Craft your own flowers to say ‘thanks’

Be inspired by all the flowers in the Te Papa collections and get crafty. Draw, paint, print, sculpt, embroider, or stitch. We have all worked hard to look after each other in our bubbles and around the country. It’s a good time to let people know how much you appreciate them, whether it is for birthdays or weddings, or just because you care.

Education type

Whānau challenge

Inspiration

Collections Online

There are so many items with flowers in the collection – from art to textiles, Pasifika, mātauranga Māori, and science! Be inspired by these below or browse for more on Collections Online

Painting of pink flowers sitting on green leaves in a brown pond

Rita Angus, Waterlilies, 1950, watercolour. Te Papa (1998-0028-7)

Painting of white flowers spreading out from a green stem

Sarah Featon The mountain lily, about 1885, watercolour. Te Papa (1992-0035-2277/73)

A brown tweed waistcoat on an armless mannequin with embroidered flowers on the front panels.

Waistcoat, about 1780, France, maker unknown. Bequest of Mrs Alec Tweedie, 1946. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (PC000042)

Glass dome case with bouquet of fake flowers sitting in a green vase.

Mary Hannah Tyer, Artificial flowers, 1885, Wellington. Bequest of Mrs Mary H. Quin, 1956. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (PC000268)

Brightly coloured pacific flowers arranged in a symmetrical pattern on a white background

Blossoms of the new beginning tīvaevae manu, Vaine Ngaro, 2000. Te Papa (FE011604/1)

Two blue flowers surrounded by green vine and a beige background.

Shodo Kawarazaki, Morning glories about 1951, Kyoto. Te Papa (2016-0008-20)

Watch a video on how to upcycle your plastics into flowers

Other resources

Get inspired by flower colours like Nike Savvas, who created Finale: Bouquet
Use the sliders to reveal inspiration from the colours.

Sarah Featon’s love of New Zealand flowers.

Stop motion plants

Can you make a stop motion of a plant growing? There’s an example in the video below.

Introduction to stop motion – English
Introduction to stop motion – te reo Māori

Three kids make a rainbow from toys and other household items

Whānau challenges

Try some creative challenges at home with your whānau. Each challenge is connected to Te Papa’s collections or expertise.

A little boy copies an artwork in a Minecraft game

Make a 3D version of an abstract 2D artwork

Early childhood, Primary

Choose an artwork from the collections and try and replicate it in 3D – you can use everyday objects and materials at home, or make it on the computer.

Whānau challenge

A small child draw a bird copied from a picture on a computer

Create an image of your favourite manu (bird)

Early childhood, Primary

Birds are an iconic part of Aotearoa. What's your favourite bird from New Zealand? It can be extinct or living.

Whānau challenge