F: Curious George and the Firefighters: Library Notes

 

Here are some thoughts on Curious George and the Firefighters.

This book was chosen in honour of my son who is working on becoming a firefighter 

and for the general love of Curious George that makes it a popular classic that you children will surely enjoy.  It is written by Margaret and H.A. Reys.

1,Monkey see, monkey do.   Make a game of this.  Can your child touch their ears? Make a funny face? Hop on one foot? Eat a banana?  Juggle a ball?  See if they can mimic your actions in this fun game.

2. Ask the question, "What would happen if....?" Create a number of scenarios and see what their response would be.   Curious George was curious and often wondered what would happen and it frequently got him into trouble but it is by asking questions and exploring the world that you learn about life and people and this is the best path to learning.  Encourage curiosity.  What would happen if you tried to climb the ladder?  If you went on a trip to a fire station?  If Curious George was your pet monkey?  If you saw a fire?      ???

3. Puppets for Story telling. You can draw or photocopy a picture of George, the man in the yellow hat, a firefighter.  You can laminate them and put them on a stick and use them as puppets while you read or retell the story.

4. Snacks. Curious George had snacks at the fire station.  What do you think he ate?  Set up real or pretend snacks for George and your child(ren). What did you choose?  Why? Is it healthy? What food groups do the snacks belong to?  Is it something a monkey would eat in real life?  What colours are your snacks?

5.  Self Awareness: The story says George tried to pay attention but was curious.  What does it mean to pay attention?  Ask your child if it is hard for them to pay attention.  Ask what kinds of things they find distracting.  Is it noise? people? movement? changes in lighting?  images of things that interest them? thoughts? feelings?

6.  Map of the City.  George found a city map on the wall.  What does your city look like? Where are you on the map?  What interesting places can you visit?  Do you have a list of fun places you would like to visit as a family?  Is a local fire station one of those places? Can you draw a map to the place you want to go?  ie. How do you get to the beach from your home? Do you know direction words like left, right, north, south, east, west?

7. Early Skills Practice.  George then started trying on hats, coats and boots.  If your child needs to practice these skills, now would be a great time to pull them out and practice along with George.  George mixed up all the items. You could also cut out hats, coats and boots and sort them out to match the correct firefighter. You can choose to work on any major skill.  Numbers?  Label five 'firefighters' 1-5 and the coats, boots and hats #1-5 and then match the right coat, hat and boot set to the corresponding firefighter.  Or you could have different colours or sizes of hats, coats and boots to match too.

8.Directions.  George was given directions to follow.  Can your child follow your directions?  It could be simple or complex.  You could create a set of instructions and have a surprise at the final destination if they follow correctly.  For example, walk to the door. As  you leave turn left.  At the staircase go right.  Make six bunny hops straight ahead. Where are you?  If they followed properly they are at the place where you left a surprise.  It can be their snack or a ball to juggle or a special note.  Be creative.  You can also see if your child can direct you back home when out for a walk or a drive.

9. Sounds.  They heard a bell ring and a siren wail and a fire crackle.  Close your eyes. What do you hear?  Play different sounds for the child and see if they can identify the source.  It can be to turn in the direction of your hand clap.  It can be to 'name that tune'.  It can be to guess that the sound belongs to a bee or a tiger or a drum or a bouncing ball.  You can even make various character voices. Is it a grumpy person? a baby? someone joyful or mad? How do you know? What do you hear?  Practice alphabet sounds too like 'f' says fffff.

10.  Interactive Ball Games  George found a bucket of balls.  He began to toss one, then two, then, three, four and five balls.  He was juggling! He began by himself but soon had other children interacting with him.  He had their interest.  They were curious to see what he was doing.  Can you count the balls? Match the colours?  Match the numbers?  Can you juggle?  Can you toss a ball to one another?  It was a "wonderful idea to help frightened children".  George was called a brave monkey and his troublesome curiosity became a way to be a blessing to those around him.  

How can you brighten someone's day today?  What will you explore and investigate today and what will you learn as a result?  Explore the world and be kind to others every day!

Use every opportunity to build relationships with children and to build up their skills too-especially as it relates to their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. 

paw patrol fire fighting

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