Wauwatosa School District -

Discovery Lab is our new STEM special where all students in grades 1-5 explore the worlds of engineering, design, and technology through creativity and collaboration. Guided by Stanford’s Design Thinking Process, students take on real-world challenges as they empathize with users, brainstorm ideas, and build solutions that make a meaningful difference.

Throughout the year, students dive into design challenges that bring engineering to life as they experiment with robotics, coding, and circuitry to solve authentic problems. Along the way, they use digital tools and creative technologies to develop and share their ideas in exciting, impactful ways.

In Discovery Lab, students learn to see themselves as problem-solvers and change-makers, asking thoughtful questions, exploring complex problems, and designing innovative, equitable solutions that make a positive impact on their world.

In this unit, students become empowered learners by researching and exploring how children around the world eat and carry their lunches. Through five sessions engaging in the Design Thinking process, they will develop empathy by understanding different needs and challenges faced by students globally. Students will act as innovative designers, using their creativity and problem-solving skills to brainstorm, prototype, and refine an original lunchbox design that meets a specific user need.