Curious Like George: Nurturing Your Child's Inquisitive Nature (continued)

After reading Curious George Takes a Train, take the kids to a local park with a children’s train. Talk to the kids about the different people who work with trains. Remind them about the train conductor and trainmaster in the story. Introduce the kids to the engineer who is driving the train, and ask the engineer to tell them a little bit about the history of the train. Take the opportunity to talk about different modes of transportation—for example, see if the kids can name different types of vehicles (land, air, and water vehicles).

Remind the kids about George’s adventures at the fire station. Call your local fire department and see if you can schedule a time to bring the kids in for a short visit. Ask a firefighter to show the kids around and to explain how the equipment is used to put out fires. Be sure to talk to the kids about how firefighters help people in need. Ask them to think of other people in service professions (police officers, doctors, nurses, teachers).

These are just a few examples, but nearly every Curious George story can prompt a family field trip. A story before bed, with whispers of an exciting curious adventure the next day, and your children will be bound to have some curiously exciting dreams!

For an extra special Curious George adventure, visit the Minnesota Children’s Museum’s Web site (www.mcm.org). A Curious George themed touring exhibit might be visiting a museum in your city soon!