A Curious Teacher’s Guide to a Fun Summer

Summer is a time for resting, recharging… and maybe playing around with that AI tool you didn’t quite have time for during the school year. This is your permission slip to treat AI like a sandbox this summer. Try new things. Build your AI confidence. Use it to make your life easier, or weirder! Because every time you use AI thoughtfully, even if just for fun, you’re building exactly the kind of awareness we want our students to have too.

Here are 25 fun, practical, and silly ways to get started.

Everyday AI for Real Life

• Plan a vacation itinerary (bonus: ask AI for interesting or less common roadside stops).
• Generate meal ideas based on what’s in your fridge.
• Ask for wine or cocktail pairings for your favorite summer recipes.
• Create a party plan: theme, menu, playlist, and even a cheesy invitation.
• Build a home project list with steps, tools, and a timeline.
• Track a summer budget with a simple AI-generated spreadsheet.
• Use AI to optimize your packing list for a camping trip or road trip.

Family Fun with AI

• Co-write a bedtime story with your kid as the main character. (No photo uploads, please. Stick to first names only.)
• Build a scavenger hunt with custom clues.
• Generate trivia questions for a family game night.
• Ask for craft ideas using whatever you already have at home.
• Turn your backyard into a mini science camp with AI-generated experiments.

Personal Growth & Learning

• Write your first blog post (AI can help you brainstorm, outline or edit).
• Create your own website or online portfolio. (Canva just dropped a bunch of new tools including Canva AI and Canva Code! Go play!)
• Ask AI for a plan to learn a new hobby or skill.
• Use it to revise your resume or write a new cover letter.
• Generate a summer reading list tailored to your interests.

Wellness & Reflection

• Journal alongside AI: use it for prompts and/or reflections. (I reflect with AI regularly and have found it to be incredibly insightful!)
• Ask AI to help you create a guided mindfulness walk.
• Search for a new wellness app.
• Create a fitness plan.
• Design a mood-boosting playlist.

Educator Extras

• Draft your fall welcome letter or classroom newsletter.
• Play with syllabus language or assignment redesigns. (AI continuously helps me think through my grading practices and summer is when I find myself the most able to think deeply about redesigning big things.)
• Reflect on how you might integrate AI literacy in a no-tech or low-tech way for your students.

Why This Matters

Everything on this list is a way to increase your AI literacy by doing instead of studying. And if you’re familiar with the Krause Center’s work, you know we believe in experiential, creative, human-centered learning.

AI isn’t just for techies. It’s for teachers, parents, readers, travelers, hobbyists, and reflective humans. Especially those who want to model curiosity and ethical thinking for their students.

This summer your only homework is to be the kind of learner who can explore a new tool, ask good questions, and make informed decisions. That’s the real skill we want to pass on.

Your Turn! Go Play!

Let’s play Tic-Tac-Toe! Share your results with a friend, a colleague, or your students in the fall. And if you’re up for it, join one of our upcoming workshops at the Krause Center for Innovation. We’d love to hear what you created.

Reflection questions:

1. What surprised you about using AI in a low-stakes way?
2. How might you encourage students to be playful and thoughtful with technology?
3. Which human skills (like creativity, empathy, or critical thinking) did you tap into the most?

Note on AI Use:
I used ChatGPT to help me organize and refine my thoughts for this blog. I provided the ideas, notes, and direction, and the AI tool helped me pull it all together. I reviewed and edited everything to make sure it reflects my voice, stories, emojis ?, and the message I want to share.