Digital woodlands incursion | Stage 3 Creative Arts | Field of Mars EEC

Cost and details

Cost 2026	DoE $27 per student – GST free Non-gov $37 per student – GST free, min charge $750 per class
Risk assessment	Risk management plan
Classes	Recommended maximum 4 classes per day.
School preparation	This is a full day program. Schools provide one extra large learning space, with a screen or projector, for all participating classes for the duration of the day. The space needs to accommodate all classes. If using local bushland or natural areas outside of your school, ensure all class teachers have visited the site and are familiar with the route from your school to it. If leaving school grounds, ensure teacher to student ratio of 1:15.
Welfare	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 fee	Less than 30 working school days – $600 Less than 7 working school days notice – full cost Weather or fire danger cancellation – $0

Activities

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

Introduction

Students begin a curated slideshow of powerful nature photographs. Through guided discussion, students reflect on how images can tell stories, influence people and support conservation.

Students explore key photographic techniques used in nature photography, including subject focus, macro, light, leading lines, framing and rule of thirds. Using examples, students practise identifying how each technique influences mood, balance and visual impact.

Field photography

Working in pairs, students photograph natural features in your school or local area while applying the techniques introduced in class. Students practise safe fieldwork behaviours, experiment with angles and perspectives, and explain the compositional choices made for each image.

Students extend their skills through optional creative challenges such as forced perspective, natural alphabet, patterns and purposeful loose parts compositions. These tasks encourage experimentation, problem solving and refined observation of natural details.

Photo finish

Students use clear selection criteria to shortlist and justify their strongest images, then enhance photos using editing tools. They will also select a photo to be printed. Printed images and frames will be delivered to school after the incursion.

Students collaborate to create a digital photo book in Book Creator that showcases images representing each photographic technique as a chapter. Students design a cover page, sequence images for audience impact and share their finished book with teachers, reflecting on how their photography improved across the day.

Photo gallery

Time permitting, students view a slide show of the day's best photographs and discuss the features and techniques used.

Suggested timetable

Time	Activities
Session 1	Introduction Field photography
Recess
Session 2	Field photography Publishing
Lunch
Session 3	Publishing continued

Please include your school's bell times in the notes section of your booking form.

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

technique, intention, evaluate, refine, publish, critique, represent, composition, rule of thirds, macro, leading lines, framing, perspective, exposure

Syllabus outcomes and content

Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus (2024)

Visual Arts

Outcome

• Makes artworks in intentional ways to represent ideas about their world, and explains ways artists are influenced by contexts and how artworks are interpreted by audiences CA3-VIS-01

Content

Making: Artists represent their world in intentional ways through their artmaking practice

• Represent ideas or prespectives of their world and intentions in own artmaking and practice
• Apply understanding of materials, digital technologies and processes to represent intended ideas in artworks
• Explore artistic conventions and ways to represent subject matter and ideas in compositions
• Demonstrate safe artmaking practices with respect for physical, social, digital and cultural safety

Exhibiting: Artworks are displayed and curated to communicate intentional ideas to audiences

• Reflect on personal experiences and contributions as an artist, explaining how choices and decisions influenced the artwork and the ways it is understood by audiences

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