Secondary Science excursions and incursions | Stages 4–6 | Field of Mars EEC

Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre delivers curriculum-aligned secondary science excursions and incursions for Stages 4 and 6.

Led by qualified NSW Department of Education teachers, programs use bushland, school grounds and local environments to develop Working Scientifically skills, ecological fieldwork, data collection, analysis and evidence-based explanations.

Programs support Science 7–10, Biology and Earth and Environmental Science, including investigations into classification, adaptations, ecosystems, Earth’s resources, human impacts and environmental management.

Jump to: Stage 4 | Stage 6 | Ready to visit

Support scientific investigations with fact sheets about plants, animals, habitats, ecosystems, adaptations, biodiversity and human impacts.

Stage 4 Science excursions and incursions

Fieldwork tools used to investigate classification and adaptations of plants and animals.

Classification and adaptations excursion

Stage 4 | Science

A Stage 4 Science excursion where students investigate classification, structural features and adaptations of native plants and animals using field observations and identification tools.

Possum and owl toys representing animal interactions in a forest ecosystem.

Ecosystems excursion

Stage 4 | Science

A Stage 4 Science excursion where students investigate a forest ecosystem, collect biotic and abiotic data, and explore food webs linked to powerful owl habitat.

Aboriginal tools used to investigate forces, motion and simple machines.

Forces incursion

Stage 4 | Science

A Stage 4 Science incursion where students investigate forces, simple machines and Aboriginal technologies through hands-on experiments and practical design tasks.

Stage 6 Science excursions and incursions

Ecosystem dynamics excursion | 2017 syllabus

Stage 6 | Biology

A Stage 6 Biology fieldwork case study where students investigate habitat suitability for long-nosed bandicoots by collecting abiotic, biotic and human-impact data.

This program will retire in 2026 to be replaced with a new version for the 2025 syllabus.

Fieldwork equipment on sandstone, including a compass, anemometer and lizard model.

Ecosystem dynamics excursion | 2025 syllabus

Stage 6 | Biology

A Stage 6 Biology fieldwork investigation where students explore why lace monitors occur in some bushland ecosystems and not others by collecting habitat suitability data.

This is a draft program for the 2025 syllabus.

Earth's resources excursion

Stage 6 | Earth and Environmental Science

A Stage 6 Earth and Environmental Science excursion where students investigate Hawkesbury Sandstone landscapes, geology, soils, vegetation and human impacts using scientific fieldwork methods.

Fieldwork tools used to investigate human impacts and introduced species in natural areas.

Human impacts and introduced species excursion

Stage 6 | Earth and Environmental Science

A Stage 6 Earth and Environmental Science excursion where students compare sites, identify introduced species, measure ecosystem impacts and evaluate current management strategies.

Fieldwork tools used during an Earth’s resources and human impacts excursion.

Earth's resources and human impacts combined excursion

Stage 6 | Earth and Environmental Science

A combined Stage 6 Earth and Environmental Science excursion where students investigate geology, ecology, introduced species and human impacts in Hawkesbury Sandstone bushland.

Light meter, soil moisture meter, compass and transect line used for science fieldwork.

Science fieldwork incursion

Stage 6 | Biology

A Stage 6 Biology incursion where students collect ecological data at or near school using sampling techniques, water-quality testing and abiotic measurements.