Disposing of your unwanted christmas presents has been given a whole new angle by Tinker, a London hi-tech art installation firm.
The company is this weekend running a 'toy hacking' class, showing participants how to rip apart their gadgets and rewire them.
The workshops are a very Heath Robinson affair, with desks strewn with components and some of the most knowledgeable teachers you are likely to find. 
They do require a bit of prior knowledge of electronics, but for anyone with nerd aspirations, they're a great introduction to the world of 'tinkering' with gadgets. And more importantly, you get to take whatever you make home with you.
The firm, based near London's scarily trendy 'silicon roundabout', where almost every other firm is a now a dotcom, also practises what is preaches. It recently unveiled an innovative new project at Arup's Fitzroy Street Office, allowing passers by to trigger a series of personalised light displays in the office window by simply placing their Oyster card on a reader.

For more information on the toy hacking workshop:
http://tinkerit.eventwax.com/toy-hacking-workshop