Free STEM + AI learning resources · Ages 9–13
House Thinks Week
Five short sessions for ages 9–13. A local adult leads; paper and pencils are enough. No author appearance, purchase, coding or child AI account is needed.
Ready for your group
Plan about 15 minutes a day, or use the sessions across five meetings. The nine-page program includes a preparation guide, five timed facilitator plans with reference answers, a student decision sheet, a family take-home sheet and a printable announcement poster. The slides provide discussion prompts and presenter notes.
You organize your own schedule and venue. Fill in the poster’s host, dates and location; no author visit or partnership is implied. There is no registration or reporting requirement.
Day 1
Notice the refrigerator’s job
Draw how heat moves out of the cabinet. Separate a source-supported explanation from an unanswered question.
Day 2
Trace a reading lamp
Compare a person using a switch with a timer following a chosen schedule. Imagine a changed routine.
Day 3
Explain a fan decision
Compare manual speed selection, a fixed threshold and a possible prediction. Discuss a shared room with different preferences.
Day 4
Imagine with less data
Sort fictional information cards. Explain why a door reminder does not need names or kitchen recordings.
Day 5
Question and choose
Make a reasoned design decision. Imagine a mistake and explain how a person can refuse, correct or stop the feature.
Safety and participation
Use drawings and external observation only. Do not open, modify, obstruct or test appliances or safety equipment. Do not change settings, interrupt power or networks, or touch hot, sharp, powered or pressurized parts. Every failure stays imaginary. Offer spoken responses or a scribe when useful.
Optional web activity
The five-minute machine challenge supports the final discussion. It uses preset choices and no AI service. The paper program is complete without it.
Share with your community
Print and share the unchanged program for noncommercial education with attribution and safety guidance intact. You may fill in event details on the poster. You may use the supplied slides to lead the sessions and add your local host details while preserving the educational text, source notes and safety guidance. These permissions do not include reproducing the book or artwork separately, selling the materials or implying endorsement.
Embed the activity on your website · Reto y guía en español · Editorial information
Original companion materials for How Your House Thinks by James T. Intended for discussion, not a validated assessment, certified curriculum or claim of measured learning gains.