7 DIY tech skills that schools won’t teach your kids

We all want our children to learn and be successful, but schooling systems aren’t necessarily teaching them all they should, and most won’t learn the basic do-it-yourself technology skills necessary in today’s tech-driven world. So, as a parent, where should you begin? Here are seven fundamental tech skills that can be taught at home to make up for any deficits.

Wiring a plug or changing a bulb:

Several years ago, it was trendy in US education systems to institute curriculums that taught young girls how to change light bulbs and accomplish other rudimentary “tech-related” functions, in an effort to get them up to speed with their male counterparts. Today, it does not matter if you’re the parent of a boy or girl, because schools have altogether ceased teaching children how to wire a plug, change a fuse, or replace a lightbulb. It seems to be implied by schools that it is the responsibility of parents to teach their children these skills.

How to solder:

A vital skill that is easy to grasp with an achievable learning curve is soldering. It’s one of those skills that often gets overlooked, but is critical to learn as it can be used for replacing parts on a PCB as well as to empower children in building their own DIY electronics projects. Watch the video below to get a better understanding.

Use a multimeter to fix old gadgets:

If you’re looking to fix your old radio or other broken gadget, then you’re going to need to know how to use a multimeter, which is an electronic diagnostic hardware that can be used to measure voltage and current, allowing you to quickly diagnose circuit-related issues. Multimeters are relatively cheap to purchase and typically come equipped with a digital display, selector knob, and three or more ports where the removable probes can be connected. Teach your children that probes come in different shapes, from needles to tweezers and alligator kits. And while DC/battery powered devices are typically safe, never let your children handle a live AC circuit.

Build a PC:

With the huge variety of notebooks, tablets, smartphones, and hybrids flooding the computer market, you may think there is no need to build own PC. But when it comes to saving money and investing in a fun learning project, this is it. Having some basic computer knowledge may be advantageous to demonstrate logical thinking and hand-eye coordination if the world were ever to go into some sort of crisis or large unemployment strike. Several of us probably have a pile of old components and still functional equipment that can be used to put together a working machine. Find out how to construct it below:

Woodwork and metalwork skills:

Society uses more wood and metal than it ever has before, but it’s still increasingly rare for schools to teach skills revolving around these resources. It’s important for children to learn how to manipulate these materials using hammers, nails, jigsaws, routers, tin snips, metal shears, and torches. Check out the video below for a few tips on metalwork and woodworking skills:

Install any Operating System (OS):

If you’ve taught your children how to build a PC, then they should also know how to install a copy of Windows or Linux from scratch. Walking your kids through how to install an OS on the Raspberry Pi may also be very beneficial. Operating systems can be installed from optical and hard media as well as with CDs and DVDs. Ensure your child knows that it’s important to keep a backup OS on a DVD as well as recovery tools just in case of an HDD failure or malware infection.

Use these sites to learn online:

Aside from the tech skills we’ve listed thus far, there are a ton of websites where you can teach your offspring an array of knowledge. While you’ll find a substantial amount of information on YouTube, another site to check out is DIY.org, which offers a gamified reward system of activities for kids to demonstrate their newly acquired skills and work towards desired badges. It also offers paid “camps” to guide children through certain tasks and activities to be inspired from; an iPhone operating on iOS 8.1 or greater is required for participation.

What DIY skills do you think are important to teach your children that they won’t learn in today’s education system?

Source: MakeUseOf