The Great Take-Apart
What better way to explore the intricacies of technology than to take things apart? Armed with screwdrivers, pliers, and their own curiosity, children can discover what makes things tick. Supply them with defunct televisions; radios that have collected dust; printers that no longer print; DVD players that no longer play; and anything that no longer whirs, clunks, or spits. Do not give them anything that has sharp edges, parts, or blades. The children, in their natural wonder, will dismantle the most unruly CD player.
Devices that can be taken apart can be found in your garages, cupboards, or, for a reasonable price, at flea markets. Sometimes flea market dealers will donate old electronics to your good cause. Through the process of taking things apart, children will exert critical thinking, curiosity, mechanical skills, and their imaginations. Gather your spent electronics and let them explore.
It will be handy to have on hand a copy of The New How Things Work: Everyday Technology Explained by John Langone.
Other titles available in the Mercer County Library System that will help you and your children learn about the inner workings of everyday things include:
The How Things Work Encyclopedia by Carrie Love
Cool Stuff 2.0 and How It Works by Chris Woodford
The Inside & Out Guide to Inventions by Chris Oxlade
Devices that can be taken apart can be found in your garages, cupboards, or, for a reasonable price, at flea markets. Sometimes flea market dealers will donate old electronics to your good cause. Through the process of taking things apart, children will exert critical thinking, curiosity, mechanical skills, and their imaginations. Gather your spent electronics and let them explore.
Other titles available in the Mercer County Library System that will help you and your children learn about the inner workings of everyday things include:
The How Things Work Encyclopedia by Carrie Love
Cool Stuff 2.0 and How It Works by Chris Woodford
The Inside & Out Guide to Inventions by Chris Oxlade
-N. Demme
Giving kids old stuff to take apart? What a great idea. Wish I'd thought of doing that with my kids; I'll try it with the grandkids!
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