Mississippi College art/graphic design major Laura Thompson is putting her talents to use.

The college student taught her first children’s art class in Vicksburg at First Baptist Church Thursday afternoon.

“My mom (Liesl Thompson) is the children’s minister,” she said. “I used to do this when I lived in New Orleans for our homeschool group, but I haven’t done it in a while.”

It’s a chance for the children to come in and have some fun, Thompson said.

“They come in, and we have all the supplies here for them,” she said. “I show them what we’re going to paint and explain it to them — then we paint.”

Thompson said each child is different, and all the products come out a little different.

While the paint is drying, Thompson and her mother play games and feed the children snacks.

Continuing with the art theme, some of the games the children play include a drawing game on the white board, Thompson said.

“We do this because it’s fun and lets them interact with us and interact with each other,” she said.

“Everybody likes to paint stuff, and it’s fun to paint stuff with your friends.”

Thompson said the message of the program is that everyone can love each other.

“They can come to church and have fun too,” she said. “It’s not strict, but it’s fun and interactive. They can have fun together. It’s not a scary place; it’s a happy place.”

The children painted a field with flowers, Thompson said.

“We’re not using conventional methods this time,” she said. “We’re using toothbrushes and foam brushes and Q-Tips and salt. We’re just playing around with it and having fun with it.”

Thompson said she plans to offer more art classes.

“We’ve already talked about doing one during Thanksgiving and Christmas,” she said. “We’ve talked about doing adult ones too. We just love this.”

Ella Kate Boone, 7, the daughter of Amanda and Jonathan Boone, was one of the students in Thompson’s art class.

“I actually went to an art class at Art At Heart, so I really like it here,” she said. “I think it’s really fun.”

Thompson said the class is something she would like to attend again.

“I like when we had snacks, I liked when we painted and I liked when we drew on the board,” she said.