We need to teach kids to think more, not less, about what they are doing when using Generative AI. This activity teaches kids to get multiple perspectives on how to solve a problem, so that they can decide which way is best. This activity teaches kids how to prompt for multiple options to solve a problem. When you have to think about which option is best and why, you are thinking more about the problem.

Introduction to the Activity:

Imagine having a magical helper who can turn almost anything you see into a fantastic costume idea, using things you already have at home! Today, we'll use AI to brainstorm costume ideas from objects we take pictures of. Remember, our AI friend might give us some ideas that need tweaking, and it's up to us to decide what will work best!

Materials Needed:

• Camera or smartphone for taking pictures
• Access to ChatGPT or another generative AI
• Paper and markers for sketching costume ideas
• Common household items or recycled materials

Prompts:

We will be using the following prompt for the activity.

• "Help me think of five inexpensive ways to make a costume of what is shown in the picture. Ideally, the materials should be easy to get or recycled materials."

Activity Steps:

1. Introduce the Activity:
   • Discuss how AI can help us brainstorm creative ideas, similar to how looking at books and websites can give us inspiration.
   • Discuss how it is important to always ask for multiple options so that we can see and think about different ways of solving the problem.
   • Highlight how we will use photos to generate costume ideas.
   • The kids will take pictures of things that they want to create a costume of. For example, if a kid wants to make a "pencil costume", they would take a picture of a pencil. If they want to make a "cat costume", they would take a picture of a cat.
   • Example: "Today, we're going to have fun creating costume ideas with the help of an AI friend! We'll start by taking photos of different objects and see what cool costume ideas the AI suggests using things we already have at home!"
2. Take Photos:
   • Ask the kids to walk around and take clear photos of objects that might be fun to turn into costumes.
   • Encourage creativity in capturing everyday items and unusual objects that could be turned into fun costumes.
   • Example: "Let's go on a mini-adventure around the house or yard and take photos of different objects. What interesting things can you find that might turn into a costume? For example, you might take a picture of a plane and have it suggest ways that you could dress up as a plane."
3. Prompt the Generative AI:
   • Type in the prompt:
     • "Help me think of five inexpensive ways to make a costume of what is shown in the picture. Ideally, the materials should be easy to get or recycled materials."
   • Explain to the kids that it is very important to always ask for more than one option.
   • Explain to kids that one of the super powers of generative AI is that we can ask it again and again for ideas and it will keep trying to come up with more to inspire us.
   • Attach one of the photos to the prompt (typically this is done by finding the "+" or paperclip icon near the prompt)
   • Review the AI's responses together, discussing the different costume ideas generated.
   • Example: "Here's a picture of a Sycamore tree. Let's ask the AI to give us five different ways of making a Sycamore tree costume. What do you think it'll come up with?"
4. Improve the AI's Suggestion:
   1. Brainstorm with the kids about how to make the ideas even cooler.
   2. Example: "What else could we add to this costume to make it even more fun?"
5. Choose a Favorite Idea:
   • Was the first idea that it came up with the one you liked best? Would you have missed out on great ideas if you had only asked for one?
   • Together, review the AI-generated ideas and discuss which ones seem the most exciting and feasible.
   • Encourage kids to pick their favorite idea and think about what materials they might need.
   • Encourage kids to follow up and suggest other materials that might be used.
   • Example: "Look at these ideas! Which costume do you think would be fun to make?
6. Follow-up Prompting:
   • If a child shows interest in a particular costume idea, in the same conversation where the generative AI discussed the costume, input a follow-up prompt for more detailed instructions.
   • Follow-up prompt with placeholders (tell the AI which of the five ideas to focus on):
     • "For [Insert Costume Idea], create a detailed list of materials with labels like 1a, 1b, 1c,...etc. and then a step by step plan for making the costume using the materials and referencing the materials (e.g. 1a) in the plan.
   • Example:
     • "For the airplane costume made out of bubble gum wrappers, create a detailed list of materials with labels like 1a, 1b, 1c,...etc. and then a step by step plan for making the costume using the materials and referencing the materials (e.g. 1a) in the plan.
7. Costume Creation Fact Check:
   • Use the detailed AI-generated instructions to either actually start or imagine making the chosen costume.
   • Encourage kids to follow the plan and reference the labeled materials.
   • Example: "Let's pretend to follow these steps to make our robot costume! We need to find 1a (the cardboard box) and 1b (aluminum foil) to get started."
   • Does it work?
   • Did the AI make any mistakes?
   • Were the instructions detailed enough?
   • Did you have to fill in any gaps in its design?
   • Emphasize that the goal is to work together with the AI, not for it to do all the work for you.
8. Reflection and Sharing:
   • Discussing the Experience:
     • Talk about how the AI helped and what kids thought about the ideas.
     • Share the final creations and celebrate the creativity and teamwork.
     • Example: "How did you like using the AI to help make our costumes? What was your favorite part? Let's show everyone our amazing costumes!"

Learning Points:

• Understanding that we want to ask for more than one idea, perspective, solution, option, etc. so that we can explore and think about possibilities.
• Understanding how AI can aid in creative processes.
• Understanding that it is our ideas, in the form of a prompt, that "spark" the ideas generative AI comes up with.
• Understanding that AI doesn't solve all problems, we still need to be creative and improve on its ideas.
• Understanding that we can follow-up in a conversation to refine, add detail, or reshape the ideas from generative AI.
• Recognizing the importance of reviewing and tweaking AI suggestions.

Additional Tips:

• Encourage kids to think about different ways everyday items can be repurposed.
• Foster an environment where all ideas are valued and creativity is celebrated.

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