Right habits early
Honest use, checking answers and staying safe — learned before bad habits settle in.
Saplings: Learn With AI · by Bright Pines Foundation
Help your child learn with AI — honestly and safely.
Eight live online sessions on weekends for students in Grades 9 to 12. They learn to ask better questions, check what AI tells them and keep their own thinking in charge. No fee at any stage.
Free for every studentLive onlineCertificateParents included
Why Saplings
Students are already using AI. Few have been shown how.
Students use AI for homework, projects and the questions they hesitate to ask in class. Most have never been taught to tell a good answer from a confident wrong one, or where help ends and copying begins. The habits they form now are the ones that stay.
Open to every student
Online and free, so students in government and low-fee schools can join as easily as anyone.
Parents included
Parents register, stay informed and can join our Parent Circle.
The programme
Eight weeks, one skill at a time
Week 1
What AI is, and what it is not
You will… Understand in plain terms how AI tools produce answers and where they fail.
Week 2
Asking good questions
You will… Use prompting as a way to think clearly about a problem.
Week 3
AI as a study partner
You will… Use AI to explain, quiz and test your understanding instead of copying answers.
Week 4
Checking AI
You will… Spot errors and bias, and verify facts against reliable sources.
Week 5
Honest use
You will… Know the line between help and cheating, and why your own work matters.
Week 6
Safety and privacy
You will… Protect personal data and recognise deepfakes and scams.
Week 7
Project week
You will… Build a personal study plan or a mini research piece with AI.
Week 8
AI and your future
You will… Explore future skills and careers, present your work and receive your certificate.
How Saplings works
- 1
Join the live Sapling Session
One 60-minute session each weekend. Students watch and take part through polls and chat questions; cameras and microphones stay off.
- 2
Catch up any time
Every session is recorded and published in our Saplings playlist on YouTube.
- 3
Do the Sapling Task
A short practice activity each week to use what was learned on real schoolwork.
- 4
Earn the certificate
Attend (live or recorded) and complete the tasks to receive the Saplings Certificate in AI Learning Readiness.
Our method
Attempt → Ask → Challenge → Verify → Reflect
The same five steps in every session, until they become the way a learner approaches any answer.
- 1
Attempt
Try the problem yourself first and write down your answer.
- 2
Ask
Put the same question to an AI tool and read what it says.
- 3
Challenge
Ask it why. Push back on the parts that look wrong.
- 4
Verify
Check it against a book, your notes, a teacher or a trusted source.
- 5
Reflect
Write what you learned — from the tool and from your own attempt.
Our progress
Saplings in numbers
Cohort 1 begins on Sat, 10 Oct, 2026. Our numbers will appear here as the programme runs.
For parents
Join the Parent Circle
A free online session for parents on how children should use AI at home — what to allow, what to watch for, and how to talk about it together.
How we keep students safe
- A parent or guardian registers every student and gives consent.
- No private messages between facilitators and students — all contact happens in sessions or through parents.
- We collect only what we need (student first name, grade, school, parent contact) and never share it or use it to market to students.
- We check every AI tool's age rules before showing it, and students use only tools that allow their age.
- Live chat is moderated in every session.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no fee at any stage, and nothing to buy.
Who can join?
Students in Grades 9 to 12, aged 13 or older, from any school. A parent or guardian registers them.
What does my child need?
A phone or laptop with a stable internet connection. No AI account is needed to take part.
What if we miss a session?
Every session is recorded on YouTube. Watching the recording counts towards the certificate.
Can my child register on their own?
No. For every student under 18, a parent or guardian completes the registration and gives consent.
What language are sessions in?
English, with explanations in Hindi where helpful.
Who teaches Saplings?
Atul Singh, AI trainer and Programme Lead for the Bright Pines AI Learning Readiness Initiative.
Is this connected to my child's school?
Saplings is run by Bright Pines Foundation and is open to students from any school. Schools can also invite us through School Connect.
Give your child a head start with AI — the right way.
Cohort 1 begins on Sat, 10 Oct, 2026. Registration takes two minutes.