Here we review the basic steps of the modern and accurate finite element method in its application to solve ordinary differential equations in physics. To exemplify this well-in-vogue numerical technique, we have chosen the second order Poisson-Boltzmann equation, which is a classic equation of colloid science. Aiming to formulate a viable, but didactic, implementation of the finite element technique, we have combined a linear basis of functions, the Galerkin weighted residuals method, the Swartz-Wendroff approximation and the Picard iteration algorithm. In summary, the finite element method transforms a differential equation into a simpler system of algebraic equations for the coefficients of the approximate solution in terms of a set of basis functions. We describe the full computational realisation of the finite element procedure and, also, we examine the corresponding Poisson-Boltzmann numerical predictions for various representative conditions.