This is the fourth post, in a series of activities, that are designed to impart logic and computer science concepts without the use of expensive technology or one-on-one devices. Check out the first post about the game Robot Turtles, extensions for Robot Turtles and the game of ‘Be the Robot.’ Inside a Laptop – Make a Paper LaptopThis multi-day project was one of the kids’ favorite activities. I think it impressed the adults too. Everyone seemed to like this activity – both the process and the final product. There was structure, there was learning and there was enough creativity the kids could ‘make it their own.’ I did this activity with kindergarten through fourth grade students. They all loved it, although I think it was too much for the younger kids (K and 1st). The purpose of this project was to reinforce the idea that computers are made up of parts. We, as people, construct them and we need to tell them what to do (at least at this stage in the game). I don’t want the kids to think that it is just a magic box. I want them to understand there are lots of connected pieces that work together to make a working computer. This activity came about because I needed a computer science project for a church camp, but they had no computers. There were minimal materials available, but I am a hands-on educator. I needed to find a way to engage the students without droning on and on. I don’t lecture (at least not for more than 5 minutes) and almost never for classes that include young children. After some desperate web searching, I came across a few ‘computer parts’ worksheets and thankfully, this blog post by Creatiful Kids. Since I am a Montessori-educator – and I was trying to discourage the “magic” feel of a computer – I created my own, realistic-looking materials so my students could build their own laptop. Connecting the Paper Laptop with a Real-Life Laptop Then, I needed a computer to take apart. Thank goodness I had one laying around. It managed to stick around despite during my 2014 minimalist-inspired purge (as it’s called in our house). Somehow, I didn’t manage to get rid of the old Macbook. That laptop was still hanging out in my husband’s office, so I immediately grabbed it. I found a YouYube video on how to take it apart and started unscrewing. I attracted the attention of my youngest son and we worked together. Since it was a very old laptop (from 2005), some of the screws were stripped and did not come undone. There was some cutting and pulling, but we took the top off and figured out where the main parts were. Now I had a real-life visual to show the kids and they could replicate the “real” laptop by making one out of paper. I asked them not to touch any of these parts because I wasn’t sure what sort of chemicals were coating them after so many years of use. I also removed the battery and placed it in a plastic bag and showed it to them, but didn’t pass it around. Did I expect them to remember the names of the parts? Maybe. Did I expect them to remember them at the end of the project? No. But, my older students did. I was quite impressed. Will they remember the names of those parts next summer? No.I’m not there to reinforce the concepts, but they should remember that a laptop computer is made up of various parts which are housed inside the computer. That’s one step closer to taking the magic out of a computer. I have put both hand-drawn sheets and a lengthy list of instructions on the web site, Teachers Pay Teachers, under the title, “Make a Paper Laptop.”