Come to Planet Word for a day of fun activities, public talks, puzzles, crafts, and prizes, all in celebration of the science of language! You, your family, and friends can explore a wide range of activities, set up throughout the museum. Be sure to catch our exciting lineup of public talks in the auditorium, covering a variety of engaging topics. Have fun, learn about how language works, and meet scientists who study language! The event is free and open to all ages.
This event will feature an exciting activity led by MILE Co-director DJ Bolger! Check out his activity description below and visit the Language Science Fair webpage to learn more.
Activity: Build-a-Word: A Virtual Reality Arctic Expedition
Discover how words are built—one icy letter at a time! In this interactive virtual reality experience, players step into the frosty arctic where they use letter ice blocks to build real words. Designed for developing readers, this immersive experience helps children learn important foundations of reading by experimenting with sound-letter relationships in an engaging, hands-on way. Adults can also test it to see how interactive technology like VR can offer new possibilities for language and reading education that feels more like play than work. This hands-on activity is designed to engage kids and adults alike in the science of reading and word formation—no coat required!
The fair is being held to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the National Science Foundation. The Language Science Station is proud to join organizations across the country in hosting events that honor STEM and STEM education on this special day.
The Language Science Station is a language research laboratory within Planet Word Museum in Washington, D.C. The Language Science Station invites visitors to contribute to real research studies and to have conversations about language with budding language scientists. The project is made possible by a collaborative award from the National Science Foundation to University of Maryland (2116959), Howard University (2116932), and Gallaudet University(2116811).