Storytime at Planet Word

Librarians, Songs, and a Museum Made of Words

Sunday mornings at Planet Word start with real DC Public Library librarians doing what they do best: half an hour of songs, movement, and read-alouds pitched perfectly at the 2 to 6 crowd. It sounds simple, and it is, but the setting is what makes it: you're inside the museum built entirely around making words fun, in the beautiful old Franklin School building across from Franklin Park. The librarians bring the same warmth as your neighborhood branch, plus a borrowing wagon of books, minus the part where you have to whisper.

The move is to treat storytime as the opening act. It runs 10 to 10:30, right when the museum opens, so afterward you walk straight into the talking wall of words, the karaoke room, and the library room where books come to life on the tables. General admission works on a pay-what-you-choose basis, storytime itself is free, and the whole place is scaled so a four year old and a nine year old are both busy. Franklin Park's playground across the street handles the post-museum energy, and you're home by nap time with everyone feeling like the morning meant something.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Arrive 10 minutes early. The storytime rug fills with the punctual toddler crowd.
• ✓Bring the library card. The borrowing wagon means you leave with books without a branch stop.
• ✓Book the museum slot online. Entry reservations keep the galleries calm; grab a 10:30 slot for after.
• ✓Do the karaoke room. It's the museum's sleeper hit for the preschool set.
• ✓Cross to Franklin Park after. Playground plus food kiosk equals a soft landing before nap time.