u/diamond_Hands_LE

I posted recently about trying to figure out how to explain AI/computer science type stuff in our homeschool, and I had another one of those moments this week.
I thought I’d keep it simple and do an "AI sorts things into categories" kind of activity with my kid. We used random objects from around the house and talked about patterns, labels, and how a computer might learn from examples.
It started out fun, but then I hit that awkward middle part where I wasn’t sure how far to take it. Was this actually teaching anything? Should I connect it to real AI? Should we move to a coding activity? Was I oversimplifying it so much that it became meaningless?
That’s the part I keep running into with STEM/tech topics. I can find activities, but turning them into actual learning without over-explaining or under-explaining is hard.
For those of you teaching AI, coding, or computer science at home, how do you know when an activity is "enough"? Do you follow a curriculum, use apps, do unplugged projects, or just let it be exposure?

My 10-year-old asked me this week how AI knows things, and I gave one of those answers where I could hear myself talking but knew I was not really explaining it well.
I can find videos about AI. I can find coding apps. I can even find random activities if I search long enough. But I’m struggling with how to make this stuff feel understandable and not just another screen-based thing.
I want my kids to understand the world they’re growing up in, which includes, AI, data, how computers make predictions, when technology gets things wrong, but I also don’t want to turn our homeschool day into "go watch another video."

How are other homeschool parents handling this? Are you teaching AI/computer science intentionally yet, or does it still feel like something you'll get to later?