I work with an amazing group of children’s librarians! Seriously. I am amazed by their creativity on a near daily basis. So I decided to share the love and have a couple of guest posts about the awesome programs that my coworkers offer. First up is a Computer Part Art program that my coworker, Marra, did last month. Marra was very kind to share some pictures and write up a blurb about the program, so here you go:
We’ve done a Computer Part Art program before, and it was always been popular. Both kids and grown-ups really enjoy seeing the guts of a computer and come up with some very fun creations. And the grownups usually end up making something too. The most time consuming part of the program is taking the computers apart. Computers are like a complex 3-D puzzle held together by a million screws. Time was running out of getting the pieces out of the machines, so in a last-minute move we decided to have some of the computers, keyboards and mice laid out on the tables with a variety of screwdrivers, pliers and other tools.
Best.idea.ever.
Children and grownups were excited about the idea of choosing to “create or destroy” the computers. The destroyers really dug into their work, focusing for the entire program length at taking the computers apart, layer by layer. The cheers of victory as each piece came off were pretty amazing. One young man, about 5, spent the entire hour with a screwdriver and a keyboard, patiently removing each screw until the computer came apart. His grown up was in awe and said over and over how she had never seen him sit in one place for so long.
If you would like to offer a computer part art program, you’ll need:
- Old, Useless Computers (ask local IT departments)
- Tools
- Various craft supplies (tape, glue, macaroni, buttons, etc.)