MARION Hayes believes young children are capable of much more than what society gives them credit for.

It's a belief she holds dearly - and it underpins her work as director of Telina's Rainbow Valley Early Learning Centre.

A group of children enrolled at the centre will soon have the chance to show the world just what they can do, with an art gallery exhibition at Tondoon Botanic Gardens dedicated solely to the work they have produced over the past year.

The children have been collaborating with Gladstone artist Tracey Smith to produce work in a wide variety of media, from sketches, paintings and storyboards to sculpture and computer animation.

Ms Hayes said the project was inspired by education theorist Ann Pelo's book The Goodness of Rain, in which the author went for a walk with a child every day, allowing her to notice changes in behaviour and helping the child to develop mindfulness and a connection to nature.

Ms Hayes organised groups of six to eight children to go walking through the Tondoon Botanic Gardens, accompanied by a pair of adults.

The adults took note of what the children noticed, then built the art project around those key themes and observations.

"What we noticed was the children are really connected to the imaginary world over there," she said.

That means the exhibit will feature, in amongst photos and paintings of bush turkeys and wildlife, vivid depictions of trolls and monsters.

Creative Children Connecting to Nature will be open to the public at Tondoon Botanic Gardens from September 8 until the end of the month.