With a vision to change the world, SANY calls for more innovative minds. We believe that what fuels technological advancement is the aspiration of the next generation to create something new as well as having the ability to realize it.

The SANY Foundation, the charity arm of SANY, has been exploring the possibilities of better education. Our diverse non-profit educational programs have been benefiting children both in cities and rural areas in China. The recently launched project, Walawala Tinkering Education, is a pilot program of an advanced education idea.

Already a mature concept and practice in the west but new to China, tinkering education is an educational approach that emphasizes the training of creativity and hands-on learning by providing students with a lab environment where a variety of materials and tools are available for creative assembly.

A relevant event themed “Parent-Child Tinkering Day” recently took place in a cafe in Guangzhou. Taking the form of a science class, the activity aimed to teach crank-link mechanisms to a group of preschool-aged children accompanied by their parents. Differing from traditional teaching methods, a fairy tale story and theme was used throughout the class to connect the teaching and activity to the story, which kept kids focused and engaged.     

Rather than having the construction of the crank-link device be the focus and goal of the class, making the crank-link was portrayed as a necessary tool to help the three little pigs defeat the big bad wolf in the story of The Three Little Pigs that they were immersed in.

During the one-hour study, students learned what a crank-link mechanism is, how it works and how to make one using the accessible materials around them. All the “little scientists” left the class with a joyful sense of accomplishment.

In 2022, the team in charge of this project will expand and develop additional curricula customized for children in rural China, with the promotion of educational equality being a fundamental goal.