This project begins on the first day of school with the reading of "Curious George's First Day of School" and continues throughout the school year. After you finish reading the story, introduce a stuffed version of George. ("See, he really did come to the first day of school!") Tell students that they will get a chance to take Curious George home for a weekend; after all, he gets bored staying at school all by himself. Create a schedule that shows which student takes George home on which weekend. Provide the student with a journal and bag in which to carry it, along with Curious George. The students must record their weekend adventures with George in the journal and take pictures. On Monday, have the student share his or her adventures with George with the rest of the class. At the end of the year, you will have a journal filled with George's adventures for your classroom library.
What better way to kick off the new school year than bonding over a fresh loaf of Curious George banana bread? First, read "Curious George's First Day of School" to the class to set the mood and tell students to get ready to enjoy Curious George's favorite food. Lay out the ingredients and have students measure and put the ingredients in a large bowl: three ripe bananas, 1 3/4 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup of butter, 2/3 cup of sugar and an egg. Mix all the ingredients well and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cut and share.
Read "Curious George's First Day of School" to the class and then create a bulletin board using the book's theme. As the school year progresses and you read more Curious George books, the students can alter the board's theme. The board will serve as a learning tool and provide a sense of pride for the students who helped to construct it. Include images of the famous monkey from the stories your read, some of which can be drawn by the students. However, some elements of the board need to be three-dimensional. Hang a stuffed Curious George on the board and give him a small bucket to hold. The bucket can hold things such as representations of current lessons. For example, if you have a "letter of the week," such as "E," place a plastic egg or a little stuffed elephant in the bucket. Write at the top of the board, "We're curious about many things!"
Bring the students out of their shells on the first day of school with a Curious George role-play activity. Read "Curious George's First Day of School" out loud while the students mime the action. This will get them to interact and maybe enjoy a few laughs. After you finish the book, ask students to discuss their experiences and what they learned about the characters and the story.