Is a picture a pattern?

So we are back into the swing of things here in Canberra, Australia. 

And I wanted to push on with the spatial reasoning and pattern making. Once again, it was going to be pattern making first up each morning.

Day 1 of making patterns and my new class surprised me. I put out a variety of materials - pattern blocks, Cuisenaire rods and tangram shapes - to see what they would produce.

And I could not believe how many of them produced pictures - symmetrical undoubtedly - but pictures just the same. So were they making patterns? Is a symmetrical picture a pattern? 

Rocket ships:

Monsters and funny faces:

Puppy dog:

So - nice pictures. Were they patterns? 

I'll leave that one with you.