Phillips County Museum’s Take Apart Day shows kids what makes things tick

    What better backdrop than a museum for a day dedicated to kids taking apart old electronics? While there, they not only dissected the gadgets but also checked out the historic counterparts to some of the items.
    As an old computer came apart one screw at a time, Phillips County Historical Society board members Carol Haynes and Carrie Anderson showed students a typewriter from the museum’s collection. Likewise, discussing the Chromebooks used in Holyoke schools led the group to look at an antique slate board and pencil formerly used in school.
    Anderson took the opportunity to explain the importance of museums to the youth. “Without a museum, do you think you ever would have seen a slate board?” she asked. She went on to tell them that the museum in Holyoke saves the history of Phillips County so they can remember where they came from.
    On the other end of the spectrum, some of the items taken apart June 14 at the Take Apart Day were old enough that the young students didn’t recognize them. They took apart floppy disks and learned that they stored data, comparing them to flash drives.

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