screens, children are introduced to this fascinating period through carefully selected visuals, age-appropriate stories and guided conversation.

Across the sessions, they create a series of interconnected paintings, a landscape, a plant and an animal, which are later assembled into one cohesive final composition. This helps children understand that the natural world is made up of relationships: habitats, living things, climate and change all connected together.

Working entirely away from screens, children are introduced to the Ice Age timeline using carefully selected visuals and stories. They then create a series of interconnected paintings, a landscape, a plant and an animal, which are later assembled into one cohesive composition.

Silhouettes of three people, fading from blue to pink, with a purple background and black area on the left.

5 to 10 years old

A digital illustration of a smartphone with a neon purple and pink gradient, displaying a calendar app with several checkmarks and arrows, set against a black background with vertical white streaks.
Neon illustration of a clock and an hourglass with a blue and purple glow.

90 min. 3-4 sessions

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Natural History

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Adaptation & Survival

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Imagination & Awe

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Landscape

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Time & Change

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Natural History - Adaptation & Survival - Imagination & Awe - Landscape - Time & Change -

Travel back in time through art

One of the most exciting aspects of this project is its sense of journey.

Children are invited to step beyond the present day and imagine a world shaped by ice, vast open spaces, powerful animals and resilient plant life. Through painting, they begin to visualise what that world might have felt like; its scale, atmosphere, beauty and challenge.

This imaginative time-travel gives the project a special energy. It allows children to engage not only with information, but with feeling: awe at the size of ancient animals, curiosity about extinct worlds, wonder at survival in harsh climates and fascination with how life adapts over time. These are big ideas, but they are introduced in a gentle, creative and age-appropriate way.

Enquire about this project
Graphic with four sections describing children's art projects: a sun with a smartphone icon for screen-free creativity, a shield with a check mark for trusted and safe, a child profile with a checklist for tailored to your child, and an image of a mammoth with a colorful background for tangible outcome.

Natural History Painting Project

This project introduces children to the Ice Age in a way that feels vivid, imaginative and accessible.

Rather than approaching the subject as something distant or purely factual, children are invited to explore it creatively. They learn about Ice Age landscapes, plants and animals through visual references and discussion, then transform these discoveries into paintings of their own.

Because the artwork is built in parts, landscape, plant and animal, children begin to understand how the natural world fits together. They see that every creature lives within an environment and that even the smallest details, such as flowers or grasses, play an important part in a larger story of life and survival. This makes the project both educational and deeply imaginative.

5 to 10 years

90 minutes per session

3-4

Up to 3 children

In-person, fully screen-free

Age Group:

Duration:

Sessions:

Group Size:

Format:

Colorful painting of a landscape with mountains, grass, and two plants with green leaves and a yellow flower.

WHAT CHILDREN WILL EXPLORE & LEARN

Led by a qualified Primary School teacher and former SENCO, sessions are calm, structured and responsive to each child.

Tasks are broken into manageable stages, with flexibility built in to suit different ages, abilities and confidence levels. The emphasis is on curiosity, confidence and meaning, ensuring children feel both supported and inspired as they work.

This careful approach helps children succeed while still leaving room for their own ideas, imagination and creative voice.

    • Learning about the Ice Age and its timeline.

    • Discovering Ice Age animals such as mammoths, reindeer, bison and sabre-toothed cats.

    • Exploring extraordinary plant life, including ancient species preserved in permafrost.

    • Discussing how humans may have understood and coped with danger, fear and awe.

    • Introducing the Lion Man sculpture as evidence of early human imagination and spirituality.

    • Creating an Ice Age landscape using broad brushstrokes, texture, blending and wash techniques.

    • Painting a flower or plant with fine brushes and careful detail.

    • Drawing and painting an animal using either diluted or denser acrylic, depending on visual effect.

    • Learning when to apply paint thickly for texture and when to work more delicately.

    • Sketching from visual references.

    • Developing hand–eye coordination and sustained focus.

    • Making decisions about scale, placement and composition.

    • Cutting out plant and animal studies.

    • Assembling the final artwork thoughtfully to create balance and narrative.

    • Understanding how separate elements can work together as a unified image.

PROJECT ESSENTIALS

Materials Provided

All materials are supplied, including:

- Acrylic paints and brushes.

- Thick cartridge paper and coloured card.

- Pencils and rubbers.

- Scissors.

- Visual references of Ice Age people, flora, fauna and ancient sculpture.

Safety & Accessibility

Visual references are simplified or stylised where appropriate.

Images are scaled up to support fine motor development.

Pre-cut or part-cut elements are provided if needed.

Activities are carefully adapted so every child experiences success, regardless of ability or confidence.

Pricing

1 child: £80 per session.

2 children: £120 per session.

3 children: £180 per session.

Custom pricing available for schools or whole-class projects.

Colorful painting divided into two sections: the left features a landscape with mountains, trees, and plants with bright colors; the right shows a barnyard scene with a brown and white cow standing on a blue surface against a background of sky and cl
A colorful abstract landscape painting featuring a pink and purple sky, dark mountains in the background, a large yellow and pink tree on the right, a smaller yellow flower with green leaves on the left, and a reddish ground.
A colorful drawing of a landscape with mountains in the background, a green bush on the right, and a large green plant with multiple leaves in the center. The sky is teal, and the ground features pink and purple hues.
Child's colorful drawing of a landscape with a mountain, blue sky, and green grass. There are two plants with dark green leaves, one with a yellow flower. The background has purple and pink hues.
Colorful painting of purple mountains, a blue sky with clouds, and pink flowers in the foreground.
A colorful mural divided into two sections. The left side features a landscape with snow-capped mountains, a bright yellow tree, pink and purple flowers, and green foliage. The right side depicts a farm scene with a brown and white cow standing on a

WHY PARENTS LOVE IT

A screen-free blend of art, history and big ideas.

Introduces children to deep time and natural history in an accessible way.

encourages curiosity, empathy and thoughtful discussion.

pROduces a meaningful, display-worthy artwork.

SMall-group format with individual attention.

Builds both creative skill and emotional literacy.

Painting of a colorful desert landscape with a large yellow cactus, smaller yellow flowers, purple mountains, and a pink and purple sky.

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About the Project Leader

Lucy

Qualified Primary School Teacher (PGCE) with over 30 years of classroom experience.

Extensive Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in art education with leading institutions including:

  • Bow Arts Trust

  • Tate Modern

  • The Line

  • The Visual Arts Foundation

  • London Gifted & Talented

Designed and delivered whole-school CPD on sculpture, supporting and training class teachers.

Since 2003, has created and led bespoke art workshops for children aged 6–11, thoughtfully tailored to curriculum and enrichment themes including: History and cultural studies, Science and nature, Multi-faith and global stories, PSHE, Maths through creative exploration.

Strong background in fashion, sewing, and upholstery, bringing practical, tactile skills into her sessions.

Led large-scale intergenerational costume-making workshops involving children, parents and grandparents, with themes such as: Insects, The Lion King, African animals, Arabian Nights, Ancient Egypt.