For Immediate Release:
April 15, 2009
Contact:
Libby Raiford, 423-648-6042, lfr@cdmfun.org or
Carla Campbell, 423-648-6054, cbc@cdmfun.org
Curious George™: Let’s Get Curious
Hold on to Your Yellow Hat for an Exciting Summer Exhibit
Opening June 13th at Creative Discovery Museum
Chattanooga, TN - Get ready for one very curious monkey to make his Chattanooga debut at Creative Discovery Museum. Curious George: Let’s Get Curious will be the featured summer exhibit June 13 through September 27, 2009. Through fun math, science and engineering-based adventures, this exhibit inspires children of all ages to ask questions and find answers through hands-on solution seeking.
Just like Curious George™, children are incredibly inquisitive – and curiosity is one of the most important foundations of all scientific investigation and discovery. ”Creative Discovery Museum is a natural place for Curious George to visit since our mission statement is about stimulating the creative spirit and natural curiosity of every child,” states Dr. Jayne Griffin, Director of Education for the Museum. “George is insatiably curious, and curiosity is a cornerstone of creativity. The produce stand, construction site, mini golf, city park and farm are just some of the areas where children are invited to explore and discover through direct experiences and problem solving.”
The Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! exhibit is sponsored by 3M and sponsored locally by Little Debbie Snacks®, The Chattanooga Zoo, and WTCI Channel 45. Both The Chattanooga Zoo and WTCI are offering valuable resource areas within the exhibit with an interactive matching game, informational graphics including “Meet Curious George’s Zoo Friends”, and a special display of original art created by chimpanzees!
Designed, developed and built by Minnesota Children’s Museum in partnership with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, the exhibit’s content is based on educational standards developed by Minnesota Children’s Museum and an expert advisory panel to the PBS KIDS series, as well as national science and math standards for young children.
“Curious George is the ideal character to represent a children’s museum,” states Henry Schulson, Creative Discovery Museum’s Executive Director. “He encompasses the wonderful curiosity and imagination that is central to the learning of all children.”
Just as the Man in the Yellow Hat is there to lend a hand to George, the exhibit also emphasizes the role of parent and caregiver in the learning process. “Parents or caregivers engaging in their child’s learning is an important concept for families to practice,“ continues Dr. Griffin. “While Curious George’s adventures provide him with knowledge and fun, the importance of adult/child interaction is a recurring theme in the stories and illustrated by how George’s experiences are greatly enriched when shared with the Man in the Yellow Hat.”
The exhibit features familiar faces and places that Curious George fans will recognize from the classic stories by H.A. and Margret Rey, the characters’ creators, as well as from the animated television series on PBS KIDS.
Exhibit Features:
Apartment Building
Operate wheels to move Curious George on pulleys from window to window. Climb the fire escape and play with color, light and shadow.
Sidewalk Produce Stand
Play customer or salesperson and explore shape, sorting, weighing and counting with fruits and vegetables.
Construction Site
Design a building 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 Curious 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 e-mail 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 or windsock 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.
Exhibit Programming:
Throughout the exhibit’s stay at the Museum, there will be many added-value activities including:
* Get Curious with George
Tuesday from June 16 through August 11 is a Curious Tuesday. Guests will enjoy the
(more)
same kinds of activities that George encounters in his fun-filled adventures. Artists, zoo animals, community helpers and lots of special guests will bring extra fun and curiosity to the Museum.
* Go Bananas over Pudding!
Banana pudding is a southern tradition and this exhibit is the perfect opportunity to go bananas over banana pudding. On Saturday, June 27th guests will be asked to vote for a favorite banana pudding by donating pennies. Area restaurants will serve up their versions of this sweet creamy concoction. Each penny is a vote for that restaurant’s recipe. Plus, kids will also have an opportunity to make their own at the only event in Chattanooga dedicated to this crowd pleasing dessert.
* Curious George Sightings
Curious George will make regular weekly appearances in the Museum between June 13 and Sept 27.
* Curious Workshops
Monthly workshops will satisfy your curiosity about things kids LOVE to do. In June, the Summer Splash workshop will give children an opportunity to make sand art and hunt for treasure. In July, George goes bananas making his favorite foods including chocolate dipped bananas and monkey bread. The August Workshop is Fun Feasts in which kids will learn to make their own sack lunches in Creative Discovery Museum’s new on-site kitchen. Registration is required. Cost is $15.00/ member $20.00/ non-member per child per workshop. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Adults are free.
About Creative Discovery Museum
Creative Discovery Museum is recognized as one of the top children’s museums in the nation. It is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to educational enrichment for children ages 4-months to 12-years-old through interactive, hands-on experiences that foster creative and critical thinking. CDM focuses on a broad range of areas encompassed by Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Technology and the Sciences. In addition to its exhibits, CDM provides local residents and visitors with special events, educational programming, teacher resources for the classroom, field trips, after school programming, early childhood education classes, artist residencies, camps, art lessons, science demonstrations, and a branch of the local library. Creative Discovery Museum is a funded agency of Allied Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission.
Creative Discovery Museum in 2009 is open Mon-Sat: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun: noon-5 p.m. Tickets: $9.95 for children and adults. 321 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. For more information, call (423) 756-2738.
Curious George television series merchandise © Universal Studios. Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H.A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios licensing LLLP. All rights reserved. The PBS KIDS logo is a registered mark of PBS and is used with permission.
The Emmy®-nominated animated preschool television series, CURIOUS GEORGE, airs daily within the PBS KIDS hosted preschool block. Based on the literary classic, the series debuted in September 2006 as the number-one rated children's series on television among kids ages 2-5 years and moms. In the series, Curious George uses his insatiable curiosity as a way of acquainting preschoolers with key concepts in math, science, and engineering. George’s memorable mis-adventures—from dismantling clocks to rounding up errant bunnies—offer a perfect vehicle for motivating kids to expand their own investigations of the world. William H. Macy narrates.
About the CURIOUS GEORGE television series
CURIOUS GEORGE is a production of Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston, and Universal Studios Family Productions. Executive producers are Ron Howard (Imagine), Brian Grazer (Imagine), Ellen Cockrill (Universal), Carol Greenwald (WGBH), David Kirschner and Jon Shapiro. Funding for CURIOUS GEORGE is provided by public television viewers. Corporate funding is provided by Shea Homes. The CURIOUS GEORGE Web site is pbskids.org/curiousgeorge. Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H.A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. Television series: © 2007. Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group
Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the extensive catalogue of NBC Universal properties. Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.
About Houghton Mifflin Trade and Reference Division
Houghton Mifflin’s Trade and Reference Division publishes adult, juvenile, and reference books. Its adult titles encompass literary fiction and a broad spectrum of nonfiction. Houghton Mifflin’s children’s lists include numerous Newbery and Caldecott Medal winners and constitute one of the richest backlists of children’s literature in the industry.
About Houghton Mifflin Company
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with more than $1.4 billion in sales. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for elementary and secondary schools and colleges.
The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-wining fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. In 2006, Houghton Mifflin merged with Riverdeep, bringing together one of the most respected print publishers with the leader in interactive courseware. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin, visit www.hmco.com.
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