Play School

- Season 30

(1995)

Aka ep62.1 Noni draws faces on her hands. A puppet theatre is set up and the hands perform. An elephant, giraffe and seal 'hole' puppet are made out of items from the Useful Box to be used in the story. David dresses in a cardboard box elephant head and then adds a stripey towel to become a Zebrawoffalump.

The presenters make teddy bear puppets with jointed arms and legs moved by string at the back. The bears have different expressions. Noni shows how a face changes from happy to surprised to sad and to angry. The four teddies perform in the puppet theatre. After the storybook, the presenters act out the story with toys. Big Ted is strung as a marionette.

The presenters paint scenery for the puppet theatre. 'Little Mis Muffet' is performed with Jemima and a glove spider; 'Mr Frog' is performed with a paper plate frog; 'How Does a Caterpillar Go?' is performed with a stocking caterpillar. David looks at the mice in their mouse house. Noni dresses up as a mouse and David looks for her. Three craft marionettes are shown.

Angela makes a paper spiral snake to slither through Colin's grass Colin slithers round as a snake and eats Fergus the Frog. Angela makes a stretch paper dragon. Big Ted is turned into a dragon Hand shadows of a bird, a rabbit an elephant and a duck at the puppet theatre. The presenters act out a drama at the water tray with puppet ducks, a water dragon and Super Snapper. Colin shows a Chinese dragon as used for New Year ceremonies. Richard shows some children at a Kindergarten how his shadow puppets work and also performs A Dragon Came into Our Garden for the story ...

Trisha shows Poppy the Pop-up Play School Puppet and makes her companion Sockey who hunts for George. George looks at fresh and dried bush flowers and finishes making Flora, a flower puppet, out of banksia and kangaroo paw. Trisha goes for a walk in the 'bush' and encounters bush creatures. George introduces Skinny Malinky Longlegs, a large puppet made from pantyhose, and takes her for a walk to the puppet theatre where they watch a parade of the puppets seen this week.

Aka ep63.1 Painting an outline Scrap on a perspex screen, printing it, then making a scrap paper collage. Making the calendar for the week from paper towel. Hat shop play. Dancing the Mexican Hat Dance. Making maracas from paper bags.

Folding and cutting paper to make pop-p mouth animals. Washing Banana's pyjamas. Trying different patterned paper pyjamas on a cardboard cut-out Banana.

Making a skirt from newspaper, then using it as a cape and a collar. David plays with kitten visitor. They make a 'monster' from a cardboard box and feed it paper balls. Making a paper-chain necklace and wrapping it for a present for Monica.

Making cut-out paper doll chains from plotting paper and dying them - sprinkling glitter on them for party dresses. Taking the toys boating in paper hats and life jackets.

Squirting coloured water onto paper towel and greaseproof paper to observe their water resistance. Making paper boats from paper towel and greaseproof paper and observing their floatability. Making paper bag puffer fish.

Aka ep64.1 Making frogs from take-away food containers. Making a garden bed from felt and crepe paper. Paper sun flowers grow in the garden. Playing a hiding game with Fergus the frog. Noni and George act out the story of The Garden by Arnold Lobel in Frog and Toad Together.

Making a stained glass window using clear contact and coloured cellophane. Making a blue jelly pond with green apple frog, pineapple and kiwi-fruit lily-pads, strawberry rocks and passion fruit tadpoles. Playing a dressing up game using a spinning board and clothes with different patterns.

Making a bush scene using play dough to make animals such as ducks, frogs, kookaburra and kangaroo. The play dough frog lays eggs which become a tadpole, then a frog. A 'frog catching a dragonfly' game. Pauline tells the story of the Frog and the Lyrebird.

Making a 'Gobbly' by folding large squares of coloured paper. Under the flaps are a worm, a bee, a butterfly and a grasshopper. Monica follows a rope to stamping land, jumping land, crawling land and speckled land. Wool tongues and eyes are added to a 'Gobbly' to make frogs that eat flies.

Painting three separate environments, forest, desert and pond, using a spray bottle, brushes and sponges. Looking at green tree frogs and golden bell or swamp frogs. Looking at tadpoles. Making plastic flippers, paper-cup face mask and straw snorkel for Meeka to go swimming in a baby bath. Angela and George act out the story of Tidallick.

Aka ep65.1 Constructing a block road from wooden blocks. A rocket and tugboat are built using square, oblong, round and triangular foam blocks. The wooden modular blocks are used to build a city and the large blocks become a city.

Short/Long book is made. Toys wear different sized gumboots. A fish market stall is set up and fish delivered and sold. Through the windows there are fish markets.

Build an adventure playground using blocks (a slide, a tunnel, stepping posts, see-saw). Play School mice, Henry and Henrietta, are let loose in a block maze. Sand Castles and a sand cat are made in sand tray. Wet and dry sand are contrasted, and dry sand is swung through a funnel to make patterns. Marian tells the story of the Great Big Enormous Turnip.

Stair sequence is built using eight graded oblong pillars (construct from storage cubes) The stair sequence represents the notes of a scale. Max plays a xylophone, which Simon then plays and Max accompanies on keyboard. Benita makes a crown for Queen Meeka and the wooden modular blocks are used to build a throne, a castle and a wall for Humpty The storage cubes are rearranged to form a sequence of stairs.

Different water vessels used to discover water conservation. Cooked play dough is made and used to make doughnuts. The toys and Simon have a doughnut tea-party, making sure everyone has a fair share. The wooden modular blocks are used for an adventure playground for a toy mouse. Marian tells the story of "The Porridge Pot".

Aka ep66.1 Using woodworking tools to make a wooden figure on a stand. A guessing game to show the use of a knife, needle and trowel. The process from tree-growing in a forest through tree cutter, timber mill, to furniture maker, shop and home is acted out.

Looking at a variety of fabric types and patterns, Using a cotton reel to print materials for a wrap for Meeka. A Jellyfish is made with towelling, cotton wadding, elastic, shanked buttons and safety pins. The Jellyfish is dyed blue. Poppers, zips and buttons are found on the toy's clothes.

A bodkin and wool are used to make foil and cellophane beads for a necklace. A castle, made of plastic blocks in a 1/2 car tyre moat is used to play out a drama with Princess Peggy, Sir Cardboard Roll and Sir Toothy Past (made of house hold items).

A house and car are made with plumber's PVC piping. Two plastic bottles with water inside are joined together at their tops like an hour glass. They are swirled to form a tornado, and squeezed. (Bottle joiners can be purchased from play equipment specialists, but this will work with electrical or masking tape.) A tool recognition game is played with cardboard cut-outs on a head band. Colin and Angela perform the "Breakdown" story.

Kitchen tools are sorted with a magnet. Spatter paintings of tools are used in a game with a spinning saucepan lid as a pointer. John tells the story "The Saucepan Who Flipped Her Lid". Through the windows playground equipment is being assembled. PVC piping and cardboard make a slippery dip for the toys. Trisha and Colin try to stop John sliding down the slippery dip, but they are too late and the playground collapses.

Aka ep67.1 Making a cubby house for the toys with chairs and mosquito net. 'A Book About Me' is made containing photographs of home, family and favourite thing and a 'photographic freeze' game played. The cubby house is given a bed and later a garden.

Hospital play with the toys. The presenters fix Little Ted's broken arm with plaster. Dress up as cats with cardboard ears on hairband, whiskers and face paint. A large carton figure is constructed. On each side is a different person in varying states of health and mood. The presenters paint a sling, plasterer and chicken pox on the figure. Doctor Play.

Making orange and banana ice blocks. Orange ice blocks - squeeze juice, add water and freeze. Banana ice blocks - mash on banana, add sugar or honey to sweeten, pour in 1 cup non-diary soya drink, stir and freeze. A goat is milked. Nonsense teeth are made with orange skins.

Making a standard and mobile telephone. Meeka has a sore ear. Completing a jigsaw puzzle of a bear in a wheel chair. Little Ted is taken by a box ambulance to hospital and lent a wheelchair.

A nest is made for Henny Penny weaving strips of paper, material and dry grassed through the holes in a plastic basket. A bed of pillows is used for play with the toys. A hospital ward is set up. A nurse cares for the patients, food is delivered, a visitor arrives and a doctor checks the patients. Through the Windows Colin visits the Children's Hospital.

Aka 68.1 Sort bits and pieces into collection box. Doll's furniture is made using milk cartons (table, sower, armchair). Cleaning robot constructed from boxes with brush body parts. Mime cleaning the house. Milk carton car and carport.

Georgie makes a radio from milk cartons and George makes a boat for Lisa. Dramatic play: George goes for a row in his boat and experiences changes in the weather. Georgie puts on a hat parade with the toys. Georgie sails milk carton boats in a water tray. Georgie has a milk carton 'remote control' and controls Georgie's movements.

Hiding game with toys under baskets. An engine is made using baskets. Milk cartons are used to make an engine. The presenters set up a farm with the toys and baskets.

Making milk carton monster. Dressing up as a dinosaur with a milk carton tail. Painting a large picture of Apatosaurus. Making a junk sculpture using milk cartons and other objects such as a pipecleaner person, bottle top, pegs, cork, pig. Through the windows, Pauline shows children through a gallery.

A collections of bears is taken on a 'Teddy Bears' Picnic. Magnets are used to make a picture of a face. Magnets are used to make a fishing line at the picnic.

Aka ep69.1 Make remote control using egg carton, draw on buttons (on/off, volume). Play television shows, news readers, opera singer, racing car driver. Chroma-Key television trick with Daisy and presenter flying through the air. They fly through day and night skies. Make box video camera to film the toys. Add strap using masking tape. Make video player. A cardboard television set is made using large cardboard box hole for screen. Dials drawn on.

Background for Little Miss Muffet drawn on long piece of paper. Flowers and web added using oil pastels. Background inserted into television box. Presenters play out 'tough muffet' using props (yoghurt container for a bowl, hand puppets). pretends to lay paper eggs (which are up his jumper).

Australian bush scene made using small branches stuck in brown play dough. Hand puppets (Wombat, Cockatoo, Emu, Kookaburra and Fergus the Frog). Pretend to be a scarecrow puppet, worked by ventriloquist. Television show with Harry Bellaborough searching for a rare speckled frog. Feeds birds and fish. Television trick Chroma-Key, Bit and Bot swimming with Big Ted in tank. Pauline tells the story of "The Kookaburra Who Stole the Moon". Through the Windows, we see the making of a Television Program "The Ferals".

Make space ship attaching propulsion units to cardboard pizza plates. Make space television shows with three different backgrounds: space ship interior, stars, moon surface, Captain Ted and Lieutenant Meeka seek out and bring back the Lunar Banana. Pretend television show called 'Why' with Humpty.

Make play dough people. Make thaumatrope using stick figure pictured attached to a pencil. Moving picture quickly gives the stick figures the appearance of motion. Make Hey Diddle Diddle song using layers of tracing paper. Use remote control car with Diddle. Car race between Diddle and George. Through the Windows we see how the animation for "Take You Riding in My Car" has been made.

Aka ep70.1 Making a multi-level fountain using milk shake containers, microwave steamer dishes and a colander. Constructing a water-sound scale, using heavy glass bottles fill with coloured water. Making a ducklings out of ping-pong balls with cardboard cut-out features.

Painting faces and rainbows on a window with water paint. Making Big Ted some waterproof clothes using show curtain material. Dressing up Big Ted in wet weather clothes. Spinning lid painting: a circle of paper is placed inside a clean garbage bin lid. The lid is spun around and at the same time water paint is squirted onto the paper.

Angela and John make damper. Making an egg carton crocodile. John tells the story of "The Crocodile Hunt" and does the actions. Feeding Bit and Bot, the Play School goldfish.

Making squirty monsters out of plastic spray bottles. Making soap flake slime; and finger painting with it. Washing toys' clothes and hanging them out to dry. Blowing bubbles and busting them.

Exploring some properties of water. Pouring some water into a funnel, down a plastic tube to fill containers. Pouring the same quantities of water into different shaped containers of the same capacity, noting that water takes on the shape it is contained in. Filling rubber gloves with water to be frozen. An ice hand is removed from a rubber glove and begins to melt. The toys are given a drink of water and Big Ted is dressed up as Alice the Camel. The story is told by the presenters and is "The Floppy Gloppy Glove".