Build the Future with Hands-On AI

AI Literacy Made Easy, Hands-on, and Affordable.

Help your students go beyond the chatbot.

Enable them with the knowledge to understand, create, and use AI responsibly while building the skills to succeed in the modern workforce.

Teach & Compete

Teach & Compete

Learn the basics of teaching AI and compete for big prizes.

AI Inspiration Gallery

AI Inspiration Gallery

Solve real-world problems with hands-on AI tools today

What's Next

What's Next

Discover the future of our AI Ecosystem

Affordable AI Starts Here

Meet CHARGE: the low-cost way to deliver high-impact AI learning.

CHARGE adds portable power to your micro:bit projects so students can train machine learning models, explore AI hands-on, and create impactful real-world solutions.

CHARGE Rechargeable Battery Pack for micro:bit - Forward Education

Class Pack Cost Calculator

1:1
$0.00
CHARGE devices: 0
CHARGE devices cost: $0.00
Battery Savings
Save {batteries} batteries and {savings} per school year when compared to other disposable battery-powered packs.

Request a CHARGE Trial for Your District

Click below to apply for a complimentary CHARGE battery pack for micro:bit to start exploring hands-on AI in your district.

Learn to Teach AI

AI Tutorials

Get started right away with hands-on AI tutorials that will walk you through everything you need to know.

View Tutorials

AI Training

Attend a live PD training webinars that covers the basics of teaching AI in the classroom.

View Webinar Details

AI Competitions

Put your AI knowledge into practice through AI Competitions for K-12 & Educators.

Learn More

Hands-on Projects You Can Try Today

With just a micro:bit, students can train their own AI models and integrate them their coding and robotics projects.

Check out the inspiration gallery below for ideas on how to apply AI for Good:

Accessibility and Inclusion

Gesture Control

Operate lights, devices, or classroom tools with simple motions.

Language Support

Translate hand motions into communication.

Sustainability

Motion Sensing Lights

Save energy by turning lights off when no motion is detected.

Equity Awareness

AI & Context

Explore how AI recognizes gestures differently by different people and why diverse datasets matter.

Community Engagement

Safe Crossing Signals

Use gestures, sounds, or lights to show when it's safe to cross the street.

Emergency Gesture Alerts

Recognize SOS signals like fire drills and trigger responses across devices.

Health and Wellness

Real-Time Safety Alerts

Detect falls or crashes and sent notifications.

Calm Movement Tracking

Encourage slow, steady motions that triggers soothing lights or sounds.

Art & Creative Expression

Interactive Performances

Bring stories, dance, and the arts to life with gestures that trigger sound, light, and motion effects.

Interested in trying CHARGE for free?

Click to request a complimentary CHARGE to try at your school or district.

Request CHARGE

What we're working on

What's Next for Hands-on AI Learning

We’re focused on building hardware, software, and learning content that makes AI simple, practical, and engaging.

Our goal is to prepare our next generation to take an active role in the workforce of the future with tools that inspire them to create meaningful applications that shape a brighter future for us all.

MACHINE LEARNING

Making Kits Smarter with AI

Our plug-and-play coding and robotics kits and accessories are getting an AI upgrade with tools to train sensors, plus new smart modules that expand what’s possible.

  • Giving Existing Kits an Instant AI Upgrade: Train sensors on light, sound, and movement, then turn AI models into inputs, logic, and outputs for your coding projects.
  • Adding New Video and Voice Sensors: Bring voice, sound, video, images, colors, and more into robotics projects as inputs and outputs.
DATA LITERACY

Surfacing Data Insights with AI

Students can build a deeper understanding of the world around them with AI apps that analyze sensor data and surface meaningful insights.

  • Using AI to Discover Patterns in Data: Analyze real-time or logged inputs like temperature, light, and sound with our AI Data Insights app to uncover trends and answer questions.
VIBE CODING

Coding in Plain Language

Make coding more approachable and equitable for students of all skill levels.

  • Turning Words into Code: Give instructions and watch our AI Code Generator turn it into code that students can review and use.
PURPOSE

Why Hands-on AI Matters

Artificial intelligence is reshaping every industry, including education. For many, AI still feels like a “black box” chatbot. We believe the best way to learn is hands-on.

  • Learn by Doing: Train AI models using real data and see devices respond instantly.
  • Observe AI Ethics in Action: Discover how representation and data quality shape outcomes.
  • Apply AI for Good: Complete projects and challenges that connect skills to real community impact.

We know budgets are tight

To help you choose the right edtech tools, request a complimentary CHARGE battery pack for micro:bit and start exploring hands-on AI in your district.

Request CHARGE

AI Funding Opportunities

The latest information and links to local and national AI funding.

Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) STEM Grants

Sixth to 12th grade teachers are invited to apply on-line for a Toshiba America Foundation grant of up to $5,000 and more than $5,000 to help bring an innovative project into their own classroom.

Purpose:

  • To support teacher-designed, hands-on, engaging STEM projects in the classroom. 
  • To make STEM fun, accessible, real-world relevant, giving students experiences beyond purely textbook work. 

Who is Funded:

  • TAF offers grants to public and nonprofit private schools in the U.S. focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education. 
  • Teachers with innovative, project-based learning ideas are prime applicants.

What's Funded:

  • Project-based STEM learning that has measurable outcomes. 
  • Examples: agriscience, astronomy, robotics, virtual reality, environmental science, etc., especially when tied to real-world or community issues.

Deadlines:

  • Teachers of sixth-12th grade have until November 1, 2025 to submit for more than $5,000 and December 1, 2025 for less than $5,000.

How it fits the Climate Action Kit:

The Climate Action Kit is an ideal match for the Toshiba America Foundation grant because it embodies everything the program is designed to support: teacher-led, hands-on, project-based STEM learning with measurable outcomes. With the Kit, students build environmental science and renewable energy prototypes like wind turbines, smart farming systems, and hydroponics setups that connect coding, robotics, and sustainability.

Teachers applying for this grant can highlight how the Climate Action Kit:

  • Makes STEM real-world relevant by engaging students in climate and environmental problem-solving.
  • Encourages creativity and innovation through open-ended design challenges that move beyond textbooks.
  • Delivers measurable outcomes as students code, test, and refine working prototypes that demonstrate their understanding.
  • Supports multiple disciplines including agriscience, environmental science, robotics, and data analysis, which are all examples of what Toshiba specifically lists as fundable.

By applying with the Climate Action Kit and merging environmental action with hands-on technology, teachers can frame it as a compelling proposal for TAF funding.

Link: https://www.toshiba.com/taf/612.jsp

NSF Supplemental Funding Requests for K-12 AI Teams (Presidential AI Challenge via Community-Based Partnerships)

Funding up to $25,000 per team. Up to 100 multi-person teams are expected to be funded nationwide.

Purpose:

  • Encourage hands-on and experiential learning in AI among K-12 students and educators.
  • Expand early access to quality AI learning opportunities. 
  • Prepare youth for success in an AI-enabled world. 

Who is Funded:

What is Funded:

  • Equipment, supplies, software related to AI challenges 
  • Educator or student stipends 
  • Travel for events, project showcases, registration/transportation fees 
  • Community events, mentorship or curriculum support

Deadline:

  • NSF Supplemental Funding Requests are due by November 7, 2025

How it fits Training an AI Model with CHARGE

The CHARGE battery pack and machine learning apps are a natural fit for the NSF’s Presidential AI Challenge funding. These tools make hands-on, experiential AI learning simple, affordable, and accessible for K–12 youth and educators. With CHARGE powering micro:bit projects that enable students to train models, schools can design AI-driven solutions to real-world problems without expensive hardware or complex setups.

Educator teams applying for this NSF supplement can show how CHARGE and CreateAI:

  • Expand early access to AI by using devices students already know, paired with affordable upgrades, to lower barriers to entry.
  • Encourage active, project-based learning as students train and apply their own AI models in robotics, coding, and data projects.
  • Support community impact through AI for Good challenges, like building assistive technologies, environmental monitors, or smart systems.
  • Provide measurable, showcase-ready outcomes with prototypes and student-led demos that can be shared at events, exhibitions, and community forums.

With funding available for equipment, supplies, software, stipends, and travel, CHARGE positions teams to maximize the NSF’s goal: preparing students for success in an AI-enabled world while keeping projects affordable, portable, and deeply connected to community needs.

Link: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/dcl-supplemental-funding-requests-support-k-12-artificial