“I Came to Visit Songpa Book Museum at Our House!”

Songpa Book Museum Restructures Online Education: Family Participation, Grade-Specific 'Craft Kits' Mailed... "Enjoy Museum Experience at Home"

'Twinkle Twinkle, Circle Book' Online Education Scene

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) is conducting the ‘Songpa Book Museum Online Education’ program for citizens whose opportunities to enjoy culture have decreased due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Songpa Book Museum (Book Museum) is the first public museum in Korea themed around books, which opened on April 23 last year. Along with various exhibitions related to books, it operates book culture lectures and educational programs for infants, youth, and families, attracting 200,000 visitors within one year of its opening.

This year, as the Book Museum experienced repeated closures and reopenings due to the spread of COVID-19, the district reorganized and expanded the online education program that started in April.

The newly organized program consists of three types and runs from September 5 to November 28. Participants will receive craft kits by mail so they can enjoy the museum experience at home.

First, ‘Twinkle Twinkle, Circle Book’ is a program for families with children aged 6 to 7.

Linked to the kindergarten Nuri curriculum, the theme is ‘Making a Shining Picture Book Containing Our Family Stories.’ Participants express circles in various drawings and create a desk calendar-style reading lamp to understand bookbinding methods. The circle book-making kit will be provided by mail. The number of participants has been increased compared to the first half of the year, allowing a total of 10 teams per session.

For lower-grade elementary students, the program ‘Come to Joseon’s Book Rental Shop’ will be held. This is a newly introduced education program in the second half of the year linked to the first part ‘Enjoyment’ of the Book Museum’s permanent exhibition. Participants complete missions to become interns at the Joseon Dynasty’s book rental shop ‘Sechaekjeom’ and learn about the book culture of the late Joseon period. A traditional bookbinding experience kit using the Oriental binding method, Ochiman Jeongbeop, will be delivered.

For upper-grade elementary students, ‘Secret Library, Find Grandpa’s Book!’ is prepared. This program helps understand the second part ‘Communication’ of the Book Museum’s permanent exhibition. Using a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) exhibition service, participants can explore bestsellers by generation online and even learn about the flow of modern and contemporary history. A pop-up book kit to complete one’s own library will be provided by mail.

Each course consists of a total of three consecutive sessions, and six sessions will be recruited from September to November.

All three programs are conducted as real-time online education via the video conferencing platform ‘Zoom.’

'Secret Library, Find Grandfather's Book!' Pop-up Book Set

Registration starts on August 24 on the ‘Seoul Public Service Reservation’ website on a first-come, first-served basis. Since the date, time, and tuition fees vary by program, it is recommended to check the Songpa Book Museum website before applying.

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “The online education of Songpa Book Museum conducted in the first half of the year received positive responses from participants, so we expanded the number of participants and content.” He added, “I hope that even amid the COVID-19 situation, people can enjoy culture in various non-face-to-face ways and gain vitality in their daily lives.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.