The Natural History Museum and its neighbor across the street, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, will be dealing with objects of continuous curiosity. The museum will unveil its exhibit on Lizards and Snakes Alive, Oct. 16, while the science center will open its second phase of Kid City, the latter dealing with the human version of crawling tots. “The (Lizards and Snakes) exhibition teaches us about the vast diversity, from delicate geckos to ferocious-looking venomous snakes,” said Bradford D. Hollingsworth, Ph.D., Department of Herpetology curator and a major collaborator on the exhibition at the Natural History Museum. “Lizards and snakes make up an amazing success story in the animal kingdom. They are no more prehistoric than modern mammals are from their ancestors.” Others agree. “Our fascination with lizards and snakes starts early and endures throughout life,” said Dr. Michael Hager, president and CEO of the San Diego Natural History Museum. “It’s a great family exhibition where curiosity about nature is nourished. Teaching careful observation and learning about fascinating strategies for survival are key ingredients in the development of careers in science.” Meanwhile, at the Fleet Science Center’s Kid City, preschool children ages 5 years and younger will be provided an infant crawling stage for exploration, starting, Oct. 23. A variety of slopes, bumps and soft surfaces should contribute to the development of motor skills for children who visit. Rubber flooring will simulate roadways and sidewalks while carpeted surfaces will serve as grassy areas. An added educational benefit of the new flooring is that it will provide an opportunity for parents to teach children about street safety, complete with a stoplight and other roadway warning signs. The Kid City exhibition is made possible by gifts and grants from the Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Foundation, the Nierman Family Fund at the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation, the Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust and sponsorships from ScholarShare College Savings Plan and Fidelity Investments and an anonymous donor. Noteworthy: Comprised of nearly 100 works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the Baldwin M. Baldwin collection pays tribute to an extraordinary modern artist and one of the San Diego Museum of Art’s foremost patrons shown together in San Diego for the first time in 26 years. Toulouse-Lautrec’s Paris provides a last-look at this first-class collection of paintings, drawings, prints and posters before the museum begins a campaign to conserve and digitize these important works.