Curious George

We're big fans of PBS Kids in this house.  As part of our daily morning ritual, Madeline eats her bowl of dry Cheerios and watches cartoons.  While Eric and I dash around like mad tornadoes trying to get ready for the day, Madeline is watching shows we trust like Sid the Science Kid, Martha Speaks, and Sesame Street.

So, when we were invited to an advance screening of the Seventh Season premiere of Curious George at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, I was like, "Heck yes!  Roll out the red banana-colored carpet!"

WGBH bases its Curious George series on the books by Margret and H.A. Rey.  The program features George, the curious monkey, as he tries to problem-solve and explore the world around him.

In the Seventh Season premiere, "Monkey Down Under," George and his Man in the Yellow Hat travel to Australia for an Outback Adventure.  On his journey, George meets Bindi Irwin, observes some wild dingos, and finds a mysterious set of animal tracks belonging to a baby kangaroo.

Madeline loved the show.  This was only her second time in a movie theatre, so she was a little apprehensive at first.  She held on to Mimi's hand pretty tightly.  But when the familiar theme song for the show started, she let out a squeal of delight.  She sat still and paid attention to both fifteen minute segments of the show.

Best part?  When it was over, Madeline got to meet Curious George himself.  Her first celebrity encounter.

The season premiere will air on PBS Kids on Monday, December 3.   There will also be two more brand-new episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The upcoming season will focus on George's encounters with animals in nature.  If you check out the PBS Parents website, there's a whole range of online activities for parents to help their little ones explore and discover for themselves.

There's also a new study that found that the Curious George series helps preschoolers learn math and science even at such a young age.  For information on that study, watch the YouTube video below.