From insect hunts to terrarium making, Seoul's parks offer summer fun

By Ko Dong-hwan

The summer heat is leading people on all sorts of outings, from trips to coastal beaches and cold streams hidden in mountain valleys to air-conditioned spacious indoor activities like shopping in malls or visiting libraries.

Long lines of expectant passengers wait at airports en route to exotic fun, while theaters are busy with folks forgetting the grilling weather outside.

It's the seasonal concern in Korea ― how to deal with the scorching heat that will continue until late August. Especially for parents with young children who need to burn their pent-up energy at playgrounds or football fields on a daily basis, the concern becomes a grueling problem-solving challenge for weeks that seem interminable.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government, mindful of these issues, has formulated a new set of solutions. Using 13 green parks in the city, the authority has come up with over 80 seasonal programs that will ignite the curiosity of children and encourage them to explore natural surroundings.

The programs run from July to August and people can pre-book at parks.seoul.go.kr, the homepage for Seoul city parks. According to Yoo Yeong-bong, head of the Park and Recreation Bureau under the city government, participating children will have fun experiencing ecological habitats and species through 81 programs.

“With the summer vacation during the two months, kids can go wild in nature and try out diverse programs,” Yoo said.

The Parks and Recreation Project Division under the bureau has developed the programs to be unfolded in city parks with extremely huge patches of greenery.

Seoul Forest in the central district of Seongdong offers 21 programs that either run weekly or daily. Maeheon Citizen's Forest in Seocho District, Gildong Ecological Park in Gangdong District, Culture Tank and World Cup Park in Mapo District, Boramae Park in Dongjak District and Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo District all offer multiple programs that run for limited times.

The programs invite participants to the world of birds, insects, amphibians and plants as well as to participate in fun activities like making a terrarium for toads, learning constellations by exploring the night sky and playing in water playgrounds.

By learning about different kinds of flora and how they can be used in different styles of vegan meal preparations and crafting various cultural items, children can learn about the importance of the preservation of nature.

After sundown, some programs invite participants to city parks in the evening to explore nocturnal insects, learn how the sun vanishes beyond the horizon and stroll along the remains of old masonry forts.

The city authority designed some of the outdoor programs so that they offer content that is already introduced in school textbooks. Northern Seoul Dream Forest in Gangbuk District offers Secret Park, a mission-based program from July 29 to Aug. 5 that invites participants to explore the park's unique hilly geography so as to accomplish playful missions.