Thanks so much to Alisha from the public library in Eau Claire for this terrific guest post!  This would be a fun STEAM program for the summer.

The kids absolutely loved the Tech Take-Apart program, and it was pretty simple to put on.  I  called First Choice Computer Recycling and they loaded me up with safe-for-kids-to-take-apart materials that had been dropped off at their site for recycling.  They also agreed to take it all back after the program, albeit now in a million pieces!  I then rounded up a variety of screwdrivers and I was set for my program.  

Before the program started



Among the materials to take apart were printers, keyboards, computers (no monitors), DVD players, VCRs, and old office phones.  I also took some VHS and cassette tapes that were damaged and withdrawn from our collection for the kids to take apart since they were going to the garbage anyway (though some kids didn’t know what these were).  The kids then got busy exploring the innards of tech-y stuff.  

A wide age range enjoys tearing apart



Many kids said this program was fulfilling their dream to take things apart without getting in trouble!  So, I’m adding dream fulfiller to my resume.

The remaining debris