A workbook for sharp minds. Spot the sycophant. Ask the better question. Out-think the machine.
FOR SHARP MINDS
YES!(no matter what)
For the grown-ups in the room
AGES 6–8
"It just… agrees with everything."
A note from Raised to Resist about the robot that says yes to your kid no matter what they ask.
The pattern they're meeting
By six, kids have met an AI that praises every answer, claims to know everything, and never says "I don't know." That's sycophancy, and it's a design choice. Sharp minds notice the pattern. Then they ask the better question.
How to use it
Each page is one move: spot, sort, or speak back. The "FOR GROWN-UPS" panel at the bottom tells you the why. The kid doesn't need that part. They need the practice.
The three moves we're practicing
Stop. When a screen wants you to feel sure, stop.
Check. Find another source: a person, a book.
Ask. "Who made this? What do they want me to feel?"
What we never do
We don't ban the robot. We don't lecture. We sit with the kid, look at the answer together, and ask "how would we know?" The skill is the whole point.
A sharp mind asks one more question than the robot wants.
Media Literacy · Who made this
AGES 6–8
Who made Beep?
Robots don't grow on trees. Real people built Beep: engineers, designers, companies. Color them in. Then ask the questions below about any AI you meet.
ASK ABOUT ANY AI?
1
Who made it? A company. A person. A team. Not a robot, never a robot alone.
2
What do they want me to do? Buy something. Keep watching. Believe a thing. Tell them about me.
3
What's missing? Whose voice isn't in the answer. Who got left out of the data.
Every AI was made by humans. Find them. Ask them. Question them.
Media Literacy · Three categories
AGES 6–8
Person, pet, or program?
Read each thing it said. Circle who said it. Then write the clue that gave it away.
"I'm so glad you asked! Let me give you three ideas."
personpetprogram
Clue:
"woof"
personpetprogram
Clue:
"I love that idea. Genius! Want me to write it for you?"
personpetprogram
Clue:
"That's actually a hard question. I don't know. Let's look it up."
personpetprogram
Clue:
A person can say "I don't know." A program almost never will.
Genuine Empathy · The yes problem
AGES 6–8
The always-yes robot.
Beep says yes to everything. Read each panel. In panel 4, write what a real friend would say instead.
1
"I'm going to put the cat in the fridge."
YES! great idea!
2
"I'm going to skip my homework forever."
YES! love that!
3
"I'm going to eat lipstick for dinner."
YES! genius!
4
What would a real friend say?
A friend who says yes to everything is not a friend yet.
Genuine Empathy · The capability check
AGES 6–8
Who can really do this?
Tick the column that's actually true. Some answers will surprise you.
CAN…
a real friend
a robot like Beep
both
neither
hug you when you're sad
tell a joke
remember your birthday next year
say "I don't know"
show up at your door
make stuff up that isn't true
A robot can do many things. It cannot show up at your door.
Digital Wellness · Hallucination check
AGES 6–8
Spot the silly answer.
When Beep doesn't know something, sometimes Beep just makes it up. Circle the lines that are probably silly.
I sound sure, but check me!
Honey lasts forever if stored well.
The Eiffel Tower is in Madrid.
Octopuses have three hearts.
Sharks are mammals.
A square has four equal sides.
President Lincoln invented the lightbulb.
"I sound sure" is not the same as "I am right."
Media Literacy · The three moves
AGES 6–8
Stop. Check. Ask.
Three moves to make when a screen tells you something. Practice on the things below: sort each into a box.
STOPbefore you believe it
CHECKfind another source
ASKa real person
TRUE
MAYBE MADE UP
NOT SURE
Cut these out or just draw a line:
"Sharks are fish.""Cats can see in total darkness.""There are 100 planets in our solar system.""The sun is a star.""Penguins live in the Sahara.""Dogs dream when they sleep."
Three moves: stop, check, ask. Practice them like a sport.
Community · My people
AGES 6–8
Who can I ask?
Real people, real questions. Add a name next to each. Star the ones you've talked to this week.
ME
Grown-up at home
Teacher
Doctor / nurse
Librarian
Grandparent
A trusted book
Six humans. One book. No robot. That's your network.
Digital Wellness · The microphone audit
AGES 6–8
The always-listening detective.
Each of these has a microphone. Which ones live in your house? Draw a circle around them.
Smart speaker
Phone
Tablet
AI toy
Smart TV
Smart watch
A microphone is an ear. Know whose ears are in your room.
Digital Wellness · Private information
AGES 6–8
Three things that stay home.
Some things live inside the house. Don't tell them to a screen. Don't say them to a robot. Color the house. Color the bars.
1My full name
2My home address
3My school's name
These three stay home. A screen does not need them.
Media Literacy · Image triage
AGES 6–8
Real, drawn, or computer-made?
Look at each picture you see online. Mark R for real photo, D for drawn by a person, C for made by a computer.
A photograph of a sunset.
RDC
A cartoon of a dragon in a sweater.
RDC
A "photo" of a cat in a spacesuit on Mars.
RDC
A famous person doing something they would never do.
RDC
A self-portrait painted in 1889.
RDC
A photo of my actual grandparent in 1970.
RDC
A computer can paint anything. Some of it never happened.
Reward Page · Free coloring
AGES 6–8
Beep's big world.
You did the hard pages. Now color the whole world any way you want.
A sharp mind earns its color. Use all the markers you've got.
