Nationwide First by Local Governments, Creating Advanced Physical Activity Spaces Using School Idle Areas... Installation of Health Playgrounds in Schools with VR Sports Equipment, Gymnastics, Floor Playgrounds... Completion at Ongok Elementary and Cheonggye Elementary This Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) has launched an initiative to promote health improvement and physical activity among children and adolescents in the area through the "Active Schools, Healthy Schools" project.
This project, the first of its kind implemented by a local government nationwide, was designed to transform unused spaces within schools into advanced physical activity areas to help prevent obesity among children and adolescents and support healthy growth through balanced development via physical activity.
After conducting a call for target schools last year, the district selected Ongok Elementary School and Cheonggye Elementary School, completing the space development earlier this year.
The advanced physical activity spaces consist of three facilities: VR sports equipment, gymnastic equipment, and ground playgrounds.
First, the VR sports equipment uses virtual reality technology to encourage children's physical activity. Children physically move to touch the screen and hit balls toward the screen, combining brain development and physical activity through gaming. Currently, 31 types of content are operated, covering subjects such as mathematics, language, science, and nutrition, with high potential for integration with various learning materials in the future.
This facility, recognized as an innovation in educational environments in North America and Europe, was first installed domestically at Wolgye Elementary School in 2019.
The gymnastic equipment applies European-style play education methods from countries like Germany and Finland, focusing on physical development and fun. Facilities such as balance beams, benches, ropes, and climbing walls are suitable for developing balance, muscle strength, and basic physical fitness.
It also allows children to learn physical management skills both in the air and on the ground, while being used for various cooperative play activities.
The ground playground was installed by utilizing open spaces outside classrooms. It is designed as a play area featuring jumping games between numbers, letters, and animal patterns, ladder steps, and games like "ttangttameokgi" (a traditional Korean hopscotch game). It naturally encourages daily physical activity by combining simple traditional games children used to play in alleys with new creative play methods.
The district plans to expand these spaces into healthy play-oriented areas by preparing various physical activity tools and programs tailored to each school's characteristics and actively collecting feedback from students and parents.
Additionally, the district announced plans to establish an organic cooperation system between schools and the local community to open these spaces to residents, operating family weekend experience programs that families can participate in, thereby utilizing them as shared community spaces.
District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "It was regrettable that students' physical activities were greatly restricted due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic," adding, "We will continue to create environments where children and adolescents can grow healthily through various policies."
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