Summer Art Camp on Cape Cod: Where Young Artists Explore Painting, Printmaking, Ceramics and More
Summer Art Camp on Cape Cod: Where Young Artists Explore Painting, Printmaking, Ceramics and More
Why Cape Cod Parents Are Looking for More Than a Typical Art Summer Camp
Each morning starts the same way in this one-week summer art camp on Cape Cod for children ages 7 to 14. Each young artist sets out with Maisie, a practicing artist and printmaker, to explore the landscape through an artist's eyes. Together, they learn to slow down, observe closely, and notice the colors, textures, light, and forms that have inspired generations of artists.
Along the way, children stop to sketch what catches their attention, filling their pages with observations, ideas, and inspiration. By the time they return to the studio, those observations have become the starting point for a week of watercolor painting, printmaking, mixed media composition, and hand-built ceramics.
For generations, artists have been inspired by Cape Cod's changing light, coastal colors, ponds, forests, and shoreline. Throughout the week, children step into that artistic tradition as they learn how artists observe the world around them, respond to what they see, and transform those observations into original works of art.
On Friday afternoon, the studio is transformed into a gallery exhibition celebrating all of the work created throughout the week. This is when each child will display their artwork and guide visitors through their portfolios, sharing the inspiration behind their work and the creative decisions they made along the way. Families walk through a gallery filled with their children's artwork, hear directly about the inspiration behind each piece, and learn about their creative decisions. This final day will showcase not only what children created but also how they grew as artists.
How Your Child's Creativity Grows During Create Like an Artist
Learning to See the World Like an Artist
Many children are naturally creative, but few educational programs give them the time and space to slow down and carefully observe the world around them. Throughout the week, children explore the fields, woods, ponds, and natural spaces surrounding Sandwich Montessori School.
They learn to notice the colors of the Cape Cod landscape, the textures of tree bark, patterns found in nature, and the way sunlight reflects across the water. These observations inspire the work they create throughout the week. By learning to pay attention to details and to translate what they see into visual expression, children begin to develop their observation skills as an artistic practice.
Building Confidence Through Creative Risk-Taking
In many traditional art programs, children are shown what to make and how to make it. Create Like an Artist takes a different approach. Children here are introduced to artistic techniques and materials, but the creative decisions are theirs.
In this program, there will be no templates to copy and no single "right" outcome. Instead, children are encouraged to experiment, problem solve, and make their own choices about color, composition, texture, and form. This process helps them build confidence in their own ideas while teaching them an important rule in art-making. That is, mistakes are often part of the creative process. Equally important is the lesson that artistic growth comes through practice, reflection, and revision. Over time, children become more comfortable taking risks, trusting their instincts, and expressing themselves in original ways. Rather than creating identical projects, they learn to trust their own artistic choices.
Turning Ideas Into Meaningful Creations
Throughout the week, children build their own portfolios of original work inspired by their observations of the Cape Cod landscape. This includes working across watercolor painting, relief printmaking, layered mixed media compositions, and hand-built ceramics.
Throughout these hands-on experiences, children see how a single observation can inspire many artistic responses. As they work across different media, they begin to make connections among techniques, ideas, and their own creative choices. For instance, a sketch made beside Peter's Pond might become a watercolor painting, a relief print, a mixed-media composition, or a ceramic piece.
By the end of the week, each child leaves with a portfolio of original artwork, including a watercolor painting, relief prints, a mixed-media composition, a written artist's statement, and a ceramic piece that is glazed, fired, and mailed home after the program concludes. More importantly, they leave with something many young artists rarely have the opportunity to create: a body of work that reflects their own observations, ideas, and artistic decisions.
A Week in the Life of a Young Artist
Finding Inspiration Around Campus
Each day begins with observation and exploration. Children visit locations such as Peter's Pond, Boyden Farm, and the natural spaces surrounding SMS. During these outings, they sketch, gather inspiration, and learn to look at the landscape through an artist's eyes.
Rather than treating nature as a backdrop, children use it as the source material for everything they create throughout the week.
Creating in the Studio
After gathering inspiration outdoors, children return to the studio where they learn how artists turn observations into artwork. Guided by Maisie, a practicing artist and printmaker, they experiment with different materials and techniques while drawing inspiration from what they observed during their explorations. Visiting artists also join the studio to share their own creative processes and perspectives.
Throughout the week, children discover how a single observation can be explored in many different ways by working across watercolor painting, nature-inspired relief printmaking, hand-built ceramics, and layered mixed-media compositions. Guided demonstrations provide the skills needed to explore each medium, while open-ended projects encourage children to make creative decisions and develop their own artistic voice.
The Gallery Showcase
On Friday afternoon, the studio is transformed into a gallery exhibition. This is where children get to display their artwork, including their artist statements, and serve as guides to their own portfolios. They are able to articulate the inspiration behind each of their pieces and the creative decisions that shaped their work.
As families explore the gallery, they gain a deeper understanding of the finished artwork and the artistic process behind each piece they created. More importantly, they have the opportunity to see how their children have grown in confidence, skill, and artistic expression throughout the week.
An Expert-Led Week
Rather than simply teaching artistic techniques, Maisie and other guest artists help children understand how artists observe, experiment, and respond to the world around them. By learning alongside working artists, children see firsthand that there is no single way to create, helping them build confidence in their own artistic choices.
Why Montessori and Art Work So Well Together
The Montessori approach encourages children to make meaningful choices about their learning, making it a natural fit for artistic expression. Inside the studio, children decide how to respond to what they observed, which includes what colors to mix, forms to create, and how to develop their ideas across the different media offered to them. Older and younger students work alongside one another, sharing materials, exchanging ideas, and learning from each other's approaches while guides provide support without dictating the outcome. This balance of freedom and responsibility helps children build confidence while taking greater ownership of their work as they are encouraged to develop their own artistic voice.
Two Ways to Join Create Like an Artist This Summer
The Morning Studio experience runs from 8:30 AM–12:45 PM and includes daily observation walks, studio instruction, and portfolio development.
The Full Immersion program runs from 8:30 AM–3:00 PM and combines the complete Morning Studio experience with the afternoon Brain Lab session. Children spend the full day observing, creating, and experimenting while enjoying additional time to explore ideas, take creative risks, and work on extended projects.
Session Details and What's Included
Create Like an Artist runs from June 22–26, 2026. Children ages 7–14 are invited to participate. No prior art experience is required. Cohorts are intentionally kept small with a maximum of 15 students. All materials are provided, including sketchbooks, painting supplies, printmaking materials, mixed media materials, clay, and portfolio presentation materials. Each child leaves with a portfolio of original artwork, participates in the Friday afternoon studio exhibition, and receives their finished ceramic piece by mail within 10 days of the program's conclusion.
A Look Back: What We Saw at Create Like an Artist
This year's Create Like an Artist week has come and gone, and it was everything we hoped it would be.
One of the most meaningful moments happened right at the start. Maisie sat down with the students and helped each of them identify their own personal theme for the week - their unique lens for everything they would go on to create. From there, students explored that theme through printmaking, watercolor painting en plein air, clay work, and more. Every piece in their portfolio connected back to something they had chosen themselves.
On Friday, students labeled each piece of artwork with a title and their name, exactly the way you would see in a professional gallery. Parents were invited to walk through the exhibition, and what followed was genuinely special. Students stood beside their work and explained what inspired each piece, why they made the choices they did, and what the experience was like for them. It was clear that they weren't just proud of what they made - they understood it.
If you ask the students what their favorite part of the week was, the answer was unanimous: clay. There is something about working with your hands and shaping something from nothing that really captured them.
Up Next: Stitch, Dye, and Design - July 20–24
Maisie is back for our next art program, and this one is going to be just as creative and hands-on.
Stitch, Dye, and Design is designed for children who love making things with their hands. Rather than rushing from one craft to the next, students will move through the design process step by step - from experimenting with natural dyes and sketching ideas to learning hand-stitching techniques and transforming everyday materials into something uniquely their own. Students will upcycle clothing, explore natural dyeing, and create original pieces that they can actually wear and use. Maisie is already excited to see what this group brings to the studio.
Sessions run July 20–24, 2026.
Register for Stitch, Dye, and Design or explore our full lineup of summer programs at Sandwich Montessori School.
