On a sunny Saturday morning, new students enter an art class in the Visual Arts Building, oozing confidence and a motivation to learn.

But unlike most Penn State students who frequent the building, often in need of coffee or Gatorade at 9 a.m., these young Saturday morning students are escorted by their mothers. A few moments later, as their mothers wave goodbye, the eager learners are already engaged and ready to express themselves through art.

The goal of the class is to teach students about their cultural identities through different methods of communication. It is just one of many art classes offered by Penn State's Art Education Program for students in preschool through eighth grade.

"We convert the college rooms to kid-friendly environments [that] contribute to learning," Christine Thompson, head of the Saturday art class program, said. "Many large universities have similar programs."

Thompson said the curriculum has existed since the 1960s and was brought back in 2002. It is now in its fourth year.

The classes are taught by advanced art education students, along with art education faculty and graduate teaching assistants. The students participate in the program during their last semesters before student teaching.

Mellissa Modico (senior-art education) is one of three teachers who runs the preschool class called "Sensory Overload: Exploring the Five Senses" in the Patterson Building. The class lets students dive into action with painting, book making and creating edible paint. The group will also take a trip to the Palmer Museum of Art. Since the class consists of only five students, they receive ample amounts of attention.

"The one-on-one basis is nice," Modico said. "Our support is great."

As middle-schoolers await the beginning of the "Exploring Cultural Identity" class in the Visual Arts Building, they warm up their skills in their sketchbooks. They write things like "Saturday art classes are fun!" and "My first day of Saturday art classes was sooo fun." Their creativity shines through as they write out these thoughts with designs on their papers.

"[The warm-up activities] help students learn what they're interested in," Thompson said.

These art classes offer something different than those in regular schools do. Cindy Evcic of Bellefonte has three children, one who has actively participated in the program for about three years. "It's a broader experience than a school environment," Evcic said. "The classes are smaller, there are more teachers and ample materials. It's so stress-free; [the kids] wear their play clothes and just get into it for two hours."

Evcic also pointed out that having young teachers allows the students to learn newer ideas, creating a different experience than they receive in school.

"[The class] is conceptual," Suzanne Wittman (senior-art), who teaches "Exploring Cultural Identity," said. "It gets them to think about art as a means of expression rather than a skill that you have to improve and perfect."

Held from 9 to 11 a.m., the classes include abstract art, photography, performance art, animation, comics and art using shadows. The classes started Sept. 24 and run to Dec. 3, when the students' work will be showcased. Registration is $65 per student, and the classes take place in the Patterson Building, the Visual Arts Building and the Arts Cottage on campus.