>> THIS YEAR, CURIOUS GEORGE IS TRAVELING AGAIN, IN A TOURING
MUSEUM EXHIBIT THAT WILL BE SPENDING THE SUMMER AT THE
SPRINGFIELD SCIENCE MUSEUM.
THE MUSEUM DIRECTOR, DAVID STIER, CAME IN TO TELL US ALL
ABOUT IT.
>> THIS CAME OUT IN 1941, SO IT'S MULTI-GENERATIONAL, YOU
KNOW, MANY OF US HAD IT READ TO US, AND READ IT TO OUR OWN KIDS,
AND WHATEVER, AND SO.
>> AND I THINK THERE'S SOME INTEREST FROM, YOU KNOW, ADULTS
TO SEE, WELL, I WONDER WHAT THIS IS GOING TO BE LIKE, SO I THINK
THAT WILL HELP.
>> NOW, CURIOUS GEORGE'S WORLD, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE BOOKS,
SEEN ON THE TV SHOW, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, REALLY IS
REPRODUCED IN THIS EXHIBIT.
KIDS ARE GOING TO WALK IN AND FEEL FAMILIAR AND RIGHT AT HOME
RIGHT AWAY WITH WHAT THEY SEE.
>> I CAN IMAGINE COMING IN, AND THEN RUNNING TOWARDS THEIR
FAVORITE PIECE, WHETHER IT'S THE FARM OR THEY WANT TO GO TO THE
MUSEUM OR MAYBE GO IN THE ROCKET SHIP.
IT REALLY IS.
IT'S HIS NEIGHBORHOOD, AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU HAVE THE MEN WITH
THE YELLOW HATS, WHO I DON'T KNOW WHY HE CONTINUES TO LEAVE
GEORGE WITH US, WITH THE FINAL WORDS NOW, BEHAVE YOURSELF WHILE
I'M GONE.
>> EVERY PARENT UNDERSTANDS THAT IT'S A VERY HANDS-ON EXHIBIT, AS
I UNDERSTAND IT, WITH AN EXPERIENCE IN PROBLEM SOLVING.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THEY CALL IT STEM LITERACY-BASED, SO THAT'S
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS, AND
THAT'S REALLY A BIG DEAL, SO THE ACTIVITIES ARE SORT OF TRY AND
FAIL, TRY AGAIN, EVENTUALLY, SUCCEED, IT'S MORE OR LESS HOW
SCIENTIFIC METHODS GOES, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN EMPHASIZING
THAT AS NATIONALLY, SINCE AS FAR AS 2006, BECAUSE THEY WERE
FEELING AT THAT TIME THAT, PERHAPS, WE WEREN'T GOING TO
MEET OUR OWN NEEDS, LET ALONE STAY MORE OR LESS ONE OF THE
NUMBER ONE TECHNOLOGICAL NATIONS IN THE COUNTRY.
SO, I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
YOU HAVE TO GET -- YOU HAVE TO GET CHILDREN INTERESTED IN
SCIENCE VERY EARLY, STUDIES SHOW THAT, ESPECIALLY IN GIRLS, YOU
CAN LOSE THEM AS EARLY AS THE FIFTH GRADE.
SO TO GET THEM AT, KNOW, EVEN PRESCHOOL AGE, WHICH, YOU KNOW,
PBS KIDS IS DOING, IT'S ACTIVITIES THAT, SAME AS IN THE
EXHIBITION, THEY GET TO DO THINGS, BUT WHEN THEY GO HOME,
THERE ARE OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT THE PARENTS CAN KIND OF
REINFORCE WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO, I THINK THAT IT GIVES THE KIDS A BIT OF A HEAD START.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.
I GUESS THE MORE I READ ABOUT THIS EXHIBIT, THE MORE I COULD
FEEL IT, THAT STEM EMPHASIS, AND REALLY, KIND OF THE, YOU KNOW,
THIS IS NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER'S SCIENCE MUSEUM, YOU KNOW.
I WAS A KID, I WOULD REMEMBER A SCHOOL TRIP, TO THE SCIENCE
MUSEUM MEANT, SOMEBODY WAS IN A COAT, SHOWED YOU SOME FOSSILS,
AND IT WAS A DARK HALL, AND MAYBE YOU SAW SOME, YOU KNOW,
SKELETONS.
>> AND FRIED YOUR AIR.
>> EXACTLY.
YOU KEPT QUIET BECAUSE YOU WERE IN A MUSEUM, AND THAT'S NOT THE
CASE ANY MORE.
I MEAN, THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
>> RIGHT.
>> EVERYTHING IS INQUIRY-BASED.
HANDS ON, AND PEOPLE LEARN DIFFERENT WAYS, AND THE TIME
PERIOD YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, WE DID A LOT OF READING, AND, YOU
KNOW, IT SEEMED TO WORK FOR A LOT OF US.
BUT, NOWADAYS, SOMETIMES, PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, IT'S WHAT THEY
SEE, THE EXPERIENCE THAT THEY HAVE WHEN THEY TOUCH SOMETHING
IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE THINGS THAT THEY HEAR.
SO, YOU KNOW, AND MANY GET THOSE -- ALL THOSE SENSES SORT OF
JAZZED UP, AND IT WORKS FOR THEM FROM, YOU KNOW, BUT THEY NEED
THREE TO GET THE COMPLETE PACKAGE.
>> WE HAVE REALLY EMPHASIZED EVEN IN OUR EXHIBITIONS, THESE
KINDS OF INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES, WAYS THAT KIDS CAN
LEARN HOW KIDS AND ADULTS, WE MUST NOT FORGET THERE IS KIDS IN
ALL OF US, AND WE REMAIN CURIOUS AS WE GET COLDER.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE ABILITY TO USE SOME OF THE STANDARD EQUIPMENT
THAT SCIENTISTS MIGHT HAVE AT THEIR AVAIL, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT
PREPARES KIDS FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
>> LET'S TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF
THE COOL THINGS THAT KIDS ARE GOING TO SEE AT CURIOUS GEORGE.
EXHIBIT -- THERE IS AN APARTMENT BUILDING WHERE THE KIDS COME IN,
AND, ACTUALLY, I GUESS USING SOME THINGS, GET TO HELP GEORGE
WASH THE WINDOWS ON THE BUILDING.
>> RIGHT.
I THINK THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST FUN ELEMENTS BECAUSE, YOU
KNOW, RIGHT AWAY THE KIDS ARE GOING TO REMEMBER THOSE PIECES
FROM EACH ONE OF THE BOOKS, AND SO THEY CAN COME IN AND
MECHANICALLY MOVE GEORGE ACROSS THIS APARTMENT BUILDING, AND
THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, AS THEY MOVE, THEY CAN SEE
SHADOW AND IS SHAPES AND COLORS, SO IT CAN WORK ON A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT LEVELS IN TERMS OF THE AUDIENCE AGE.
THAT ONE CERTAINLY DOES IT.
>> AND WE HAVE NOT GOD TIME TO DO THEM ALL, BUT SO MANY OF THE
THINGS THAT ARE FAMILIAR FROM THE BOOKS WITH THE TV SHOW, A
PARK, THE ROCKET, GEORGE GOES INTO SPACE, AND THAT'S GOING TO
BE COOL BECAUSE KIDS CAN HAVE THEIR PICTURE TAKEN BY A DIGITAL
CAMERA, AND FOLKS CAN TAKE A PICTURE OF THE PICTURE, SEND IT
OUT TO GRANDMA AND GRANDPA, OR WHOEVER.
>> YEAH.
>> THE ABILITY TO, ACTUALLY, EMAIL IT BACK HOME.
SO, IT'S WAITING FOR YOU, SO, YOU CAN SAY MAYBE CURIOUS GEORGE
SENT YOU SOMETHING, YOU KNOW.
I LOVE THE ROCKET ONE.
THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE, THE CURIOUS GEORGE GETS A METAL, AND
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE IS A VISIT TO A MUSEUM, AND, YOU
KNOW, SINCE MY KIDS ARE, BASICALLY, 30 AND UNDER, I'VE
BEEN AT THE MUSEUM FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS NOW.
SO, IT WAS FUN FOR ME, AND, YOU KNOW, MY KIDS KNOW, I WORKED AT
A MUSEUM, BUT THAT BEHAVIOR IN THAT MUSEUM, WE DON'T WANT TO
ENCOURAGE THAT.
>> AND WE JUMP TO THE END OF THE EXHIBIT, THE MUSEUM IN THE
MUSEUM.
RETROSPECTIVE ON THE WORKS.
GEORGE'S CREATORS, H.A.
AND MARGARET REY, TELL US ABOUT THE
ESCAPE, AND SAVING THE MANUSCRIPTS, OTHERWISE, WE MIGHT
NOT KNOW ABOUT CURIOUS GEORGE.
THAT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING, AND MAYBE A LITTLE MORE OF A
SERIOUS POINT.
>> AN AMAZING STORY.
I MEAN, THEY WERE IN PARIS, AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS IMMINENT THAT
HITLER WAS COMING, AND IN FACT, THEY HAVE SAID TO THEMSELVES, WE
NEED TO GET READY AND GET OUT OF HERE, AND THEY DID NOT REALLY
HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY AND WHEREWITHAL.
SO, EVIDENTLY, HE PUT TOGETHER A COUPLE OF BICYCLES FROM USED
PARTS, AND THEY RODE OUT, LITERALLY, HOURS BEFORE HITLER
ARRIVED IN PARIS, AND THEY HAD SEVERAL MAN CRYPTS WITH THEM,
AND ONE OF THEM WAS THE FIRST CURIOUS GEORGE MANUSCRIPT.
SO, IT'S INTERESTING.
I THINK THAT THEY HIDE IT ON THE SPOKE OF A WHEEL OR SOMETHING,
YOU KNOW, AND THEN THEY TRADE IT IN, THEIR BIKES TO GET PASSAGE,
YOU KNOW, I THINK AT THE FRANCE AND SPANISH BORDER.
>> ONLINE, THIS IS IF YOU, BUT KIDS ARE GOING TO LEARN.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THIS IS GOING TO BE REALLY ENJOYABLE EXHIBITION.
AND THERE IS AREAS, YOU KNOW, WHERE THERE CAN BE SOME QUIET
TIME, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IF YOU ARE A
BIT, AS YOU SAID, A BIT YOUNGER THAN THREE.
AND THERE IS OTHER THINGS THAT I THINK ARE A LITTLE MORE
ESCALATED IN TERMS OF BUILDING AND ENGINEERING AND THINGS LIKE
THAT, AND IN THAT EXHIBITION THAT WILL WORK FOR PEOPLE WHO
ARE OLDER THAN SEVEN, TOO.
SO, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO A NICE SUMMER WITH THIS
EXHIBITION.
>> AND I AM SURE THAT -- IT IS MAY 23, AT THE SPRINGFIELD
SCIENCE MUSEUM, AND HE'S THERE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 7, THANKS FOR
COMING IN AND TELLING US ABOUT IT.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JIM.