‍THOUGHT: Parenting is a Learning Lab
TREND: Learning Labs Are Everywhere
TOOL: The Learning Landscape Worksheet

Parenting is a learning lab

Parenting has never felt like a manual to me—it’s a learning lab. With five kids (and now an army of grandsons), my wife and I learned the hard way that you can’t standardize an unstandardized population. We kept the chores and job charts consistent, sure, but when our two basketball-loving sons asked for different schools, I let them choose—even as the district tried to guilt me into keeping them together so the town could chase a championship. The result? Two confident young men who know their education wasn’t copied from my playbook; it was co-designed with them. We’re all learning out loud; the experts are the kids in front of us.

—Matt Bowman, Founder of OpenEd

Learning Labs Are Everywhere

Spaces like the Wichita Learning Lab – a parent-built hub tucked inside a renovated warehouse – are changing the default. It operates like a mash-up of co-op, makerspace, and community center: weekday workshops in one room, self-directed learners prototyping in another, and parents co-working along the perimeter. Families map interests, swap mentors, and schedule field trips as a collective. We hope (nay, expect!) to see 1,000 similar learning labs blossom in the years ahead, as parents demand and then build alternatives to one-size-fits-all. Until then, keep learning and exploring with whatever you have, wherever you are.

Know a family in the Wichita area? Share this post!

The Learning Landscape Worksheet

As Matt advised in his talk, the first step toward map your child's interests is to give them unstructured time – so you can observe what they actually do when nothing is assigned. Then, layer in the non-negotiables—family budgets, chores, caregiving, screen rules—and note them alongside the interests. Finally, take inventory of the resources at your disposal – from free-to-fee.

What’s in your home? Who lives in your neighborhood? What community hubs (like the Learning Lab) are available? 

Our Open Education toolkit guides you through that conversation. Download the template, run a two-week learner-led sprint, and celebrate the share-out over pizza.

Question of the Week

“Where did your child learn the most in the last two weeks—and what made that moment possible?”

Reply to this email, or share on Facebook – let’s build a running list of unexpected learning labs.