About 1,000 students from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Foshan created flying-themed works at the Guangdong Science Center’s Science and Technology Hall on Saturday.

The students were attending the Guangzhou Station for the Chinese National Children’s Creativity Contest, which is a large-scale creative TV program by CCTV that focuses on the cultivation of innovative thinking and creativity in children aged 6 to 14. The contest aims to provide a platform for children to explore their potential, show their innovative thinking, learn from each other, and cooperate with others.

Basic tools such as rulers, tape, scissors, and props such as feather dusters, raincoats, and rolled paper were provided by the organizer. Self-developed mole robots, voice-activated quadruped robots and combat vehicle robots fashioned after bats were provided by the Guangdong Science Center. Students were asked to produce a creative work with the theme of “flying” within two hours, then give a one-minute explanation after the work was completed.

The results were amazing. Some students utilized cardboard, paper balls of various colors and battery drives to create a small and vivid solar system.

Four aspects — the work’s attractiveness, value, students’ presentation abilities and teamwork — are evaluated at the contest, according to Zhong Hua, a producer of CCTV.

“For now, many students can’t break through the existing inertial thinking. Just modifying a robot into an airplane doesn’t grasp the core of integrating art and technology and fails to combine the provided materials,” said Zhong.

This event encourages deeper thinking from parents, teachers, schools and the whole society on how to cultivate innovative thinking in children and enhance their creativity, according to the organizer.

(Nan Nan)