Tours
• Sawmill History Wing: Students are guided on a tour about the history of East Texas sawmills and daily life in a mill town. They can hold artifacts from sawmills while on the tour.

• Outside Train Exhibit: Students are guided on a tour of the outdoor exhibits, which includes the depot, train, and caboose. They can ring the bell on the train and look inside the caboose.

• Papermill Room: Students are guided on a tour about the history of Southland papermill and how it was important to Lufkin and East Texas. They will also learn tree products.


Crafts
• Build A Bug: Students learn the difference between a spider and insect. They then make their own bug with paper shapes.

• Coffee Filter Butterfly: Students create a butterfly by coloring a coffee filter with this fun craft.


Games
• Exploring Tree: Students learn about tree rings and what they can tell us. They also play a game to learn about what a tree needs to live, grow, and be healthy.

• Forestry Professions: A staff member leads the students through a card search game. During the game, students learn about forestry professions, the skills needed for those professions, and the people who work in those positions.

• Water Cycle Game: Students travel through the water cycle as water molecules in this game. They learn the various steps of the water cycle and the various paths water can take.

• Wildlife Bingo: Students play bingo while learning fun facts about Texas animals.


Inside Activities
• Bird Beak Buffet: Students use several tools that emulate birds’ beaks to pick up food. The students have to figure out which tool represents which bird’s beak and match it on a worksheet.

• Black Bear: Students learn about Black Bears, their habitat, characteristics, the food they eat, and more!

• East Texas Animals & Their Habitats: Students learn what an animal’s habitat includes and discuss some East Texas habitats. They also can touch East Texas animal hides.

• Gift Shop: Students can shop in the museum’s Company Store gift shop.

• Sawmill Doctor “Then & Now:” Students learn how people and doctors dealt with medical conditions such as burns, fevers, coughs, cuts, etc. in sawmill towns. They also learn about the spread of diseases with an activity involving the students washing their hands.

• Sawmill Town Trunk: Students learn how people lived in sawmill towns. They can touch objects that were used in sawmill towns.

• Starburst (STEM Activity): Students learn about potential and kinetic energy by creating a popsicle stick starburst.


Outdoor Activities
• Nature Hike/Hiking Guidelines: Students go on a short nature hike on the museum’s trail. Students and museum staff will discuss safe hiking guidelines.

• Nature Playscape: Students play outside with the Nature Playscape elements like the Rainbow Steppingstones, Balance Beam, Weaving Wall, Gaga Pit, and Lawn Games.

• Nature Scavenger Hunt: Students search for certain natural objects outside on the museum’s trail.

• Tree Identification: Students learn to identify six trees and they create a journal about the trees such as its common name, human uses for the tree, and wildlife uses for the tree.