Curious George Season 5 Premiere {Review}

All across the country today, September 6, people are celebrating Labor Day. Around our house, however, we have a little extra something to celebrate: the Season 5 premiere of Curious George on PBS Kids.

Even though Big Sister E has liked a variety of characters and shows, her love for Curious George has remained true from the beginning. Not to be completely outdone, Little Sister B has already formed a major attachment to George also and if there is ever even a possibility that the television is going to be turned on, her calls of, "Girg! Girg!" fill the air.

I have to admit that even I have a fondness for this fuzzy brown monkey and can't help but want to see what mischief he gets himself in and out of each time. I love the fact that the show is completely appropriate for children, always has a positive moral and even has a real-life science, math or engineering lesson or activity at the end, showing how kids can take away the educational aspects each time.

Needless to say, we've watched most every episode that has been aired and when we found out that a new season was beginning, we were all pretty excited. And then the day arrived that an advanced screening of the first new episode showed up at our house and it was like the mail carrier had dropped off a package containing pure gold. Big Sister E and Little Sister B couldn't scramble to their spots on the couch fast enough.

Little Sister B just wanted Mommy to get out of the way so that she could see better. But I did find it extremely cute that she brought Curious George with her to watch Curious George.

Each half-hour episode includes two animated stories followed by short live-action pieces showing real kids investigating the ideas that Curious George introduced in the stories. The first two that we were able to see included:

George and Marco Sound Out
This season introduces Marco, an 8-year-old who befriends George and is ready to teach him elements of Hispanic culture like food, music and celebration.
Story: George loves listening to his favorite Latin band in the park but when the bandstand is taken down, George and Marco go on a mission to find them a new performance space with just the right acoustics.
Lesson: To explore sound and how the same instruments might sound different in different settings. How does the size of a space, texture of the surfaces and the presence of competing sounds affect music?

A Monkey's Duckling
Story: When George takes over as egg-sitter for Dumpling Duck, the first duckling emerges and thinks the monkey is his mother. George must show the differences between ducks and monkeys and convince the duckling that "birds of a feather flock together."
Lesson: There are differences between animals that hatch and those that are "born alive." Kids also learn about the concept of attachment between some animal parents and babies.

CG: ® & © 2010 Universal Studios and/or HMH. All rights reserved. PBS Kids (R) Public Broadcasting Service. For promotional use only.

Although Curious George has been around for nearly 70 years, I don't think he looks a day over 5. I love the way the series encourages inquiry and curiosity, promotes hands-on exploration and even shows ways to incorporate children's science and math-related play.

Congratulations on your 2010 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Children's Animated Program," George! We will definitely be tuning in to see what adventures your curiosity takes you on next!

(Other than the screening copy of Curious George that I was sent from WGBH, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my opinion of this show.)