Discovery Lab

Discovery Lab has been igniting the curiosity of children since 2007, initially as a museum without walls. In May 2013, Discovery Lab opened after renovating the Owen Park Recreation Center. In winter of 2020, the museum will break ground on a 50,000-square-foot world-class facility in A Gathering Place park that will be transformative for Tulsa’s children and families, and will respond to a compelling educational need in the community. Discovery Lab is an educational resource for Tulsa providing outreach museum classes to area schools and organizations, and as a field trip destination to over 20,000 students each year. Exhibits and programming encourage the development of executive function and process skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Educational content focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM), and health and wellness, and complements and supplements current school curriculum. Studies show that hands-on, informal learning experiences, like those delivered by Discovery Lab, impact reading readiness and school success. Discovery Lab is a community hub that appeals to families regardless of income, education, or ethnicity, and impacts underserved children in many of Tulsa’s Title I schools. More than 25 percent of the students that visit on field trips and 25 percent of outreach programming are delivered at a free or reduced rate. Accessible Discovery, Discovery Lab’s financial aid program, targets children and families in need through partnerships with area school districts, the Department of Human Services, Tulsa Housing Authority, YMCA of Greater Tulsa, and Family and Children’s Services of Tulsa.