We are learning to work with a new fire.
AI and computer science for ages 10 to 17. In person. Allotment compatible.
Ember & Oak Institute is a local educational institute serving Mat-Su Valley homeschool families. We pair timeless wisdom with hands-on, Socratic learning. All programs satisfy both State and Federal requirements.
Founded by Aimee and Richard. In-person gatherings throughout the Mat-Su Valley for ages 10 to 17.
Ember Tech.
Our flagship branch. In-person AI and computer science courses that treat this new tool the way earlier generations treated fire. Useful and worth respecting, and kept in its place.
The five courses we are tending right now
AI Literacy & Computer Science Foundations
The core course. Students build small, useful things with code while learning what AI actually is and how it works under the hood. The human questions come first. Who does this help, and what does it cost? Enrolling for summer.
Conversational AI for Learning
We practice careful, curious dialogue with these models, the same way we practice it across the fire with elders and neighbors. The goal is sharper thinking, not faster answers.
Creative AI & Digital Citizenship
Making things with these tools while staying rooted in place and the dignity of original work. Who owns a story a model helped write, and what does it mean to be a good neighbor online?
AI-Assisted Coding & Computational Thinking
Learning to think like a builder. We use AI as a drafting partner, and build the judgment to tell when it is helping and when it is flattening the work.
Build with AI: Data & Project Studio
A studio where each student picks a small problem from their own life or community and builds something that helps with it.
Small groups. Good tools, honest talk. We make room for the questions, not just the code.
How we actually gather.
Small and in person.
Usually 8 to 14 students, across the Mat-Su Valley. We meet around tables, and sometimes around an actual fire. The tech sits at the table with us. It does not run the room.
Hands before screens.
We still work with wood, metal, soil, and voice. Code is one more craft. A kid who can sharpen a knife and explain why an AI model gave a strange answer is ready for a lot.
The circle is the curriculum.
Most of the learning happens while listening to someone else. We slow down on purpose, so every voice gets heard.
The other branches — Oak Ventures, Steady Flame, and Industrial Pathways — now have their own dedicated pages (linked from the main hearth).