Educational and Informational Materials
This section brings together educational materials and informational brochures compiled and translated by the Tartu Environmental Education Center, which can be used both in the classroom and in everyday life. You’ll find materials on plants, animals, and fungi; ecosystems; landforms and geology; bodies of water; sustainable living; and waste sorting.
At the bottom of the page, you’ll also find collections from the Tartu Nature House Hobby School and collaborative projects, as well as educational materials in Russian and English. Please use all materials for non-commercial purposes only.
Select a topic
Click on the heading below to view the topics. Each section contains links to educational materials, worksheets, and guides.
Plants, Animals, Fungi
Nature’s Stars of the Year 2025 – A3 and A4 sizes
Instructions for Building a Bat House (2020)
Identification sheet “Notice Nature! A Selection of Tartu Butterflies”: A3 and A4 sizes (2013)
Identification sheet “Notice Nature! A Selection of Tartu Trees and Plants”: A3 and A4 sizes (2013)
Identification sheet “Notice Nature! A Selection of Plants from the Emajõgi River”: A3 and A4 sizes (2013)
Program “Birds in the City”: description and activities for grades 5–9, plus a worksheet (2007)
Worksheet and guide “Winter Bird Watching”
Educational material “Climate Change, Polar Animals, and Us” for elementary school (2023) (BSP – Baltic Sea Project Network)
Guide and Observation Log for Amateur Bird Watching (2022) (BSP – Baltic Sea Project Network)
Guide and Observation Sheets for Citizen Science Phenological Observations—Plants, Birds, Insects (2022) (BSP – Baltic Sea Project Network)
Identification Sheet “Lichens and Air Pollution”
Information Posters for a Mushroom Exhibition (2014):
- Beware of Mushrooms! – Mushroom Signs and Poisonous Mushrooms
- Mushrooms – Who Are They? – Nutrition and Structure
- Mushrooms as decomposers
- Mushroom-Eaters in Nature
- Uses of Mushrooms
- Symbiosis between mushrooms, plants, and cyanobacteria
Educational Party Game “Mushroom Alias” – Cards and Rules for Printing (2019)
Active Learning Material II “Snails and Shells Teach” and slide presentation “Snails and Shells in Estonian Nature” (2011)
Ecosystems
“Garden in the City” program: description and activities for grades 4–7, plus a worksheet (2007)
“Emajõe Floodplain on the Jänese Hiking Trail” program—description and worksheets for grades 5–9 (2007)
“Ihaste Floodplain Meadow” program—description and worksheets for grades 5–9 (2007)
“The Floodplain Forest in Alam-Pedja” Program—description and worksheets for grades 5–9 (2007)
“Park” Program: Description and Activities for Grades 4–6, plus a Worksheet (2007)
Tartu City Green Folder – Information Sheets and Instructions for Exploring Tartu’s Urban Nature (2005)
Programs created for the Maarja Village Nature Trail and the surrounding area:
- Spring–Summer Program “The Residents of Our Yard” and Worksheets (Grades 1–6 in general education schools and schools with a simplified curriculum, 13–16-year-olds in the life skills curriculum, and youth with mobility impairments)
- Spring–summer program “Forest Life in Spring” and worksheets (grades 1–3 in general education schools, grades 1–6 in schools with a simplified curriculum, and youth with mobility impairments)
- Spring–Summer Program “A Pleasant Trip to the Riverbank” and Worksheets (Grades 1–3 in general education schools; Grades 1–6 in schools with a simplified curriculum)
- Fall program “Soil and Life in the Soil” and worksheets (grades 1–6 in general education schools and schools with a simplified curriculum, 13–16-year-olds in the life skills curriculum, and youth with mobility impairments)
- Fall program “A Trip to Mushroom Land,” support materials and worksheets (grades 1–6 in general education schools and schools with a simplified curriculum; 13–16-year-olds in the life skills curriculum and youth with mobility impairments)
- Fall program “Fall Tasks for Plants” and worksheets (for grades 1–6 in general education schools and schools with a simplified curriculum, 13–16-year-olds in the adaptive curriculum, and youth with mobility impairments)
- Winter program “Winter Habits of Animals and People,” neck cards, and worksheets (grades 1–6 in general education schools and schools with a simplified curriculum, 13–16-year-olds in the life skills curriculum, and youth with mobility impairments)
- Winter program “Why Do Rabbits Have Long Ears?” (Grades 1–6 in general education schools and schools with a simplified curriculum; 13–16-year-olds in the life skills curriculum and youth with mobility impairments)
- Winter Program “Winter Forest” and Worksheet (Grades 1–6 in general education schools and schools with a simplified curriculum; 13–16-year-olds in the adaptive curriculum; and youth with mobility impairments)
Education for Sustainable Development
- “MissionBiohero” Teacher’s Handbook on the Sustainability of the Bioeconomy (2022)
- Agricultural Landscapes and Education for Sustainable Development (2019): a collection of training materials
- Forests and Education for Sustainable Development (2020): a collection of training materials
- The Ocean and Education for Sustainable Development (2020): A Collection of Training Materials
- Wetlands and Education for Sustainable Development (2020): A Collection of Training Materials
Environment
Physical Activity and Pesticides: Teacher Worksheet and Student Worksheet
CO2 and Global Warming: Worksheet for Teachers and Worksheet for Students
Photosynthesis Intensity and Distance from the Light Source: Worksheet for Teachers and Worksheet for Students
River Pollution: Worksheet for Teachers and Worksheet for Students
Snow pollution: worksheet for teachers and worksheet for students
Soil pH: worksheet for teachers and worksheet for students
Oil pollution: worksheet for teachers and worksheet for students
Guide and Methodology Workbook for Amateur Scientific Air Quality Assessment (2022) (BSP – Baltic Sea Project Network)
Carbon Cycle Game: game instructions, game board, and process cards.
Water Bodies
Guides, worksheets, and identification sheets for hands-on science observations: coastal observations, river observations, pond and lake observations (2022) (BSP – Baltic Sea Project Network)
Educational game “The Little Water Lily Trail” for preschoolers (2022)
Educational game “Water Trail” for grades 2–4
Educational game “Water Trail” for grades 4–6
Lake Peipsi Learning Folder (2021)
- Shore Plant Identification Guide
- Invertebrate Identification Guide
- Aquatic Plant Identification Guide
Methodology Guide for Teachers: Environmental Education Projects Using Lake Peipsi as an Example (2020)
Lake Peipsi-Themed Board Game for Preschoolers (2020) (physical games available at the Tartu Nature House)
Active Learning Resource III: “Practical Activities on Baltic Sea Topics” (2011)
“Water—Teaching Materials on Sustainable Development” (2010)
Worksheet “Aquatic Organisms and Salinity” and Teacher’s Guide
Landforms
Program “Landscape Profile Through Downtown Tartu”: description and activities for grades 7–12, plus a worksheet (2007)
Workbook “Tartu’s Nature” (2001)
Geology
Role-playing game on mineral resources “Green Hope: The Controversial Journey of the Green Turn”: guide and slide presentation (2024)
Active Learning Resource I “Exploring and Discovering—The Sea and Rocks” and supplementary material “The Rock Cycle” diagram (2010)
Tartu Nature House program “Rocks in the City” and worksheet for grades 6–9 (2007)
An Environmentally Sustainable Lifestyle
“It Rained Bread in the Garden. Learning with Students in the Educational Garden” (2023)
“The Educational Garden from Fall to Fall”—a guide for setting up an educational garden (2023)
Instructions for building a leaf compost bin (2022)
Questionnaire on Organizing an Eco-Friendly Event (2020)
Handbook for Organizing Environmentally Friendly Events (2019)
Waste
Trash Hack – Guide for Experiential Learning on Sustainable Development (2021) (BSP – Baltic Sea Project Network)
Slide presentation “Biowaste – Our Opportunities in the World of Waste” (2018)
Frequently Asked Questions About Waste Sorting
Slide presentation “Hazardous Waste – Our Options in the World of Waste” (2018)
User Guide for the Waste Information Database (Nordplus Project)
Waste sorting labels in three languages
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Downloadable waste labels and other materials
- Download all Estonian-Russian-English waste labels (7z file)
- Download all Estonian-Russian waste labels (7z file)
- Customized waste labels in Estonian and English from the 2019 Intsikurmu Music Festival
- Download the designs for waste bin lids intended for outdoor events (7z file). The lids for Tartu Nature House’s waste bins are made of waterproof plywood by Salibari craftsmen.
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Compilations of Tartu Nature House’s collaborative projects and hobby school conferences
Compilation “The UNESCO Associated Schools Network Through Stories: An Overview of Activities 2019–2021”
Collection of Works from the Tartu Nature House Hobby School’s Spring Exhibition 2020
Compilation “Good Examples of the Baltic Sea Project’s Work, 1989–2019” (environmentally friendly schools, water quality, bird ecology, air quality, methods)
Tartu Nature House Student Conferences 2019
Tartu Nature House Student Conferences 2018
Proceedings of the XXII Earth Day Student Conference 2017
Tartu Nature House Student Conferences 2017
Proceedings of the “The Environment Teaches!” Conference (2009)
Russian-Language Educational Materials
Observe Nature! A Selection of Plants from Emayigi: A3 and A4 (2013)
Notice Nature! A Selection of Tartu Butterflies: A3 and A4 (2013)
Notice Nature! A Selection of Tartu Trees and Shrubs: A3 and A4 (2013)
The Green Folder of Tartu (2005)
Stones in the City – Program and Worksheet (2007)
Landscape Profile – Program and Worksheet (2007)
Park – Program and Worksheet (2007)
Program for the Emayigi River Floodplain on the Tourist Route (2007)
Alam-Pedja Floodplain Forest Program (2007)
Ihaste Floodplain Meadow Program (2007)
Birds in the City – Program and Worksheet (2007)
English-Language Learning Materials
Interactive Supplement I: Investigate and Discover and Rock Cycle Diagram (2010)
Interactive Supplement II: Snails and Bivalves (2011)
Interactive Supplement III: Lab Exercises on the Theme of the Baltic Sea (2011)
Notice Nature! A Selection of Trees and Shrubs in Tartu: A4 and A3 (2013)
Notice Nature! A Selection of Plants Along the Emajõgi River: A3 and A4 (2013)
Notice Nature! A Selection of Tartu Butterflies: A3 and A4 (2013)
The Best Practices Collection of the Baltic Sea Project Activities 1989–2019
Air Pollution Educational Material “Lichens and Pollution” (Baltic Sea Project 2021)