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AI Adventure: Learning to Talk to AI!

A Fun Project for Ages 10+

Project for children 10 years and older

This project guide includes:

1. 5 Core Missions that progressively teach how wording affects AI responses
2. Hands-on experiments comparing vague vs. specific questions
3. Real examples a 10-year-old can try immediately
4. Observation prompts to encourage critical thinking
5. Safety guidelines for responsible AI use
6. Practice activities to reinforce learning
7. A bonus mission on iterative refinement

Each mission shows 3-4 variations of questions, making it crystal clear how different wording produces different results. The language is age-appropriate, fun, and educational!

What You'll Learn

• How to ask AI good questions
• Why the words you use matter
• How to get better answers by changing your questions
• Creative ways to use AI as a learning tool

Project Overview

You'll complete 5 fun missions where you ask AI questions in different ways and see how the answers change!

Mission 1: The Story Challenge

Goal: See how AI creates different stories based on how you ask.

Step 1: Ask the basic question

Write a story about a dragon.

Step 2: Add more details

Write a funny story about a friendly dragon who is afraid of butterflies.

Step 3: Be super specific

Write a 2-paragraph funny story about a purple dragon named Sparkles who is afraid of butterflies. Make it happen in a magical forest and include a brave squirrel friend.

What to Notice

• How did the stories change?
• Which version gave you the most interesting story?
• What details made the biggest difference?

Your Turn

Write down 3 different versions of a story request about a topic YOU choose!

Mission 2: The Explanation Game

Goal

Learn how asking for different "levels" changes the answer.

Step 1: Simple version

What is gravity?

Step 2: Kid-friendly version

Explain gravity like I'm 10 years old.

Step 3: Fun version

Explain gravity to a 10-year-old using examples with jumping on a trampoline and throwing a ball.

Step 4: Super simple version

Explain gravity in one sentence using only simple words.

What to Notice

• Which explanation did you understand best?
• Did the examples help?
• Which version would you use to teach a younger kid?

Your Turn

Pick a science topic (like photosynthesis, magnets, or electricity) and ask about it in 3 different ways!

Mission 3: The Creative Helper

Goal

See how AI can help with homework in different ways.

Let's say you need to write about your favorite animal...

Step 1: Too general

Tell me about dogs.

This might give you too much information!

Step 2: Better question

Give me 5 interesting facts about dogs that I can use in a school report.

Step 3: Even more specific

Give me 5 interesting facts about Golden Retrievers, including something about their history, what they're good at, and how they help people. Make each fact one sentence.

What to Notice

• Which version would help you write YOUR report in YOUR words?
• Which gave you too much information?
• Which was just right?

Your Turn

Think of a homework topic and write 3 different questions about it!

Mission 4: The Format Experiment

Goal

Learn how to ask AI to give answers in different formats.

Let's learn about planets...

Step 1: Regular answer

Tell me about the planets in our solar system.

Step 2: List format

List the planets in our solar system from closest to farthest from the sun.

Step 3: Table format

Create a simple table showing each planet's name, size (small/medium/large), and one cool fact about it.

Step 4: Fun format

Describe each planet in our solar system as if they were characters in a story, using one sentence per planet.

What to Notice

• Which format was easiest to read?
• Which would be best for studying?
• Which was the most fun?

Your Turn

Pick a topic and ask for it in 3 different formats: list, paragraph, and table!

Mission 5: The Polite vs. Direct Test

Goal

Learn about being specific vs. polite (spoiler: both work, but specific is better!).

Step 1: Very polite but vague

Could you maybe help me think of some ideas for things to draw?

Step 2: Direct and specific

Give me 5 drawing ideas for animals doing funny things.

Step 3: Super specific with details

Give me 5 drawing ideas featuring animals doing unexpected activities (like a giraffe playing basketball). Include different types of animals.

What to Notice

• You can be polite OR direct - both are fine!
• Being specific gets better results
• Giving examples helps AI understand what you want

Your Turn

Ask for creative ideas (drawing, writing, game ideas) in 3 different ways!

Bonus Mission: The Refinement Challenge

Goal

Learn to improve answers by asking follow-up questions

Step 1: Start with a question

Give me an idea for a science experiment I can do at home.

Step 2: Make it more specific

That sounds interesting! Can you make it easier and use materials I can find in the kitchen?

Step 3: Ask for details

Can you give me step-by-step instructions for that experiment?

Step 4: Ask for the "why"

Why does this experiment work? Explain it simply.

What to Notice

• You don't have to get it perfect the first time!
• You can keep asking to make answers better
• Follow-up questions are super helpful

Your AI Question Checklist

Before asking AI a question, ask yourself:

• What exactly do I want? (a story, facts, a list, an explanation?)
• Who am I? (Should AI know I'm 10 years old?)
• How detailed? (One sentence? A paragraph? A whole page?)
• What format? (List, table, story, step-by-step?)
• Any examples? (Can I show AI what kind of thing I want?)

Creative Practice Ideas

Week 1: Story Time

Each day, ask AI for a different type of story by changing ONE thing:

• Different character (robot, dinosaur, astronaut)
• Different setting (space, underwater, jungle)
• Different mood (funny, mysterious, exciting)
• Different length (1 paragraph, 3 paragraphs)

Week 2: Learning Helper

Practice asking about school subjects in different ways:

• Explain like I'm 10
• Give me examples
• Make it a game
• Use analogies (comparing to things I know)

Week 3: Creative Projects

Ask AI to help with creative projects:

• Ideas for drawings
• Story starters
• Game ideas
• Science experiments

Remember: AI is a helper, not a homework-doer! Always use AI to learn and understand, then write answers in YOUR own words.

Important Rules for Using AI

1. Never share personal information (your address, phone number, school name, etc.)
2. Always check facts with a trusted adult or another source
3. Use AI to help you learn, not to do your work for you
4. Be creative and experiment - you can't break AI by asking questions!
5. Ask a parent or teacher if you're not sure about something

Track Your Progress

Create a journal where you write:

• The question you asked
• What answer you got
• How you changed the question
• What worked better

What You've Learned

By completing this project, you now know:

• Specific questions get better answers
• You can ask AI to explain things at your level
• Details and examples help AI understand what you want
• You can ask follow-up questions to improve answers
• Different formats work for different purposes
• AI is a tool to help you learn and create

Keep Exploring!

Now that you know how to talk to AI, keep practicing! The more you use it, the better you'll get at asking great questions.

Remember: The best questions are clear, specific, and include the details that matter!

Happy AI exploring!

Created for young learners to develop AI literacy skills

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