Think first. The tool comes after.
A week of hands-on play with real AI tools, built on a tested method. Kids start by making, and learn AI through experimenting, not instruction. They work off the screen and on it, and back again. And they think and create first, then let the tool amplify. And they don't just learn to use AI, they gain agency over it. They lead, the tool follows. They build real AI literacy: question what it gives them, learn from what they make, make it their own. They learn it the way you learn a language, by living it, until it flows. And they have fun doing it.
Apply for the camp →Five days of making things with real AI tools. Kids come in with an idea on paper, then use AI to build it, push it, break it, fix it. The point isn't to use AI. It's to lead it.
They don't just learn to use AI, they gain agency over it. They lead, the tool follows. They build real AI literacy: question what it gives them, learn from what they make, make it their own. They learn it the way you learn a language, by living it, until it flows. Not users of AI. Leaders of it. And they have fun doing it.
We ran two pilots, last summer and last winter. Kids, real AI tools, learning by playing. They came in thinking the AI had the answers. They left knowing they had to lead it.
They learned to push back. "I kept saying no no no. Then it got good." They learned the tool will never stop them. "It never says no. My mom says no all the time."
The kid who argues with the AI is the kid who leads it. That's the method.
We don't want kids addicted to AI. We want them curious about what they're building, and in charge of it.
They show up, they make, they lead. The tool is the follower. That's the whole idea. And they understand how it works and how to use it. Studies show those that iterate with AI gain cognitive power. That's what we do.
July 20–24, ages 9–14, Santa Monica. Small group, so spots are limited. Tell me a bit about your kid and I'll follow up personally to confirm your spot.
Same name, same method, weekly instead of a week. Kids build one project across the month, with AI tools and Sara in the room. Small group, 4–6 kids. Drop your email and I'll let you know when September enrollment opens.
Sara graduated from Loyola Marymount with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. She's the Math Intervention Specialist at Ocean Charter School and leads math tutoring at Wish Charter School.
She teaches AI Sandbox, camp and after-school. She's the adult in the room who makes sure AI serves the kids, not the other way around.
I build with AI every day. Sites, tools, products. Not because it's my job, because it's how I learn. AI Lemonade Stand was co-founded with educator Sina Monjazeb.
The bet we're making is simple. The people who do best in this shift won't be the most technical. They'll be the most human.
The future belongs to the most human.