Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

Experience Engage Enable

Telephone02 9816 1298

Emailfieldofmar-e.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Nocturnal incursion program

Nocturnal
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Teacher checklist

Location

Your school
Risk management plan
Cost

2025 DoE $18 per student - GST free

2025 Non-gov school $20 per student - GST free, minimum charge $750

Schools are to confirm the number of students and classes at least 7 days prior to attending. Schools will be charged based on the number of students confirmed or number of students who attend on the day (whichever is greater). 
Bring

Students wear reusable name tag.
Medical or special needs

Notify Field of Mars staff prior to incursion. 

Students, staff and visitors must not attend if unwell, even with mild symptoms. 
Cancellations

Cancellations with less than 30 working school days notice will incur a $600 administration fee. 

Cancellations with less than 7 working school days notice will incur the full cost for the program based on the original booking. 

Cancellations due to weather or fire danger are exempt from fees. 
Class numbers

1 class per session.

Maximum 3 sessions per day.

If more than one day is required for your school, bookings should be made on consecutive days. 

Suggested timetable for up to three classes

Time

Class
9.30 - 11.00

Class A
11.30 - 1.00

Class B
1.30 - 3.00

Class C

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Nocturnal incursion

Science and technology

Program

Immersed into a nightscape, students will engage with stories, sounds and a guided discovery of their school grounds to learn about nocturnal animals, their features, behaviours and habitat needs. 

Learning intentions

We are learning to identify the needs of nocturnal animals.

We are learning to describe how the environment provides for the needs of animals.

Activities

Students will commence this hands-on incursion immersed in a simulated nocturnal landscape. They will then engage with stories and sounds and meet stick insects, bush cockroaches and centipedes – food for some of our nocturnal animals. 

In the role of place detectives, students explore their school grounds looking for nocturnal animal evidence and the food they prey upon. Investigating the needs of living things, students identify animal habitat features and in groups create a model of a bug friendly garden. Mulch, leaves, branches and water sprays will be provided.

Groups will be given small toy invertebrates, a tawny frogmouth hand puppet and torches to re-enact a night-time adventure.

Students finish with a night-time body percussion and chorus.

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Syllabus outcomes and content

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024) 

Observations and questions spark curiosity

Outcomes

  • Identifies and describes characteristics of living things, properties of materials, and movement STE-SCI-01 
  • Poses questions based on observations to collect data STE-PQU-01 

Content

Living things have characteristics that help them survive in their environment

  • Identify and use tools to aid and extend sensory observations

  • Describe how living things get air, water and energy to survive in their environment

  • Recognise that plants produce their own food, and animals need to find their food
  • Examine animal bodies, their body coverings, and how and what they eat
  • Observe and group animals based on their characteristics and justify the grouping

Living things and objects move in different ways

  • Observe, describe and categorise the ways in which living things move

Observations and questions initiate design and digital solutions

Outcome

  • Identifies and uses technologies to make products to address user needs or opportunities STE-DDT-01 

Content

Understanding user needs inspires design and digital solutions

  • Examine designed structures that animals build to help them survive in their environment

Other syllabus links

Learning experiences will also support but not explicitly teach the following outcomes:

English K-10 Syllabus (2022)

Outcomes

  • Understands and effectively uses Tier 1 words and Tier 2 words in familiar contexts ENE-VOCAB-01
  • Understands and responds to literature read to them ENE-UARL-01

Science and Technology 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

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

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2017) 

Living world

Outcome

  • Explores the characteristics, needs and uses of living things STe-3LW-ST

Earth and Space

  • identifies how daily and seasonal changes in the environment affect humans and other living things STe-6ES-S

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2017

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Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

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We’d like to acknowledge the Wallumedegal Peoples of the Darug Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we stand and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

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