Pupils learn science and te ao M¯aori through art

A Feilding school is using art to teach pupils about science and their connections to people and places.

All 345 pupils at North Street School had a piece of their artwork displayed at an auction last week, with parents and members of the community placing bids over two days.

Year 3 and 4 teacher Kasia Jeric said what the children came up with was amazing.

‘‘What they made is beautiful, but there is so much learning that goes behind it.’’

Parents got first choice on the creations, regardless of the offer. Deputy principal Bridget Pound said the total profit, which would go towards games for pupils to play indoors during poor weather, was still being counted but estimated it to be about $1000.

Each class did something different: Jeric’s class studied about the Southern Lights, Aurora Australis, and created a small statue to represent it.

She said pupils found it fascinating how the lights worked, being electrically-charged particles from solar winds reacting to Earth’s atmospheric gases.

Many people didn’t know outer space had weather, she said.

Jackson Moka-Edwards, 7, made his Aurora Australis green because it was his favourite colour. The glitter represented the particles.

He was too shy to speak to Stuff in person, but explained what he learned in a prerecorded video.

Ruby Ferrier, 11, was working at the front desk at the exhibition. In between adding up bids, she explained how her class did art based on her pepeha, which was a way to introduce yourself by sharing your connection to people and places important to you.

‘‘The koru represents my koro (granddad), and how strong he is. The sunset represents the sunset on Papatū ā nuku (Mother Earth) . . . the black represents the black sky and my tū puna (ancestors),’’ she said.

Some parents had placed bids as high as $50 for artwork, but she hoped there were no bids on hers . ‘‘I want to take it home.’’

Nopera Stewart is a teacher at the school and parent. He was proud of his daughter Te Wairakau’s creativity, which he said was in her whakapapa. ‘‘Our ancestor is

Hı¯ngā ngā ora. He was a master carver, and some stories say the knowledge of wood carving came from him and was shared.’’