A COLOURFUL creation from Kangarilla Primary School has come out on top in a national competition.
The school has won the nation-wide Picasso Cows competition, held by Dairy Australia.
School principal Donna Lang said the students had so much fun the past two years in the local competition, they decided to try national.
"We had so much fun the two previous times, and the students learnt so much," she said.
"We're a really small school of three classes but we're really aiming for the top."
As a result of the win, the school has received a $2500 grant from Dairy Australia.
The Picasso competition had two elements; decorating a lifesize, fibreglass cow, and keeping a learning journal.
Ms Lang said the entire student population, of about 40, had input into the final design.
"It was a whole school experience, from reception through to year 7," she said.
"We tried to get every student to do something."
The students all did their own design on paper, with the final product picked from components that fitted together.
The result was not just paint but a three-dimensional effect.
Ms Lang said they students picked a theme of 'From farm to plate', while the cow sat on a plate and had a model farm on its back.
To learn more about the dairy industry students also visited a local dairy farm to see the cows milked, and learnt how to make their own butter.
"There was a lot of learning about the industry," Ms Lang said.
As a final, social aspect, the students raised money, through a dress up day, and stalls selling hot milo and cupcakes.
They had intended to use this money to buy a charity cow through Oxfam to donate to a farmer in a developing nation, however cows are no longer available so instead they donated farm equipment.
The cow now sits in the reception area of the school, but is occasionally lead out for public appearances.