Planet Word is an immersive language experience located at the historic Franklin School in Washington, DC. Planet Word is the world’s first voice-activated museum, featuring immersive galleries and exhibits for visitors of all ages.
I was thrilled to create six colorful, whimsical, complimentary illustrations based on the initial series (produced elsewhere) for their “Go Bananas for Idioms!” program, this time for to support the Education Team and their Spanish speaking student groups.
Original set of idioms produced for Planet Word
In Planet Word’s famed Wordshop, participants from 3rd-5th grade learn about puns, idioms, and other fun English expressions, as well as literal and non-literal meanings of words through matching card games and other humor-based activities. They also have the opportunity to create their own idiom drawings.
I was tickled to learn the Spanish equivalents for 6 of the English idioms being taught in the Go Bananas! Wordshop and determined to create illustrations that were linguistically inclusive for the Spanish speaking audience.
For instance, in Spanish, “Ser un ave nocturna” is the Spanish equivalent of “To be a night owl,” yet the literal translation is “To be a night bird.” Meanwhile, the non-literal meaning is, “You like to stay up late.”
Another fascinating example is “Son castillos en el aire,” the Spanish equivalent of “That’s pie in the sky!” The literal meaning is “Those are castles in the sky,” while the non-literal meaning is “That’s a nice idea, but it’s not likely to happen.“
Even for a seasoned adult such as myself, this project was such a fun reminder of the power (and silliness) of words, expressions and meanings.
From Initial Sketches to Finished Product
Final Illustrations
Take a look at the illustrations with accompanying descriptions.
Matching Card Game Samples
Which illustration is your favorite? Personally, I want to party with the bird and dance in the rain with the raindrops!
For more on Wordshops hosted by Planet Word, please visit https://planetwordmuseum.org/for-educators/#student-wordshops.
For more information on Planet Word, please visit https://www.planetwordmuseum.org.