● celebrate words!
word collector week — march 2-6, 2026
word collector week (first week of march) is an annual global celebration of language and expression, inspired by peter h. reynolds’ the word collector. each day invites students to explore, collect, and share words in fun and imaginative ways.
throughout the week, students and teachers become word collectors, discovering the joy of learning and sharing new words.
● our ideas
celebrate each day with something splendiferous— here’s a suggested week-long framework!
● day 1: read the word collector
kick off the week by reading the word collector (and/or watch the animated film version) - frame out the week’s quest to find YOUR words!
● day 2: • collect your words
students begin collecting their words - creativity words, dreamy words, science words, poetic words, etc.
● day 3: share your words
do word sharing activities: what is your favorite word and why? possible voting for favorite top 100 words in your classroom and/or school.
● day 4: read gift of words, put into action!
use your words to make the world a better place. create posters or write letters to those who need more positively powerful words in their life.
● day 5: celebrate!
culmination day celebration that could include a word parade or decorating a community word tree!
● amplify
ways to amplify your celebration’s impact
• share your ideas with us to be included in our word collector week educator handbook
• share photos and videos, tagging # wordcollectorweek and @reynoldstlc and @peterhreynolds
• integrate as part of our year-long story activation program of peter h. reynolds’ booksnc
• explore an author visit with peter h. reynolds