The group is fascinated by the creative clutter in a reconstruction of the Scottish sculptor and printmaker’s living and working space in London. They are shown the studio by sculptor Duncan Robertson, a collage artist and a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art who studied under Paolozzi in Munich.

“When I first went into this studio, which has been made here exactly the way it was in London,” he tells the children, “I could smell fine Italian cheeses from behind that pile of newspapers over there. That’s where he ate.

“And look at all the things, broken toys, old magazines, anything he liked, to put into his work.”

The children see some maquettes. “He would play around with things to see what he could make. He might try something, move bits around,” Robertson explains. Questions from the children bring other snippets of insider information.

Lisa Kapur, senior education officer with the National Galleries of Scotland, is in no doubt of the importance of practising artists to children’s workshops.

“All the classes engage with the gallery’s collection and are led by the artist.

“The fact that the artist has freedom sometimes confounds the expectation of the parents. Practical work might concentrate on making a book rather than colour mixing and brushstrokes. In this case, the children can see how a sculpture is built up.”

However, any hopes of chipping away at a block of stone remain unfulfilled at this workshop, With Robertson are Mary Kilpatrick, of the gallery’s staff, and Sam Fraser, an artist who works with all the groups.

The children go upstairs to the colourful classroom. Pictures and photographs bear witness to what a busy place this is. Glass-fronted cabinets have shelves of plaster heads and feet, interesting objects and work in progress.

At a long table, materials are enthusiastically selected from a tempting array of bric-a-brac, exotic dried leaves, old toys and containers, pink satin roses and dangly earrings.

A boy, in the manner of Paolozzi, constructs a strong, robot-like figure in predominantly dark colours.

This is the second in a series of four sculpture techniques workshops for younger children. In the afternoon it is the turn of eight to 11-year-olds. The Saturday Art Club runs in four week blocks and is part of a rolling programme of educational activities.

Ms Kapur is conscious of trying to bring in children who might not otherwise come along. “We want to broaden the audience. It’s a challenge to get people to see us as a family friendly venue, especially if they don’t already come to the galleries,” she says.

The family programme runs in parallel with adult, schools, community and outreach programmes. “Hopefully these will all feed into each other, in the longer term bringing in a wider audience,” she says.

Saturday Art Club, pound;20 a child (pound;10 concessions) for four two-hour sessions. National Galleries of Scotland education department, tel 0131 624 6410. www.nationalgalleries.org