[Seoul District News] Yangcheon-gu Recruits 16 Participants per Course for Summer Vacation Special Lectures at Smart Yangcheon Future Education Center (VR Maker for Virtual Space Creation, Arduino-Based Smart Lamp Making, Eiffel Tower Lighting Using 3D Pen, Brain Development New Sports, etc.)... Oh Seung-rok, Nowon-gu Mayor, Attends Launch Ceremony of Nowon Exploration Team, a Daily Recovery Project for Nowon Children and Adolescents... Gangseo-gu to Fully Operate 13 Water Play Facilities Including Byeotgeo Children's Park, Bongjesan Solar Plaza, and Balsan Neighborhood Park Starting July 1... Dongjak-gu Successfully Concludes ‘Aijaram Forest Playground’.
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu announced that it will recruit students for special summer vacation lectures at the Smart Yangcheon Future Education Center from July 4 to July 15.
The Smart Yangcheon Future Education Center provides various experiential opportunities for local children and youth by operating courses related to digital and smart fields to nurture creative talents leading future society.
This summer vacation special lecture will be held from July 25 to August 12, where village instructors with expertise will teach core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution era, helping youth spend a fruitful summer vacation.
Main programs include ▲ VR Maker to create your own virtual space ▲ Smart lamp making using Arduino-based software programs ▲ Exploring Yangcheon Park through the metaverse and making Eiffel Tower lighting using a 3D pen ▲ Sports stacking, a brain development new sport.
The target students are those residing in Yangcheon-gu from 4th grade elementary to 3rd grade middle school, and the tuition fee is 5,000 KRW per course (materials fee separate). Applications can be made on a first-come, first-served basis through the Yangcheon-gu Office website integrated reservation portal from July 4 to 15.
For more details about the Smart Yangcheon Future Education Center summer vacation special lectures, contact the Education Support Division.
An official from the Education Support Division said, “Yangcheon-gu operates various future education special lectures to nurture creative talents during the summer vacation, a time for recharging, so we hope many interested youth will apply.”
On the 23rd at 4 p.m., Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, held the launching ceremony of the Nowon Exploration Team, a daily recovery project for children and youth, at the small auditorium on the 6th floor of the district office.
The Nowon Exploration Team is a project involving the Child and Youth Subcommittee of the Community Social Security Council, workers from child and youth institutions in Nowon, and children and youth themselves.
One mentor activist from a child and youth institution and one mentee form a team to carry out Nowon area exploration projects such as ▲ finding famous places in Nowon ▲ finding personal play spaces ▲ using local institutions related to Nowon child and youth ordinances. A total of 50 teams will be active.
The event included the attendance of Mayor Oh Seung-rok and the selected team members of the Nowon Exploration Team, with activities such as awarding appointment certificates, explaining the project overview, announcing the Nowon Exploration Team declaration, and group photo sessions.
Mayor Oh said, “Mentors and mentees should visit various places in Nowon together and share what they see and feel,” adding, “We will continue to strive to make Nowon a child-friendly city where children's rights are fully realized.”
Seoul Gangseo-gu (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) announced that it will launch water play-type water facilities to cool off the heat starting July 1.
Water play-type water facilities are open facilities using tap water for fountains, children's play facilities, etc., and among them, ground fountains are very popular with children during summer.
Currently, the district has ground fountains installed in 13 parks including Balsan Neighborhood Park, Bongje Mountain Neighborhood Park, and Byeotgeo Children's Park.
The district has been conducting comprehensive facility inspections and water quality tests since May and is performing pre-inspections through trial operations to prepare for the ground fountain operation.
The ground fountains will operate daily from July 1 to August 31, running every hour for 45 minutes from 2 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., the time when children use playgrounds the most.
Especially, the Bongje Mountain Neighborhood Park Solar Plaza and Yesol Children's Park ground fountains are equipped with combination play facilities popular among children, making them comparable to small-scale amusement parks.
Also, to ensure children's safety during water play, facility inspections will be conducted daily before operation starts, and water quality will be maintained clean through bi-monthly water quality tests.
An official from the district said, “As the intense heat begins in July, we hope residents visit nearby parks to enjoy refreshing water play,” adding, “We will thoroughly manage facilities and water quality so residents can safely enjoy water play.”
Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) successfully held the ‘Child Growth Forest Playground 1st Session’ event at the National Seoul National Cemetery on the 18th for young children who have limited opportunities to experience nature in the city.
This ‘Child Growth Forest Playground’ was planned to allow parents and children to engage in physical activities and emotional development together in nature under the guidance of a forest interpreter as daily life recovery accelerates.
The National Seoul National Cemetery is a representative local tourist attraction with safe trails, forests, and ponds where both children and adults can enjoy nature in the city.
The participants were 10 local families with children aged 2 and older, and the application period was closed on a first-come, first-served basis due to high demand on the first day. The final number of participants was 24, including 10 young children and 14 parents.
The program was held for one hour from 10:30 a.m. and included tactile and exploratory play such as leaf exploration, fruit and tree observation, and animal imitation, conducted either by family units or as a whole group.
Participants were especially satisfied as they could closely experience leaves and fruits they had not known before while listening to explanations from the forest interpreter after safety education.
Lee (47), who participated with his 4-year-old son, said, “Due to COVID-19, my child was confined indoors for a long time and felt frustrated, but the forest playground was a safe outdoor place where children could run freely and get closer to nature, which was great.”
Also, Jang (38), mother of a 7-year-old daughter, said, “It was a meaningful time to explore nature together with my child and other parents,” adding, “Although the National Cemetery is nearby, I had only passed by before; this was the first time I fully enjoyed it. I want to visit often.”
The district provided participants with a free ‘forest experience kit’ including a crossbody bag for young children, snacks, straw hats, and a seedling planting kit to cultivate a home garden.
Meanwhile, the district plans to hold the ‘Child Growth Forest Playground 2nd Session - Autumn Edition’ six times at Boramae Park starting in October. The location and schedule may change.
For more information about the Child Growth Forest Playground, contact the Childcare Division.
Kim Ji-hyun, head of the Childcare Division, said, “The forest playground will help children develop ecological sensitivity and form nature-friendly values through play experiences in nature,” adding, “We plan to continue promoting opportunities for parents and children to enjoy and communicate in nature in the second half of the year, so we hope for active participation.”
Jongno-gu is promoting the ‘Reading Together on One Theme’ project to build a cooperative system among local reading communities and spread the culture of reading discussions in the area.
The focus is on broadly experiencing the selected ‘Book of the Year,’ and for smooth project implementation, public libraries and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education libraries formed a consortium, and interested residents gathered as the Book Selection Committee.
The reading discussion theme was set as ‘Caring for Neighbors Amid Change’ to collectively reflect on and share thoughts about unchanging and essential values in a rapidly changing society.
The Book of the Year was selected from candidate books nominated by consortium librarians and the Book Selection Committee through user preference surveys: ▲ Adult book ‘Uncomfortable Convenience Store’ (Kim Ho-yeon) ▲ Youth book ‘Pilgrimage House’ (Yoo Eun-sil) ▲ Children’s book ‘Long Long Night’ (Ruri) ▲ Toddler book ‘Mind Bus’ (Kim Yu), totaling four books.
From July, the district plans to operate various programs linked to the selected books, including ‘Meet the Author,’ ‘One Book Reading Discussions,’ ‘Picture Books Outside the Library,’ and ‘Relay Original Art Exhibitions.’
The 2022 Reading Together on One Theme project will start with the author meeting ‘Playing on the Mind Bus’ on July 2. Kim Yu, author of the picture book ‘Mind Bus,’ will tell stories online to children aged 6 to 10, accompanied by book play activities using coloring tools and drawing paper.
Also, from June 20 to July 2, the Children and Youth National Library will host the ‘Mind Bus Original Art Media Wall Digital Exhibition.’
Information on reading programs centered on the Book of the Year continuing throughout the second half of the year can be found on the Jongno-gu Public Library and Jongno Cultural Foundation websites.
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