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We are a year-round, outdoor, all-weather, off-grid, screen-free, mixed-age, Self-Directed Education community center.
Respect. Autonomy. Belonging.
This is how the world changes.
Kids learn how to make friends, face challenges with courage, stay curious, and solve problems with heart and wisdom.
We offer four different 3-hour weekly gatherings for kids ages 1 to 17, Tuesdays through Fridays.
We're a great option for preschoolers and homeschoolers. We have multiple options for schoolers.
The Spokane Learning Co-op is Washington's only outdoor Self-Directed Education center
The Spokane Learning Co-op is Washington's only outdoor Self-Directed Education center
Our outdoor, off-grid, all-weather, screen-free environment invites children ages 1 to 17 of all outdoor skill levels to explore nature, build confidence, and develop essential life skills in a fun and supportive environment.
Children enjoy open play, nature immersion, and creative activities that encourage exploration, resilience, and environmental stewardship.
Each week offers hands-on opportunities to practice teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, and communication — both individually and in groups.
Through children's own dynamic mix of interests, activities, games, crafts, and outdoor adventures, they gain a deeper connection to the natural world while fostering self-esteem, initiative, and healthy social interaction.
From wilderness treks to making new friends, every day is packed with fun, meaningful experiences designed to help children grow, discover their strengths, and create lasting memories in a community-focused, adventure-filled setting.
Give Your Child the Gift of Outdoor Adventure & Friendship
Give Your Child the Gift of Outdoor Adventure & Friendship
Let your kids run, climb, build, and create at the Spokane Learning Co-op. They’ll scale our 9-foot-tall straw bale pyramid, design and construct their own wooden playhouses, explore their creativity with arts & crafts, and embark on exciting hikes where they might spot deer and uncover the hidden math of nature. Most importantly, they’ll spend the day making friends, solving problems, and learning through real-life play — the way childhood was meant to be!
Nestled on ten beautiful acres in north Spokane, the Spokane Learning Co-op features an Adventure Playground, an Outdoor Kitchen, and a cozy Little House with an Arts & Crafts Studio and Library. It’s a place filled with fresh air, freedom, and endless opportunities to grow.
As Washington State’s only Outdoor Self-Directed Education Center, we offer a safe, all-weather space for kids to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong skills — all while having the time of their lives!
The Vision
At the Spokane Learning Co-op, children grow up trusted, respected, and free to be fully themselves. They learn how to lead, love, and live with purpose — not through control, but through connection, autonomy, and real belonging.
We are raising a generation who knows how to think for themselves and care for others. They will grow up whole — and go on to heal the world.
We’re not just building a school. We’re giving childhood back to the children — and wholeness back to the world.
The Mission
At the Spokane Learning Co-op, we trust kids with what matters most: their own learning and their own lives.
In our caring, cooperative community, young people grow through freedom, responsibility, and meaningful relationships. We use the principles of Self-Directed Education to nurture confidence, curiosity, and a deep sense of belonging.
By respecting the genius in every child, we help them become fully alive — and ready to shape a more compassionate world.
What is Self-Directed Education?
Children are free to play, which is how we naturally learn. Through play, children discover their interests and talents.
There is no curriculum, no homework, no grades, no grade levels. etc. In other words, there is no coercion as in conventional schools.
Children are free to develop themselves and to become who they really are, and they get to grow up with their creativity, curiosity, and self-esteem intact.
Our unique program is Therapist-Recommended.
Freed from the behavior-modification procedures of factory-style schooling, kids learn healthier, more authentic ways of being in community with one another.
The children create the rules together, using a consensus-based self-governance model called sociocracy.
Kids learn academics when they are ready. This ensures that what they learn is learned deeply, and in context.
The Spokane Learning Co-op has Options for Every Kid
The Spokane Learning Co-op has Options for Every Kid
If your child needs a mental health day of no screens, fresh air, nature, and free play at the Co-op, please do not hesitate to email us directly at hello@spokanelearningcoop.org. Every situation is different -- we're here to help.
If your child needs a mental health day of no screens, fresh air, nature, and free play at the Co-op, please do not hesitate to email us directly at hello@spokanelearningcoop.org. Every situation is different -- we're here to help.
Here's how we help children reach adulthood full of life, with their creativity and curiosity still intact
Here's how we help children reach adulthood full of life, with their creativity and curiosity still intact
We believe that children are full human beings who should be treated with respect and dignity. By growing up with respect and dignity, they'll be equipped to make healthier choices for themselves. They'll be able to better recognize when they're in a toxic relationship or environment.
We believe children should have the freedom to nurture their interests at a pace that works for them, free from the stress of manipulation, evaluation, points, and scores. No required classes, no homework, no exams, no grades, no shame.
We believe that learning through living is superior to learning through worksheets and "educational" software. Children learn best when they can learn with their whole selves: bodies, minds, and voices, free from the dictates of corporate curricula.
We believe that when children have authority over their own learning, they learn how to learn. Children who are trusted grow in confidence, self-esteem, self-respect, and responsibility.
We believe in keeping children's imagination, natural curiosity, and love of learning intact. We provide time, space, and community to support the natural development of each child's unique potential.
We believe that learning is play and play is learning. Play is our natural, built-in means of learning what we need to know to have a satisfying life. Children must play in order to truly learn.
We believe that it is foundational to children's immediate and long-term mental health to grow up learning how to be a good friend, how to work together with other people, and how to solve real problems. We believe in living in community and building authentic relationships. We believe in collaboration over competition. We believe children can learn and be trusted to talk things out respectfully and come to fair conclusions.
We believe children should have the freedom and power to affect change in order to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. When children learn how to access and use power in a positive way, they will see themselves as changemakers rather than victims.
We believe children should have autonomy over their own bodies. Children should be able to go to the bathroom when they need to, eat when they need to, move when they need to, and rest when they need to while respecting the needs of others in their environment.
We are inspired by a number of alternative education models, including unschooling, Sudbury Schools, Circle Schools, Scouting, and the Purple Thistle Centre in Vancouver, BC.
What Do You Want to Learn about Next?
What Do You Want to Learn about Next?
Our Innovative Approach
Our Innovative Approach
We collaborate with members to create educational experiences that follow their interests.
Once we become a full-time alternative school, we'll collaborate with members to satisfy Washington State requirements that all schools, public, private, and homeschools, are required to uphold.
Our Self Directed Education Center
Our Self Directed Education Center
We are located on ten beautiful acres in north Spokane.
Our Living Laboratory features an all-weather outdoor Adventure Playground, an Outdoor Kitchen, and a Little House for our Arts & Crafts Studio and our Library.
Our Values & Beliefs
Our Values & Beliefs
The Spokane Learning Co-op is ideal for any student or families interested in cultivating truly happy, confident, self-directed young adults.
We believe our work will have an incalculable impact on the capacity for love and compassion of rising generations. We see this as our greatest contribution to creating peace on Earth.
Our Vision
Our Vision
Opening our Homeschool Co-op was Phase 1. We now have a Preschool Co-op and a Friday After School program.
This fall we'll be opening our Kindergarten Co-op and Homeschool Clubs.
We have more in store, including a K-12 unschool, very similar to Summerhill and Sudbury.
We'd love to offer you and your kids a free first visit to the Co-op Gathering of your choice.
We'd love to offer you and your kids a free first visit to the Co-op Gathering of your choice.
Sign up for the Spokane Learning Co-op mailing list to learn how you can schedule your free first visit.
Sign up for the Spokane Learning Co-op mailing list to learn how you can schedule your free first visit.
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