The art of wellbeing excursion | Stage 2 Creative Arts and PDHPE | Field of Mars EEC

Cost, risk assessment and details

Cost	DoE $27 per student – GST free Non-gov $37 per student – GST free, min charge $750 per class Term 1 – Non-gov weeks 3 to 5 cost = DoE cost – GST free, min charge $750
Classes	Recommended maximum 4 classes with up to 30 students per class.
Risk assessment	Field of Mars Reserve risk assessment - main location
Bring	Sports uniform, backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes, reusable name tag.
View	Preparing for your excursion
Welfare	Rugged bushwalking, limited wheelchair accessibility. May not suit recently unwell participants. For medical or special needs notify staff prior to program.
Extreme or wet weather	Program may be modified, postponed or cancelled due to predicted extreme temperatures, bush fire danger, heavy rainfall, high winds or dust storms.
Booking policy	Confirm student numbers and classes 7 days in advance.
Cancellation and rescheduling	Cancellation or rescheduling with less than 30 school days’ notice before the booking date – $650 Cancellation with less than 14 school days’ notice before the booking date – full program cost Cancellation due to unsafe weather or fire danger – $0

Activities

Activities may vary depending on student needs, timing and weather.

Wellbeing walks

There is a growing body of evidence that shows that spending time in nature contributes to our sense of wellbeing. Japanese Forest Bathing is a wellness practice that involves mindfulness in nature as a way of promoting mental wellbeing and reducing stress. Noticing and slowing down helps promote a sense of calm. Students will learn a variety of mindfulness techniques, providing them with practical tools for maintaining their personal wellbeing back in their own school setting.

Students practise mindfulness through a sit spot or guided listening activity, noticing and recording natural and human-made sounds. Students reflect on how slowing down in nature can shift mood and support emotional regulation.

Students use mini magnifiers to investigate small details in the environment and search for something that creates a sense of awe and wonder. Students record wow findings through quick sketches or notes, linking close observation to wellbeing and engagement.

Creative walks

Students explore elements of art in the field by investigating colours and textures found in nature. Students experiment with techniques such as sandstone pigment rubs, frottage leaf or bark rubbings and a realistic leaf watercolour study to represent subject matter accurately.

Students create an artwork inspired by natural patterns using ephemeral nature mandalas, collage and/or plant-printing back at the centre. The program concludes with a brief gratitude practice, where students identify one aspect of nature they feel thankful for and record it in their journal as a take-away wellbeing strategy.

Explore related fact sheets

Use these student-friendly fact sheets before or after your Art of wellbeing excursion to support nature connection, art making, observation and wellbeing activities.

• ⁠Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Explore the bushland environment where students practise mindfulness, observation and nature-inspired art making.
• ⁠Eucalypt forest ecosystem fact sheet – Learn about gum-tree forests with trees, shrubs, leaf litter, animals and connected food webs.
• ⁠Habitat fact sheet – Learn how food, water, shelter and space help living things survive.
• ⁠Tree habitats fact sheet – Discover how trees provide patterns, textures, colours, shelter and habitat for wildlife.
• ⁠Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – Explore fallen leaves, bark and twigs that create texture-rich habitats for small animals.
• ⁠Plant fact sheets – Explore native plants that can inspire colour, texture, shape and pattern in artworks.

Suggested timetable

Time	Classes A, B	Classes C, D
9.45 - 10.30	Introduction, recess and toilets	Introduction, recess and toilets
10.30 - 12.00	Boardwalk art making and wellbeing activities	Bushwalk wellbeing activities and art making
12.00 - 12.30	Lunch and toilets	Lunch and toilets
12.30 - 2.00	Bushwalk wellbeing activities and art making	Boardwalk art making and wellbeing activities
2.00 - 2.15	Pack up, toilets and depart	Pack up, toilets and depart

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

wellbeing, mindfulness, gratitude, connection, technique, reflect, experiment, line, shape, form, texture, collage, hapa zome, nervous system, subject matter

Syllabus outcomes and content

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education K-10 syllabus (2024)

Identity, health and wellbeing

Outcomes

• Explains how related factors influence identity, health and wellbeing PH2-IHW-01

Decisions and actions promote health and wellbeing

Content

• Engage in and propose ways to increase opportunities for outdoor activities and explain the benefits to learning and wellbeing

Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus (2024)

Visual arts

Outcome

• Makes artworks using art forms to represent subject matter and ideas, and describes ways artists convey ideas about their world to audiences through artworks CA2-VIS-01

Making: Artists represent their world through subject matter and ideas in artworks

• Represent subject matter and ideas in artworks, making choices based on own interpretations of the world
• Use drawing materials and techniques to create effects with texture and tone to represent subject matter and ideas

Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024