Once Upon A Book: Curious George and the Rocket

 

Curious George and the Rocket

by H.A. Rey

Summary:  Off on yet another adventure, this curious little monkey finds himself up in space . . . and receives a medal for it!

Bible Verse

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;  to search out a matter is the glory of kings. (Proverbs 25:2)

Sometimes I don’t think that Curious George is a good little monkey, though his books say that he is.  I admit that I enjoy Curious George, but when we watch or read about this little monkey, the kids and I always discuss what George should have done.  God enables us to be curious to seek Him out. Encourage your child’s curiosity but also teach them how to use it properly by asking you questions, going to the library with a trusted adult, and “safely” experimenting.  George often ends up being rewarded for his foolishness . . . however, it is always important to honor and obey your parents.

Crafts

Constellation Crayon Resist

Supplies:

• white paper
• white crayon
• black paint (I thinned the paint out with a little bit of water.)
• paint brush
• two paper plates
• stapler, glue, or tape

Directions:

• draw dots or stars on a white sheet of paper using a white crayon

 

• On a protected surface, have your Tot cover the white paper with the black paint.

• While the paint is drying, cut a hole in ONE paper plate – pretending it is the rocket window Curious George looked out of.

 

• Place the painted paper between the two paper plates, making sure the black side of the paper faces the window.  You will need to cut off the extra black paper so that it fits just inside the paper plates.  Staple shut.

• Ask your Tot what he/she sees out of his rocket window and mention that this was probably similar to Curious George’s view.  You can even use this printable or pictures from this Tot Book so that Curious George can peak out of the window of the space shuttle. 

Constellation Can

 

Supplies:

• clean and empty aluminum can
• nail
• hammer
• flashlight
• dark room

Directions:

• Beforehand, carefully poke holes into the bottom of an aluminum can, in the shape of a constellation (if possible).  I made a heart.

• Pointing the can towards the ceiling, allow your child to shine a flashlight through the open portion of the can when standing in a dark room.
• Light should poke through the holes and create a constellation on the walls or ceiling.

Constellation Drop

(Your Tot could even sort the stars, if you use ones like the above.)

Supplies:

• small pebbles, buttons, beads, M&M’s, or other small object
• stickers (preferably stars)
• white crayon
• black paper

Directions:

• Allow your child to drop a small amount of beads one-by-one onto a black sheet of paper.

• After each bead is dropped, replace it with a star sticker.

 

• Once finished, connect the stars to form a constellation!

 

See how Maureen completed this activity! 

Numbers:  Counting Backwards

Supplies:

• monkey or rocket

Directions:

• Tell your child that you are going to send your monkey or rocket to the moon.
• Just as the book counts, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . “ so will you!
• Instruct your child that when you say, “Blast Off!” that they are to send their monkey to the moon.

A special shout out of thanks goes to Maureen from Spell Out Loud who helped me with this post due to the “Star Toddler” being under the weather for most of this month!  And a special thanks to the big brothers for filling in.  (They were pretty delighted that they could help you and your Tot!  Please write them a note if you have a chance!)

Want to see what's coming next (and books we've done in the past)? Click here to see our Once Upon a Book webpage!