INFORMATION OF HANMADANG EXCURSION
Here at Ecology Education Center,
We learn about the preciousness of nature
Located at Saeachim Park, Songdo, the Ecology Education Center has two floors. The first floor has an exhibition room, an information room, and a lecture room, while the second floor has an exhibition room, an experience education room, and a multimedia room. For children aged six and older, elementary school students, and ordinary visitors, the center operates an eco-education program.
Writer·Photographer Lee Soon-young
The eco-education program is a substantial one-and-a-half hour course of outdoor practice and indoor education. It starts with a teacher explaining how Songdo was reclaimed and what kinds of plants live in Songdo.
The outdoor eco program starts after moving to Saeachim Park, in front of the education center. Children can listen to explanations about plants, observe them, and collect insects in a transparent container. Then, they move to the yard of the education center to play traditional games such as ‘The Roses of Sharon have blossomed’ and a shoe-throwing competition. To the winners, teachers give out cone bracelets. The indoor education program takes place in the multimedia room of the second floor. There, children watch documentaries on insects and observe samples of those insects. In addition, children can participate in creative activities to have a fruitful time while learning. Park Chae-lin (age 7), who participated in the program, said, “At first, I thought I had to learn something very difficult. But after the program, I learned the names of plants that I didn’t know before. I was also excited to participate in creative activities, something that I really like. It was really amazing to see the observation scope explaining how the eyes of dragonfly see things.”
The contents of the program change every month, and guests are welcomed to revisit. In November, the education program will be held under the themes of ‘Observing the birds of Songdo International City,’ ‘The story of fruit (seeds),’ ‘The story of autumn (decoration with autumn leaves),’ ‘Making trees (cones),’ and ‘Together with the nature of Songdo International City.’ The eco education program is provided twice a day, Monday through Saturday, from March to November. The early class is from 10:00 to 11:30, while the afternoon class is from 14:00 to 15:30. Other than the times above, visitors can only watch the exhibitions of Ecology Education Center. The program is provided during rain as well. On Sundays, the education center is open but there is no program that day. The capacity of the program is 60 students on weekdays and 20 students on Saturdays. On weekdays, the program is mostly provided for children from education institutes such as nurseries, kindergartens or elementary schools, while on Saturdays, it is provided for families. The program is provided under a reservation system, and there are no fees for reservation/admission. Reservations can be made over the phone or by visiting the center’s homepage at http://www.ifez.go.kr/ecoreservelogin.do. Some contents of the program are subject to change, and reservations may close early.
Ecology Education Center: Tel. 453-797
Address: Inside Saeachim Park, 35, Sinsong-ro 118beon-gil, (2-1, Songdo-dong), Yeonsu-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City
