The insatiable curiosity of Curious George – the little monkey who has captured the imagination and hearts of millions of children and adults for over 65 years – comes to life at Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. The Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! exhibit will introduce young children to Curious George’s world and lead visitors on a fun, meaningful interactive math, science and engineering-based adventure.
“The Curious George exhibit gives us the opportunity to engage children in activities that build their math and science skills at an early age,” said Jane Turner, Museum executive director. “These important subjects are presented through fun and interactive activities that help children learn through play.”
Based on the familiar characters in H.A. and Margret Rey’s classic stories published by Houghton Mifflin, the Curious George exhibit inspires young children’s natural curiosity as they explore early science, math and engineering through hands-on interactive play. The immersive exhibit environment takes place in the neighborhood where Curious George lives with his friend, The Man with the Yellow Hat. Visitors will recognize familiar characters and places featured in the classic stories and the PBS KIDS television series produced by Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston and Universal Studios Family Productions.
Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! exhibit was designed, developed and built by Minnesota Children’s Museum in partnership with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group. The Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! exhibit is sponsored nationally by 3M. Additional local support provided by Primerica. Media sponsorship from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The daily programming will help reinforce the learning concepts of the exhibit in an entertaining, interactive way. In our 20-minute mini-musical titled “Get Curious!” children meet a curious lad called Curious Chris (C.C.) who goes on adventures just like Curious George. He invites you to explore your world and get curious! Children join C.C., his Uncle Victor, and D.J. Soundsalicious as the Curiositer transports everyone to Africa to learn about math using African drum beats, to France to learn how baking is a chemical reaction, and to outer space to learn about the planets. The musical is performed by the Imaginators, our troupe of actors and educators, and it was written by Imaginator Derek Ratliff and directed by Imaginator Jerry G. White.
Inside the Exhibit:
Apartment Building
Operate wheels to move George on pulleys from window to window. Climb the fire escape and climb inside to play with color, light and shadow.
Sidewalk Produce Stand
Play customer or salesperson and explore shape, sorting, weighing and counting with fruit and vegetables.
Construction Site
Design a building, make use of a bounty of building materials and get to work constructing different structures and using machines to move materials.
City Park
Enjoy the urban green space: rest or give a hug to a full-size George and take a picture! Our youngest visitors will enjoy our busy wall activities for babies and toddlers.
Mini Golf
Use pipes, ramps, funnels, turntables, bumpers and force to experiment with physics and engineering as you putt through three holes of mini golf.
Space Rocket
Step up to the rocket Curious George took on his space adventure! Pose for a picture with George in his space suit and email it home.
Farm
Take a vacation to the country and visit the farm. Experience cause and effect and use wind power to move yard art like whirligigs, windmills, windsocks, and wind chimes. Build your own whirligig and care for the farm animals.
Museum within the Museum
Learn new things about George when you visit the Museum within the Museum. Follow H.A. and Margret Rey’s work, the escape from France to safety during World War II that saved the Curious George manuscript, and Curious George throughout the years.
Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta is a smart place to play and a non-profit organization offering a family-friendly space filled with interactive and educational exhibits for children age eight and under. The Museum’s mission is to spark imagination and inspire discovery and learning for all children through the power of play. Their permanent collection consists of bright, creative, hands-on exhibits that are designed to give children an opportunity to learn through play. Imagine It! also offers parties, memberships and field trip tours. Museum hours: Monday through Friday 10:00 AM-4:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Admission is $12.50 plus tax for adults and children ages 2 and above; children under 2 are free. Imagine It! is located at 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW. The Museum is closed for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For more information or to support Imagine It!, visit their new website at www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org or call 404.659.KIDS [5437].
