Calling all curious kids!
Our Term 2 Art Club is Now Live! ✏️✂️🤟
Banana on Cadets is back for Term 2 with a brand-new round of creative classes designed to explore art in fun, messy, and unexpected ways.
Our launch sessions of Crafty Critters were a huge hit—and we’re excited to keep that creative spark glowing with a 9-week program starting soon.
✨ Small group sessions – Max. 6 participants
🎨 Playful, analogue art activities
🧠 Confidence-building and imagination-boosting fun
🗓 Term 2 bookings are now open – spaces are limited to 6 kids per group, so get in quick!
About the Founder
Hi, I’m Benjamin Allder—illustrator, maker, and father. I started ‘Art Club’ as a weekend activity with my two boys (now aged 12 and 9). Over time, it’s grown into a passionate mission to share the benefits of creativity, foster well-being, and strengthen the sense of community that comes from creating/drawing/painting together.
As a mental health advocate, I deeply value nurturing creativity as a tool for self-expression and connection. Beyond encouraging kids to explore art, I also see this as an opportunity to provide positive male role modelling and, crucially, a break from the constant pull of screens.
As W.E.B. Du Bois said:
“Children learn more from who you are than what you teach.”
Or, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Experts like Maggie Dent and Stephen Biddulph highlight the importance positive male role models play in shaping a child’s development. Through this art club, I hope to be that creative “lighthouse,” offering guidance, support, and a sense of security. This helps children understand and embrace healthy masculinity, fostering positive values and behaviours essential for the next generation.
Embracing Mistakes and Learning
A child’s imagination is a limitless playground, especially in their younger years when creativity knows no bounds. Art provides a space to experiment, express, and create freely—without fear of failure. Sadly, as kids grow older, many become self-conscious about “mistakes,” feel pressured to conform to peer expectations, or struggle with technical skills that inhibit their creativity.
I’ve often found inspiration in my own kids’ sketchbooks. This unfiltered imagination and unique perspective remind me that art is about self-expression, not perfection.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
– Pablo Picasso
At the Banana on Cadets art club, I aim to:
• Facilitate loosely structured creative play.
• Set no hard rules in making art.
• Reframe “mistakes” as happy accidents.
• Remove technical skill barriers.
• Embrace ‘fanning out’
• Encourage kids to explore, take risks,
and colour outside the lines.
• Encourage recycling and reuse
These principles help build creative confidence while fostering flexibility, inclusivity, and collaborative problem-solving.
Building a Creative Community
I’m excited to grow Banana on Cadets into a space where young artists and those young at heart can experiment, share ideas, and develop their creative voices. Together, we can nurture a generation of confident, imaginative thinkers ready to make their mark on the world.
“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”
– Neil Gaiman
