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