Axe ’Em, Jacks!
SFA Gardens offers educational programs for students that are designed to get them outside, encouraging curiosity about the natural world around them. Whether you are a public or private school teacher, homeschool educator or youth group leader, you can find opportunities to supplement your curriculum with the nature-based, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills-aligned activities offered by our staff, student assistants and volunteers.
Youth Educational Programs
Educational Programs
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Learning Adventures for K-5 Students
Learning Adventures are two-hour-long, hands-on environmental education programs for K-5 students held at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center at 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches, Texas. Students in grades K-2 experience four 30-minute-long activities, while students in grades 3-5 participate in three 40-minute-long activities. Educators can choose one of three adventures for their students. Learning Adventures are offered throughout fall 2026 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The cost is $5 per student, and there is no charge for teachers and up to four adults per class or group. Registration is required.
Register your class or classes for one of the Learning Adventures.
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Wetland Wonders Students explore wetland ecosystems through imagination, scientific investigation and hands-on discovery. Activities include identifying wetland functions suggested by household items in the “Wetland Metaphors” activity and determining the quality of a stream by the presence or absence of indicative aquatic invertebrates in the “Bug Picking” activity. Additionally, students in grades 3-5 learn about properties of wetland soils and classify soil types in the “Wetland Soils in Living Colors” activity. Students in grades K-2 discover how wetlands provide habitat for many organisms in the “Wetland Survivor Relay” and identify relationships between wetlands and organisms in the “Wetland Bingo” activity.
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Plantastic Students develop an appreciation for East Texas native plants and trees by exploring their characteristics, diversity and life cycles through hands-on discovery. Activities to help students learn plant names, characteristics and fun facts include the “Plant Matching Game,” “Meet the Tree” and “Native Tree Scavenger Hunt.” Students also model the life stages of a tree in “A Tree’s Life” and learn how those stages are similar to human life stages. Additionally, students in grades K-2 describe leaf shapes and textures and use vocabulary to describe different leaf types in the “Looking at Leaves” activity.
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Buzzing Around Students discover the fascinating world of insect pollinators by exploring their diversity, adaptations, behaviors and essential role in healthy ecosystems. Activities include visiting the SFA Gardens’ bee hive and learning about honeybees, the parts of an insect, common eating habits and life cycles in the “Comparing Bees and Butterflies” activity. Additionally, students in grades 3-5 learn about plant pollination and compare the effects of various conditions on pollination and plant fruit production in the “Buzzy Bee” activity. Students in grades K-2 have fun learning about and modeling the way bees use their sense of smell in the “Fun With Pheromones” activity and understanding the role of bees in pollination in the “Nectar Collector Relay” activity.