Natural numbers excursion

Program overview

Natural numbers is a Stage 4–5 Mathematics fieldwork excursion in Lane Cove National Park where students apply Working Mathematically skills through hands-on environmental problem solving. Schools select from challenge activities that use field measurements, mapping and data collection (for example, estimating distances, heights and river width) to build fluency, reasoning and communication in an authentic context.

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Essential information

Cost and details


Cost 2026	DoE school $27 per student – GST free Non-gov school $37 per student – GST free, minimum charge $750 per class
Classes	Maximum 4 classes with up to 30 students per class.
Risk assessment	See location tile below.
Activities	Activities may change to suit student needs, the selected site and weather conditions.
Bring	View Preparing for your excursion. Bring worksheet, writing equipment, clipboard, medications, low-waste food, water bottles, sunblock, hat and raincoat in a backpack. Sports uniform recommended.
Welfare	Rugged bushwalking, not wheelchair accessible. 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

Schools have the option of selecting from a range of challenge activities. Each activity targets the Working Mathematically skills of communicating, problem solving, reasoning, understanding and fluency. Syllabus content areas addressed include number plane, measurement, decimals, scale, length, area, time, equations, data collection and representation, statistics, properties of triangles, ratios and trigonometry.

Activities can include:

Cartography of the Buffalo Creek Reserve and boardwalk using a compass and measuring equipment
A navigation challenge using a compass and measuring equipment
Estimating the width of the Lane Cove River using a compass, measuring equipment and markers
Estimating the height of canopy trees using a clinometer and tape measure
Estimating the abundance of native fauna using quadrats
Recording a video-blog on an iPad using Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary to explain problem-solving strategies used throughout the day

Worksheet and student resources

Worksheet

Schools are responsible for printing student worksheets.

Suggested timetable


Time	Activities
9.45 - 10.00	Introduction Toilets and recess
10.00 - 11.00	Fieldwork activity 1
11.00 - 12.00	Fieldwork activity 2
12.00 - 12.30	Lunch and toilets
12.30 - 1.30	Fieldwork activity 3
1.30 - 2.00	Communicating mathematically
2.15	Conclusion and depart

Syllabus outcomes and content

Mathematics K-10 Syllabus (2022)

Outcome:
MAO-WM-01 Working mathematically

develops understanding and fluency in mathematics through exploring and connecting mathematical concepts, choosing and applying mathematical techniques to solve problems, and communicating their thinking and reasoning coherently and clearly

Mathematics K-10 Syllabus (2022) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2022