High potential and gifted education programs

Our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) programs provide enrichment opportunities for primary students through creative, scientific and inquiry-based activities. These curriculum-aligned excursions and incursions extend student thinking, build digital and creative skills and offer authentic opportunities for problem-solving, leadership and environmental investigation. Each one-day workshop offers meaningful, challenging learning experiences that develop students’ intellectual, creative and social-emotional abilities.

HPGE workshops run on selected days throughout the year and are led by specialist Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre teachers and other subject experts.

Programs are held at Field of Mars Reserve in Sydney and do not require classroom teachers to attend.

HPGE programs are only available to NSW Department of Education schools.

An iPad displaying a butterfly that will be animated.

Animate

Creative arts

Stage 2 and 3

A digital animation enrichment workshop where students design and create short animated sequences inspired by nature and environmental themes, building skills in visual storytelling, sequencing and digital creativity.

Brushes and other tools that will be used to create an artwork.

Bush studio

Creative arts

Stage 2 and 3

An art studio experience using natural materials, drawing and mixed media to create detailed artworks based on local bushland, extending students’ observational, compositional and creative thinking skills.

An iPad featuring a macro photograph of a blue mushroom taken by a student.

Bush studio photography

Creative arts

Stage 2 and 3

A photography-focused enrichment day where students develop framing, composition and visual storytelling skills, using the bush as their subject and curating a portfolio of nature images.

An iPad featuring a movie editing app.

Cinematographer

English and creative arts

Stage 2 and 3

A filmmaking workshop where students plan, film and edit short films that combine narrative, visual techniques and environmental settings, extending their skills in scriptwriting, camera work and digital editing.

A beetle puppet in a ground cover habitat with a magnifying glass.

Entomologist

Science and technology

Stage 2 and 3

A science-focused program where students investigate invertebrates and their adaptations, collect field data and communicate scientific findings.

An insect that has been painted on a canvas by a student.

Invertebrate art

Creative arts

Stage 2 and 3

An art and design workshop that uses invertebrates as inspiration for detailed drawing, printmaking and/or digital artwork, encouraging close observation, pattern design and imaginative responses.

An animal skull on a rock being explored with an magnifying glass.

Mystery

Science and technology

Stage 2 and 3

A forensic-style investigation where students solve a wildlife mystery using field evidence, maps and secondary data, strengthening higher-order thinking, scientific inquiry and collaborative problem-solving.

A closeup photo of a blue tongue lizard on an iPad.

Wild shots

Creative arts

Stage 2 and 3

A digital photography enrichment day where students capture, edit and curate striking images of nature, developing both technical camera skills and creative visual storytelling.

iPad showing the Field of Mars EEC booking form.

Book now

Check dates and book an HPGE program now.

iPad showing a learning resource for students and teachers.

Learning resources

Find digital learning resources, social stories and excursion preparation materials.

Flora and fauna fact sheets

Read our animal, plant and habitat fact sheets for use in the classroom or at home.