| One of the most rewarding activities I've done with | | | | broke, I showed the kids how to fix it. They began to |
| young children is taking things apart. Together we have | | | | think, "Hmmm that's not so fancy, maybe I could do |
| disassemble flashlights, record players, vacuum | | | | that, too..." And they discovered they could. |
| cleaners, faucets, blenders, drills, VCRS, drills and lawn | | | | There "take apart" began to branch out. When you |
| mower engines--almost everything except television | | | | dismantle things you begin to accumulate boxes of |
| sets, which are quite dangerous. Little did I realize that | | | | small parts, flywheels, small circuit boards, little pulley, |
| what began as an attempt to entertain my son would | | | | gears and other interesting things. Naturally you begin |
| evolve into teaching a "shop class" at Montessori | | | | to think about making something out of all theses |
| school and woodworking for the local parks | | | | oddments. We created sculptures. I hot glued objects |
| department. | | | | onto a cardboard cone, and soon a robot took shape. |
| It was my son who first started me on this path. My | | | | A small speaker became the ace, radio knobs were |
| wife had the "real" job; I was taking care of our | | | | his eyes, a re button mounted on a spring became his |
| four-year-old Ben at home and doing house repairs. | | | | mouth, and colored wires were his arms and hair. The |
| One day when Ben was pestering me or something to | | | | children caught on right away. They went from making |
| do, I suggested he try to take apart a broken radio. He | | | | robots to making mini space stations, cameras, and |
| needed help to choose the right screwdriver, to show | | | | walkie-talkies. |
| him which way to turn it, and help finding all the screws. | | | | After my first summer teaching for the parks I was |
| I didn't get a lot of construction done that day, but it | | | | approached by a Montessori school to offer a one |
| was worth it. My son had found something he really | | | | day a week preschool "shop" class taking the ideas |
| liked to do. He was always saying "Hey Dad, look at | | | | and equipment developed for older kids and making |
| this!" or "Hey Dad, this won't come apart." I soon | | | | them age-appropriate for three-and four-year-olds. I |
| realized that if I dug up another child the two of them | | | | was challenged to break down the principles of building, |
| could happily take things apart for hours with very little | | | | mechanics, and crafts into concepts and activities |
| help. Together, the solved most of the problems they | | | | young children could master. I included a playhouse |
| couldn't, figure out by themselves. And their combined | | | | children could take apart and put together themselves |
| excitement kept them at it longer, too. | | | | and magnetic marble roll made from sheet metal and |
| I also learned some things about myself. My attitude | | | | movable pieces of PVC pipe (cut in half), and electricity |
| was important. While I was helping Ben I had to be | | | | board with a toy train transformer as the power |
| genuinely interested, and I couldn't be in a hurry. If I was | | | | source to power lights, bells and motors. My young |
| grumpy, he would pick up on it and find something else | | | | students were amazed by their ability to build a |
| to do. If I was interested, he would be too. | | | | playhouse, dissemble a VCR and recycle metal parts |
| Taking things apart was so successful that I soon tried | | | | into presents for family and friends. |
| it with a group of Ben's kindergarten classmates. We | | | | I've learned from being a parent that children can do |
| set up radios, record players, simple circuits, batteries | | | | more than we give them credit for. I now see children |
| and lights in the cafeteria. I provided tools so the kids | | | | in my summer class who took preschool shop class |
| could disassemble things and experiment with the | | | | three or more years ago. They're brimming with |
| pieces. At first, the kids didn't know the difference | | | | self-confidence and a fearless in attacking new |
| between a Philips and a slotted screwdriver, but they | | | | problems, totally unintimidated by andy new weird |
| learned quickly. They learned to find the right kind and | | | | contraption I might have. |
| size of screwdriver for each screw, and to turn the | | | | A note of caution: children must be closely supervised |
| crew one way to put it in and the other way to take it | | | | when taking machines apart. Cut off the electric cord |
| out. They developed problem-solving skills and learned | | | | and explain about shocks. Remove any glass, tubes, or |
| the importance of patience. And they had fun. | | | | bulbs. Consult a technician if there is any question |
| I had so much fun that the next summer I taught a | | | | about safety. If the kids get frustrated they tend to |
| class for kids for the local parks and taking things | | | | beat or pry, which can be dangerous. Don't let them. |
| apart became one of my mainstays. I created a | | | | Uses this opportunity to show them ingenuity can work |
| program of demonstrations, gadgets, and experiments | | | | where force does not. |
| that made electricity real to young children. If something | | | | |