Operation of Children's Health Experience Center at Madeul Health Center in Nowon-gu

Six Healthy Habits Learned Through Play: Growing Strong with a Smile
Enhancing Immersive Experiences with Videos, Media Art, and Installations

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it is making efforts to educate lifelong healthy habits through the operation of the 'Children's Health Experience Center' at Madeul Health Center.

This is to lay the foundation for healthy growth and lifelong health management by providing education tailored to the level of children aged 4 to 8, an age group where health education is highly effective.

The 'Children's Health Experience Center' (hereinafter referred to as the Experience Center) was established together with the opening of Madeul Health Center in 2022 and has been continuously conducting educational programs since then. Children first watch videos with the Experience Center characters ‘Naemomi’ and ‘Jikimi’ in the video education room, then move to the Health Village for hands-on education, where they experience six themed areas related to healthy habits.

The main programs consist of six themes: ▲Ppodeudeuk Clean Village (Hygiene) ▲Biteulbiteul No Alcohol Village (Smoking Cessation, Moderation) ▲Doldo Doneun Digestion Village (Digestion) ▲Golgoroo Nutrition Village (Nutrition) ▲Sinbiro Unborn Baby Village (Sex Education) ▲Ssuksuk Strong Village (Exercise).

The content is designed to help children immediately apply habits such as handwashing and exercise to their daily lives, increase understanding of their bodies through topics like childbirth and the digestion process, and foster proper values such as the preciousness of life.

The education is enhanced by instructor explanations combined with play-based experiences including media art. In the Clean Village, children can see virtual germs with their own eyes and immediately observe how washing hands changes them. In the Nutrition Village, children play a game where they throw balls at a media art screen to distinguish between unhealthy and healthy foods, developing their judgment skills.

Given the frequent visits by children, the Experience Center pays special attention to hygiene and safety of the facilities. Air purification and item disinfection are conducted regularly, with sterilization and cleaning of items performed once a week.

Since the space layout and educational methods are tailored for children, satisfaction among daycare and kindergarten staff is high. Satisfaction surveys recorded perfect scores in education content, facilities, and willingness to revisit. Last year, about 4,700 individuals and groups visited for education, including five sessions for children with developmental disabilities.

This year, the district plans to open a ‘Tooth Play’ experience zone for parents and children and expand experiential education opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. Institutions, groups, or individuals wishing to visit the Experience Center can make reservations through the Nowon-gu Health Center website.

Meanwhile, the district operates the largest number of four health centers among Seoul’s autonomous districts. These centers are installed by region, playing a significant role in improving accessibility to health care services. Also, as Madeul Health Center operates the Children's Health Experience Center, Wolgye Health Center runs traditional Korean medicine health management projects, and Sanggye Health Center operates resident participation programs, contributing to the diversity of health management projects, a district official explained.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “We aim to continuously provide health education that easily and enjoyably addresses concerns of guardians and childcare institutions regarding hygiene, eating habits, and healthy habits,” adding, “I hope that the healthy habits of Nowon-gu children will become the foundation of health supporting the centenarian era.”