Welcome to

Discovery Lab

Our project-based, collaborative learning environment in Ellensburg, Washington, focuses on supporting the healthy development of the whole child through meaningful learning opportunities.

 
 
A child explores material

Our Whole-Child Approach

We believe that all children learn and develop in unique ways and our learning environment honors the child’s natural pace. Our students will grow in their ability to problem solve, think critically, and collaborate. Through the use of community partners and resources, students will experience opportunities to be stewards of their environment and engaged citizens in their community.

Project-Based Learning

Project-Based Learning

In project-based learning, students develop “knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge.” (Buck Institute for Education)

community engagement

Community Engagement

“The entire community is a classroom worth connecting with and a connection to place is an integral component of youth development.” The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education.

Academic Achievement

Competency-Based STUDY

Each learner works toward competency and strives for mastery in defined domains of knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Learners’ trajectories toward mastery are guided and managed, rather than placing the emphasis on their achievement of specific benchmarks in a fixed amount of time. (Education Reimagined)

 

What WE’RE up To

 
Lab Notes
The Healthy Human Project
The Healthy Human Project

We have been having a lot of fun learning about what it means to be a healthy human. We began this project by learning more about some of the major body systems that make up all of us and what they need to function well. We built models that helped simulate how our hearts pump blood, created an experiment to replicate the stomach and intestines, and this week used different paper shapes to investigate how the structure of bones affects their strength.

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"The Wonders of the Shrub-Steppe" written by DL students
"The Wonders of the Shrub-Steppe" written by DL students

During our Shrub-Steppe project, our younger class learned from Miss Sue, our fantastic local children’s librarian, that there aren’t many children’s books published on the topic. They decided to make their own.

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WILD HORSE SOLAR AND WIND FACILITY FIELD TRIP
WILD HORSE SOLAR AND WIND FACILITY FIELD TRIP

Ever since the election, my students have had a lot of concern for our country.

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FOOD FOR FAMILIES PROJECT
FOOD FOR FAMILIES PROJECT

In November of 2016, we held a food drive for Fish Food Bank in Ellensburg. As a project-based school each project must serve to educate us in multiple subjects.

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STUDENT MOTIVATION – AUTONOMY, MASTERY, AND PURPOSE
STUDENT MOTIVATION – AUTONOMY, MASTERY, AND PURPOSE
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Boy shows off bug

Get In Touch

We’d love to answer any questions you may have about our school. Are you a community collaborator with an idea for a project? A parent with questions about the school? Did you see student work somewhere and want to find out more?