The Park as a Learning Environment

The Tartu Nature House park offers a variety of opportunities for exploring nature, playing, and outdoor learning. Located at Lille 10, the park allows visitors to study rocks, plants, and natural processes, as well as learn about animal behaviors.

Nature education in the Tartu Nature House park is suitable for families with children as well as teachers and student groups. The park’s educational resources and discovery areas can be used independently, combining play with learning.

For Visitors – Play and Discover

The park offers visitors of all ages opportunities to move around, play, observe, and relax.

Outdoor Library

The small park library offers a chance to rest your feet in the midst of nature and explore nature-themed reading materials.

Wishing Stone

The Wishing Stone introduces the folklore associated with ancient cup-marked stones. According to a playful tradition, you can make a secret wish by tapping or rubbing the cup-marked area of the stone with another stone.

Beaver Den

This beaver lodge-shaped hut lets you learn about the lifestyle of one of Estonia’s largest rodents. You can crawl inside the lodge and imagine how a beaver lives in its home. Nearby, you can also examine branches and pieces of wood bearing real beaver teeth marks.

Three Sandboxes

In the three sandboxes, you can compare sands of different colors, grain sizes, and origins. Among them is white, quartz-rich sand from the Piusa quarry and reddish sand characteristic of Tartu, which originates from Devonian-era sandstone.

Saarma’s animal trail and play areas

The Saarma animal trail reminds us that animals play, too. In addition, a small carousel and a balance beam await visitors in the park. With a wooden xylophone, you can discover the sounds, colors, and patterns of different tree species.

Outdoor Game Rentals

If you’d like to be even more active in the park with your family or friends, you can rent outdoor games that promote movement and problem-solving from the Nature House. Check out the selection of games and rental terms on a separate page.

Learn more about outdoor game rentals →

For Teachers – Outdoor Learning Opportunities

In the Nature House park, you can integrate lessons on natural sciences, geography, environmental protection, mathematics, and cultural heritage. Various teaching aids allow you to organize observations, comparisons, and hands-on activities.

Erratic Rock Trail

The Erratic Boulders Trail introduces igneous and metamorphic rocks carried to Estonia by continental glaciers. The rocks were discovered during construction work on the nature center and a neighboring building. QR codes next to the rocks help visitors explore their composition and origin.

Explore the Erratic Rock Trail →

Compost Bins

Biodegradable waste generated in the nature center’s kitchen, winter garden, and flower beds is placed in the park’s compost bins. Here, you can learn about the decomposition of organic matter and the nutrient cycle. The finished compost is used in the park’s flower beds.

Sundial

The sundial, with its granite base, allows visitors to learn how to measure time using the Sun and shadows and to connect these observations to astronomy, mathematics, and geography. The dial shows standard time; during daylight saving time, one hour must be added to the reading. The sundial was designed by Kalev Koppel; the stonework was done and the sundial installed by Rein Karus.

Planting Areas and Educational Beds

The shade bed, peat bed, rock garden, slope bed, and edible gardens help students explore plant growth conditions, adaptations, and potential uses. Here, you can compare the effects of light and moisture on plants and learn practical gardening techniques.

Explore the park’s plants and planting areas →

Ideas for Outdoor Learning

In the park, you can compare different types of sand and rocks, study plant growth conditions, observe the shadow of a sundial, learn about composting, and discover the characteristics of different tree species. Activities can be adapted to suit the children’s ages and educational goals.