Don't just watch the future. Build it.
A hands-on AI summer camp where students go from scrolling to shipping — building real projects with real tools in one week.
Summer 2026
Two kinds of kids are growing up right now.
By the time your student enters the workforce, AI will separate those who build from those who scroll.
The Scroller
They use AI to write their essays for them.
They accept whatever the algorithm feeds them.
They treat technology like magic they can't control.
Replaceable.
The Architect
They understand how AI models actually work.
They know how to build, test, and ship real tools.
They create what everyone else just uses.
The one doing the hiring.
“Schools need to help students understand how to use generative AI tools responsibly and thoughtfully, with attention to academic integrity, critical thinking, and ethical use, rather than simply treating them as shortcuts for assignments.”
— Harvard Graduate School of Education
What your student walks away with.
Not just knowledge. Proof.
Foundations
No experience needed. Ship a working project by Friday.
AI Literacy
Your student will actually understand how AI works — not just use it
Critical Thinking
They'll learn to fact-check AI, spot errors, and never trust output blindly
Real Coding
They'll write actual code using the same tools professionals use
A Working Project
By Friday, they'll have a live app they built themselves
Ethics Training
Daily sessions on privacy, bias, and using AI responsibly
Demo Day
They'll present their project to a live audience
Advanced
For students who completed Track 1. Build something real.
AI Agents
They'll build AI that takes actions and solves problems, not just answers questions
Real Data
They'll connect AI to actual information sources and make it cite its work
Quality Testing
They'll learn to test their own AI — because shipping broken software isn't an option
Safety Engineering
They'll build safety rules into the product, not just talk about them
The Pitch
They'll learn to present their work like a founder, not a student
Capstone Demo
A polished presentation to a panel of judges. Parents are invited.
Taught by Experience
Your student learns from people who build with AI every day — not from a textbook.
Eric Elias
Camp 4R was founded by Eric Elias, a Cincinnati native, Indian Hill resident, and father to a five-year-old who already loves making stories with ChatGPT.
Eric has used AI every single day since ChatGPT launched, not as a novelty, but as a core part of how he works. He's built custom AI applications, automated business workflows, and solved real problems with these tools. Before founding Camp 4R, he spent a decade in tech, working at startups in both San Francisco and Cincinnati, earning Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition along the way. He started his career at GE Aviation right here in Cincinnati and holds a degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
His wife Sarah spent a decade in education, creating learning programs and founding a toy company, so building meaningful experiences for kids runs in the family.
Eric started Camp 4R because he saw firsthand how AI is reshaping everyday work and wanted to prepare the next generation for that shift. Hype aside, AI is a fundamental change to how we'll operate as a society, both socially and economically. Learning to wield that power isn't optional anymore. It's becoming essential for getting into college, landing internships, and building businesses.
Kids who develop real AI skills now will have a major edge in admissions, in careers, and in a world that's changing fast. Camp 4R is taught by someone who builds with AI daily.
And while his five-year-old is busy generating bedtime stories with ChatGPT, she's motivated Eric to become an even better storyteller himself, with a little help from AI.
Highlighting: Jacob Gillotti
Jacob Gillotti is a Business Analytics major at the University of Cincinnati's Lindner College of Business, where he made the Dean's List. He's a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, one of the oldest professional business fraternities in the country. Jacob uses AI daily in his coursework and brings the kind of analytical thinking that helps campers turn ideas into real projects.
Camp 4R teaching assistants are University of Cincinnati students who use AI daily in their own coursework and projects. They're close enough in age to connect with your teen, but far enough ahead to guide them through real builds. Every TA is background-checked, trained on our curriculum, and selected for patience, clarity, and the ability to make hard things feel doable.
Safety is our operating system.
Parents ask us about privacy, screen time, and cheating. Here's exactly how we handle each one.
Private, Locked-Down Tools
Students work in secure environments. Nothing they type or build is shared outside camp. No student data is stored after the session ends.
Anti-Cheating by Design
We teach students to use AI as a thinking partner, not a shortcut. The rule is simple: AI helps you learn. You do the work.
Daily Ethics Training
Every single day includes a 30-minute session on bias, privacy, misinformation, and when to say no to AI. This is core curriculum, not optional.
Code of Conduct
Every student signs a code of conduct on Day 1. It sets clear expectations for responsible use — and students help define the rules.
A Day at Camp 4R
Same structure every day: learn something new, build something real, show what you made.
Arrival + Warm-Up Challenge
Students settle in and tackle a quick challenge to start the day.
Lesson Block
Interactive, demo-first instruction. Concepts + context.
Break
Snacks, stretch, recharge.
Guided Lab
Pair programming + checkpoints. Hands-on building.
Catered Lunch
Full lunch provided daily. Screens go away. Students actually talk to each other.
Ethics & Reality Block
Bias, privacy, integrity, misinformation. Daily.
Build Studio
Teams build. Instructors run mini 1:1s.
Break + Office Hours
Optional sign-up slots for extra help.
Showcase / Stand-Ups
Teams present progress. Peer feedback.
Wrap-Up
Students reflect on the day and document what they shipped.
Brain Food Included
- •Fresh sandwiches & wraps
- •Hot bowl options (Rice/Protein)
- •Fresh fruit & healthy snacks all day
- •Vegetarian, Gluten-Free available
What They Take Home Each Day
- •A build journal documenting their progress
- •Code notebook with working examples
- •A live link to their project — updated daily
Everything Provided
- •Chromebooks provided — no personal laptops needed
- •ChatGPT (latest version)
- •Claude (latest version)
- •AI Training Platform
How We're Organized
Students are paired by skill level into teams, then grouped into pods with a dedicated assistant guide.
Paired by skill level
5 teams + 1 assistant guide
Grouped together
Grouped together
Same team & pod for the entire week
Requests for teammates encouraged
What they'll do each day.
Every day is intentionally designed. No filler. All building.
Foundations: Start from zero. No coding experience needed. By Friday, every student ships a working project.
Your First AI Project
What AI is, how to use it responsibly, and how to build your first thing.
Lesson
- •What AI is (models, training vs. use)
- •LLMs vs "traditional ML"
- •The "AI Ladder": Prompt → Prototype → Product
- •Vibe coding rules: AI helps you draft; you verify and debug
Guided Lab
- •Setup + logins (camp tools)
- •"Hello, AI" lab: build a simple text-based assistant in a web sandbox
- •Prompt patterns: role, constraints, examples, refusal boundaries
Ethics Block
- •"AI can be confidently wrong" (hallucinations)
- •Verification habits: cite sources, cross-check, ask for uncertainty
Build Studio
- •Mini-project kickoff: pick one of 6 starter ideas
- •Teams form (3–4 students), write a 1-page Project Brief
Daily Ship List
- ✓Project Brief (problem, user, success criteria, ethical constraint)
- ✓First working prompt + test cases (5 scenarios)
Data + ML in the Real World
How "learning from data" works, and where bias comes from.
Lesson
- •Datasets, labels, features (simple mental model)
- •Classification vs. generation
- •Why bias happens (data selection, label decisions)
Guided Lab
- •No-install ML demo using a browser tool
- •Train a simple classifier (image/text) and test it
- •Introduce "evaluation": a model is only as good as its tests
Ethics Block
- •Bias & fairness: "Who gets harmed if it fails?"
- •"Should we build this?" decision checklist
Daily Ship List
- ✓Mini-model demo + notes on where it fails
- ✓Evaluation set v1 (10 cases) + pass/fail rubric
Building With AI
Building with AI assistance without losing control.
Lesson
- •Prompting for code: specs, acceptance criteria, edge cases
- •Debugging loop: reproduce → isolate → fix → retest
- •UI basics: input, output, error states, empty states
Guided Lab
- •Build a simple web UI for your project
- •Inputs, output area, "safe mode" toggles
- •Introduce "structured prompts" (system rules + user intent + examples)
Ethics Block
- •Academic integrity: "Explain vs. do"
- •Privacy basics: don't paste secrets, PII, or private school data
Daily Ship List
- ✓A clickable prototype (simple UI)
- ✓Guardrails + refusal rules + sample prompts
Entrepreneurship Day
Turn a prototype into a product story.
Lesson
- •Product basics: who is it for, what problem, why now
- •Differentiation: what makes yours better than "just ChatGPT?"
- •Responsible product: boundaries and harm prevention
Guided Lab
- •Build the pitch kit: 3 slides
- •1-slide problem → solution
- •1-slide "how we keep it safe"
Ethics Block
- •Misinformation: source checks and confidence labeling
- •"Safety UX" (how UI prevents misuse)
Daily Ship List
- ✓3-slide pitch deck
- ✓Demo script + roles assigned
Mini Demo Day
Ship, present, reflect.
Morning
- •Final build sprint + bug fixes
- •Run through evaluation set + document results
- •"Responsible release checklist" (privacy, bias notes, refusal)
Afternoon
- •Each team presents: 2 min pitch, 1 min demo, 1 min Q&A
- •Peer voting + instructor feedback
Daily Ship List
- ✓Demo-ready prototype
- ✓Pitch deck
- ✓Evaluation summary (what worked, what failed, what's next)
They don't just learn. They leave with proof.
Every student goes home with a portfolio they can show to anyone — colleges, parents, future employers.
Digital Certificates
Earn badges based on your contributions and achievements during the week.
Builder
Shipped a working prototype
Ethics Lead
Outstanding safety awareness
Agent Architect
Built autonomous workflows
Pitch Captain
Best demo presentation
Portfolio Bundle
At the end of camp, every student receives:
A Live Project
A working app hosted at a real URL. They built it. They can share it with anyone.
A Pitch Deck
A polished presentation explaining what they built and why. Great for college applications.
A Written Reflection
A one-page essay on what they built, what they learned, and what they'd improve.
Certificate of Completion
Signed by the instructor team.
Where camp happens.
We're hosted at Indian Hill Middle School — a brand-new campus with modern classrooms, open common spaces, outdoor areas for breaks, and a full café for daily lunch.
Real Classrooms
Purpose-built learning spaces with projectors, whiteboards, and room to spread out.
Room to Collaborate
Open common areas where teams brainstorm, debug, and build together between sessions.
Fresh Air Between Sessions
Green space and outdoor areas so your student isn't glued to a screen for 7 hours straight.
Lunch Is Handled
Full catered lunch plus morning and afternoon snacks every day. Allergy accommodations available.
Indian Hill Middle School
6855 Drake Rd · Cincinnati, OH 45243
Invest in their future.
Track 1
June 8 – 12, 2026
- ✓For grades 7 to 12
- ✓Track 1 Curriculum (Foundations)
- ✓Daily Catered Lunch + Snacks
- ✓Chromebook + Software Access
- ✓Portfolio Bundle + Badges
- ✓Camp 4R Swag Pack
Track 1 OR Track 2
July 13 – 17, 2026
- ✓For grades 7 to 12
- ✓Track 1 or Track 2 Curriculum
- ✓Daily Catered Lunch + Snacks
- ✓Chromebook + Software Access
- ✓Portfolio Bundle + Badges
- ✓Camp 4R Swag Pack
New students take Track 1. Returning students (who completed Track 1 in June) may choose Track 2 instead.
Reserve — JulyTrack 1 and Track 2 Bundle
June and July Weeks Combined
Questions about pricing? Email us at info@camp4r.com
Frequently Asked Questions
50 seats per session. First come, first served.
Fill out the form below to reserve your student's spot. You'll receive a confirmation email with next steps within 24 hours.