About this course
Vibe Coding is where a student goes from “I have an idea” to “here is the URL.” Over eight weeks they learn to describe software precisely enough that an AI tool can build it, then read back what it produced, test it, fix what is broken, and deploy it to the open internet. The course assumes no prior programming — but it does not stop at generating things. Every week ends with an explain-back: the student walks their coach through what their code does and why it does it that way. Students who cannot explain a feature rebuild it until they can. That single rule is what separates this from prompting a chatbot until something works.
Is this the right fit?
- Who it’s for
- Students aged 11–15 who have an idea they want to build and no idea where to start. Scratch, Minecraft modding, or Roblox experience helps but is not assumed.
- Prerequisites
- None. Students need a computer, a reliable internet connection, and a parent willing to own the tool accounts.
- Tools students use
- Replit (parent-owned account), Gemini
- Where it leads
- Most students go on to AI App Building.
What students walk away with
- A working web app, deployed to a public URL they can send to anyone
- The ability to describe a feature precisely enough for an AI tool to build it correctly
- Reading fluency in their own codebase — they can point at any function and say what it does
- A habit of testing before shipping, rather than assuming generated code works
- A written project log documenting what they built and the decisions behind it
What a session looks like
- 0:00
Demo and diagnose
One student shows what they shipped since last week. The group finds one thing to improve.
- 0:10
New technique
The coach teaches the week's skill live — writing a spec, reading an error, structuring a component.
- 0:30
Guided build
Students apply the technique to their own project while the coach circulates. Nobody watches a video.
- 0:55
Explain-back
Each student explains one piece of code they shipped this week. This is the assessment.
- 1:05
Build lab (optional)
A 45-minute open work block with the coach on call. Fast students extend; anyone behind catches up.
Curriculum
Week 1 — Your idea, made specific
Turning “an app for my swim team” into a written spec a tool can act on. Students leave week one with a running page.
Week 2 — Reading what you generated
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript by inspection, not lecture. Students annotate their own generated code.
Week 3 — Deploy early
Getting a real URL in week three, then updating it every week after.
Week 4 — Data that persists
Saving and loading state, so an app remembers things between visits.
Week 5 — When it breaks
Reading an error message, forming a hypothesis, and fixing the cause rather than regenerating until the symptom disappears.
Week 6 — Making it good
Layout, mobile, and the difference between working software and usable software.
Week 7 — Test it like someone else will
Writing checks, handing the app to a stranger, and fixing what they break.
Week 8 — Ship and present
Final deploy, project write-up, and a five-minute demo to the group and their parents.
What’s included
- 8 live small-group classes, capped at 6 students
- 8 optional build labs with a coach on call
- Weekly explain-back assessment with written feedback to parents
- Deployment and hosting set up for the student's project
- A place in the student showcase for the finished app
How to join
- Book a free consultation. We learn about your child, answer your questions, and recommend a starting point — no commitment, no pressure.
- We recommend a course and an age band after the call, based on your child’s experience and goals rather than a form they filled in.
- Reserve a seat when enrollment opens. Classes are capped at six, so bands fill in the order consultations are booked.
Questions first? Email hello@redwoodacademy.ai and a coach will reply.
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need to know how to code?
No. This course assumes zero programming experience. What it does assume is that your child has something they want to build — the course works far better when the project is theirs rather than assigned.
Which AI tools will my child use?
For this age band, Replit on a parent-owned account and Gemini under Family Link. We do not put students under 18 on tools whose terms of service they cannot legally accept, which rules out Claude Code and Cursor at this age.
Isn't the AI just doing the work?
The AI writes drafts. The student directs, reads, tests, and fixes — and every week has to explain a piece of their own code to a coach without notes. Students who cannot explain something rebuild it. That check is the course.
What if my child falls behind?
The 45-minute build lab after each class exists for exactly this. Students who are ahead use it to extend their project; students who need more time get the coach's attention in a smaller group.