Unlocking AI: Understanding and Building Neural Networks
The 16-session plan
The first week will focus on developing a basic understanding of neural networks, including what they are, how they are used, and examples of problems they can solve. Participants will become familiar with important terminology such as inputs, outputs, neurons, and layers. The mentor can provide a few recommended introductory resources and answer any initial questions.
Participants will learn how an individual artificial neuron works and how inputs, weights, and biases are combined to produce an output. They will also explore how multiple neurons are organized into input, hidden, and output layers. Simple examples will be used to understand these concepts without requiring extensive mathematics.
This week will introduce activation functions and why they are necessary for neural networks to learn complex relationships. Participants will explore commonly used activation functions such as ReLU, sigmoid, and softmax and compare when each may be useful. The mentor can help clarify the intuition behind each function rather than focusing heavily on mathematical derivations.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this project a great fit for?+
BlueRobins projects are designed for curious students in Grades 3-12 who want to build. No prior experience is needed — mentors start wherever your child is and grow the challenge as they grow.
What does a typical session look like?+
Your child meets 1-on-1 with their mentor every week over Google Meet. Programs run 16 sessions of 45 minutes each. Sessions are hands-on from minute one — building, designing, coding, writing, experimenting — with the mentor coaching live, asking great questions, and unlocking the next step.
What will my child build by the end?+
A finished project they're proud of and can show the world. Across 16 sessions, your child turns an ambitious idea into a working app, prototype, research write-up, portfolio, or published artifact. Every student finishes with a completion certificate signed by their mentor.
Why a free trial first?+
So your child can meet their mentor, get a feel for the project, and leave the call excited. The trial is a complimentary 1-on-1 free trial session — no credit card needed. After the trial, you decide if it's the right fit. Most families know within the first 15 minutes.