Gallery education officer Debbie Moar said two of the workshops were based on photography and solar prints to coincide with the gallery’s Through A Lens exhibition.

She said students were taught some of the basic science of photography.

‘‘With solar prints, sun-sensitive paper reacts to sunlight and behaves like photographic paper does in a dark room with chemicals,’’ she said.

‘‘You place objects on top of it to create shapes and shadows.’’

Children aged five to 11 made solar prints with frames, while children aged between 10 and 13 made artist books featuring solar prints, drawings, text and collage.

Ms Moar said Thursday’s workshop was based on the National Gallery of Victoria’s Express Yourself! exhibition by Australian fashion designers Romance Was Born.

‘‘We had a fashion design room and they made capes and accessories to become different characters with necklaces and different crowns and frills,’’ she said.

Ms Moar said the gallery’s workshops were a fantastic way for children to socialise outside of school.

The gallery also delivered the Express Yourself! workshop to 32 children in the Wimmera Uniting Care holiday care program.