Tips for Using ChatGPT to Create Engaging Activities for Homeschooling

Creating engaging Homeschooling activities can be fun with the help of technology. I’ll show you how to use ChatGPT to do so. You'll learn to:

• Generate educational activities.
• Create step-by-step guides for the activities.
• Blend learning with your children’s interests.
• Inspire your child's love for learning while they make deeper connections with subjects.

Getting Started with ChatGPT

If you've never used ChatGPT before, it may seem overwhelming at first, but don't worry.  To get started with ChatGPT, the first thing you need to do is access the tool. Go to  OpenAI.com create a free account and you’ll have access to the tool.

AI Teaching Assistant

I like to think of ChatGPT as my personal AI teacher’s assistant. There are three key things to remember about your digital TA. It is:

• Knowledgeable in a variety of subjects.
• Prone to making factual errors in the strangest places.
• Complete the bare minimum in tasks if you allow it.

You may have heard the term prompt engineering. It’s just a fancy term for being specific. For example:

Generic: I’d like a burger.

Prompt engineering: I’d like an Angus beef burger on a whole wheat buttered bun. Cook it medium-well. Add Romain lettuce, tomato, Dijon mustard, Kosher pickle, grilled onion and top with sharp cheddar cheese.

Generating Ideas with ChatGPT

Take a moment to think about and list some of your child’s current interests. For example, my nine-year-old loves

• candy/sweets and dessert
• the comic strip series Calvin & Hobbes
• taking pictures with her digital camera

Some of the subjects I am often trying to keep her interest and curiosity going are math and writing.

Step 1: Let’s prime ChatGPT to get ready for this session. Copy and paste the following:

Role play: As a dedicated full-time homeschooling parent, you embrace the unschooling philosophy, which views education not as separate subjects, but as a holistic integration of a child's interests across all areas of learning. You strive to bring this philosophy to life by incorporating your children's passions into educational activities. For example, if your child loves ice cream, you might have them run an imaginary ice cream store as a math exercise, study the history and process of making ice cream as a reading activity, or explore frozen desserts in different cultures as a social studies lesson. Your goal is to create interactive and engaging lessons that bring learning to life and keep your children motivated. Do you understand?

You’ll get back something like “Yes, I understand” with a restatement of your prompt.

Step 2: Now that you’ve primed your AI teaching assistant, let’s put them to work. Let’s see what it comes up with math and candy.

My 9-year-old loves candy/sweets and desserts. Create 3 activities that combine math with her love of candy/sweets and desserts.

Here is what my Artificial Intelligence TA came up with.

Sure, I can create three math activities that combine your child's love of candy/sweets and desserts. Here are some ideas:

1. Candy Store Math: Set up a pretend candy store with a variety of sweets and candies. Have your child calculate the cost of different items using basic addition and multiplication skills. For example, if a bag of gummy bears costs $2 and your child wants to buy three bags, how much money will she need to pay? If a box of chocolates has 20 pieces and each piece costs $0.50, how much will the whole box cost?
2. Recipe Math: Choose a simple dessert recipe that your child loves and have her practice measuring and adjusting the ingredients to make the perfect batch. For example, if a cookie recipe calls for 1 cup of flour and makes 12 cookies, how much flour will be needed to make 24 cookies? If a cake recipe calls for 2 eggs and your child wants to make half the recipe, how many eggs will she need?
3. Candy Graphing: Use a variety of candies to create a bar graph with your child. Have her sort the candies by type and color, then count and graph the number of each type/color. For example, your child can use Skittles to create a graph that shows the number of red, green, yellow, and blue candies. You can then use this graph to practice addition and subtraction skills, such as "How many more red candies are there than green candies?" or "What is the total number of yellow and blue candies combined?"

Your results will be different. Don’t like those options? Click the ‘Regenerate Response’ or tell your AI TA to generate 3 more different ideas.

Want to see what happens when you combine additional subjects with your child’s interests?

My 9-year-old loves candy/sweets and desserts. Create 3 activities that combine math and writing with her love of candy/sweets and desserts.

And the response:

Sure, here are three activities that combine math and writing with your 9-year-old's love of candy/sweets and desserts:

1. Recipe Writing: Have your child write out a recipe for their favorite dessert, including ingredients and step-by-step instructions. As they write the recipe, have them practice using fractions to measure out ingredients and calculate serving sizes. They can also practice using descriptive language to make their recipe more appealing to readers.
2. Candy Store Advertisements: Have your child create an advertisement for a pretend candy store that they have created. They can write a description of the store, its offerings, and its prices, and use math to calculate the total cost of different purchases. They can also practice persuasive writing by including enticing language and special deals or discounts.
3. Dessert Reviews: Have your child write reviews of their favorite desserts, including their taste, texture, and presentation. As they write their reviews, they can practice using descriptive language and comparing and contrasting different desserts. They can also practice using fractions and percentages to rate different aspects of each dessert, such as sweetness or richness. They can also calculate the total score of each dessert based on their ratings, and compare them to other desserts.

Keep Your Digital Teaching Assistant Working

Now you’ve received some good ideas. How do you get started once you’ve settled in on one? Ask your TA for a step-by-step guide.

I like the Candy Store Advertisements activity. Create a step-by-step guide to do it.

And in a few seconds later my TA came up with:

Sure! Here's a step-by-step guide for the Candy Store Advertisements activity:

Materials:

• Paper and pencils
• Assorted candies and sweets
• Play money (optional)

Steps:

1. Explain to your child that they will be creating an advertisement for a pretend candy store that they have created. Ask them to think about the name of their store, the types of candy and sweets they will sell, and the prices they will charge.
2. Have your child write a description of their store and its offerings. Encourage them to be as creative as possible, using adjectives and descriptive language to make their store sound exciting and appealing to potential customers.
3. Have your child use the candies and sweets to create a visual display of their store. They can arrange the candies in different patterns and displays to make the store look attractive and enticing.
4. Using math, have your child calculate the prices of different candies and sweets, and write them down on a separate piece of paper. They can use play money (or real money, if desired) to practice making purchases and giving change.
5. Encourage your child to create special deals or discounts to entice customers to buy more candy. For example, they might offer a free piece of candy for every $5 spent, or offer a discount for buying a certain number of candies.
6. Finally, have your child create a sign or advertisement for their store. They can write the name of the store, the types of candy and sweets they sell, and the prices and special deals they offer. They can also include a catchy slogan or tagline to make their store stand out.
7. Display the advertisements in a prominent location, and encourage your child to "sell" their candy to family members or friends. This activity not only helps your child practice math and writing skills but also encourages creativity and imagination.

Conclusion

With the help of ChatGPT, you can elevate your homeschooling routine into an interactive and engaging learning experience. As your personal AI Teaching Assistant, ChatGPT can assist you in generating unique and interesting ideas for homeschooling activities that are tailored to your child's interests. By incorporating these ideas into your lessons, you can cultivate your child's love for learning and deepen their understanding of various subjects. With your expert knowledge of your child's interests and ChatGPT's capabilities, you can make learning fun and exciting for your child.