Hannah, 7, loves them all so much she incorporated them into an artwork for the Kaikorai Primary School Art Exhibition.
Teacher Imogen Young said the prompt for the pupils was ‘‘how can we, as artists, create meaningful artworks to share with our school and community that reflect our stories and what makes us unique?’’.
Every pupil had produced at least one piece of art for the exhibition.
‘‘All the kids have taken such ownership of their work — it's very student-led, which is what project-based learning is all about.’’
Hannah decided to draw things she loved in different boxes.
‘‘I drew my dad, because I love my dad and I drew a crocodile, because I like crocodiles and a pineapple because it is my favourite fruit.’’
She also drew the number seven to represent her age, a star because she liked how they shine, a Christian cross for her faith and the New Zealand flag.
Year 6 pupil Flynn Jones said he decided to make an ink print of a taniwha to represent his Māori heritage.
He made his piece by sketching and scraping a design on a piece of foam and then wrote the word ‘‘Taniwha’’ backwards, which he said was ‘‘pretty hard’’ to do.
‘‘I chose to do the taniwha because my culture is Māori and a poutama represents strength and stairways to a better life — and the other pattern, a mangōpare, equals to life and growth and the earth.
‘‘That’s why I chose the taniwha.’’
His parents were yet to see his art, but they would be coming in to view it today.
Flynn said he had kept everything about the artwork a ‘‘surprise’’ for his parents.
Year 2 pupil Penelope Lawrence-Strange, 6, said she had made clay figurines of herself and her family, based on a photo they had all taken together in Bahrain.
‘‘It’s got me, my brother and my mum and my dad and we’re standing under the night sky.’’
Penelope said she had lots of fun making the piece and learning how to ensure her clay pieces were the right size to fit the space and that each one was recognisable.
