Play School - Season 23 (1988)

Aka 2.3 Benita and George fill horse shapes with tissue paper and then paint some with brown and black splodges to become skewbald. The horses are then stapled on a merry-go-round and they sing 'The Merry-go-Round'. Big Ted and Jemima are rocked on a rocking horse. Pocket bread sandwiches are made. Through the windows is a Merry-go-Round and through another window Parsley Bay, in Sydney. The story 'Lottie Goes to the Show' is told.

Aka 2.5 George washes his hair. Benita files and paints her fingernails. Benita does different animal exercises - these include crab walking and frog hopping. She is joined by George who blobs like a jelly fish. George sings the story of 'Brumby Jack'. Through the windows are Snowy Mountain riders, and through another window Alister and his son look after the horses on his farm.

Aka 3.1 Benita and John make a space city with blocks. They cut out cardboard shapes and string them together. A castle is made from circular objects. Boats are made with blocks. Through the windows there is sail boarding. The story is 'Louise Builds a House' by Louise Pfanner.

Aka 3.2 Benita and John make patterns by pulling tape off painted sheets of paper. They dress up brushes and tell a story with them. John sings 'Some Day Very Soon'. It is quarter past nine on the flower clock with apples underneath. Benita reads the story 'Mr McGee' by Pamela Allen. John sings the 'Apple Tree Song'. Benita dresses up a felt 'man' with 'food' clothes and sings 'Aiken Drum'. John uses a kitchen sieve to do spatter paintings of egg shells. Through the square window there are paintings by Sydney Nolan displayed at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. John...

Aka 3.3 Benita and John make patterns with pebbles on sand. They make pictures with cardboard stencils. A Dalmatian and her puppies visit, and the presenters look at the spots and other features of the dogs. Through the windows a t-shirt is screen-printed with Ken Done's 'Digger Koala' design. The story is 'Hairy Maclary's Bone' by Lynley Dodd.

Aka 3.4 Merridy and George get some red and blue painting ready to use on a perspex screen. Merridy does some finger painting on the perspex with the paint. She draws the name of the day into the paint. George sings 'A Swirl, a swirl' to the tune of the 'Mexican Hat Dance'. It is seven o'clock on the flower clock with pineapples underneath. Merridy and George tell the story of 'Camilla Cardboard's Travels' using sheets of gift wrap paper attached to a miniature rotating wash-line. Merridy sings 'Wet Washing'. Through the square window are the flags being waved at the ...

Aka 3.5 Benita and John make a mouse with felt an ribbon. They play a guessing game with shapes, to decide what is missing. Lengths of dowel are sawed and decorated to become rhythm sticks. Patterns are painted with wood off-cuts. Through the windows children at a kindergarten paint Aboriginal-style patterns on bark, cardboard boomerangs and cardboard didgeridoos. The story of 'The Saucepan and the Lid' is told by John with kitchen utensils.

Aka 4.1 Benita makes an 'Antarctic' landscape with a bowl of blue water filled with ice cubes, icebergs made from white tissue paper, a white cardboard box for land, cellophane glaciers and peg penguins. John sings 'P-P-penguins'. The calendar wheel turns to reveal sea creatures: crab, octopus, jellyfish, shark, fish, lobster and starfish. Through the round window a diver, at Sea World in Surfers Paradise, looks after fish in an aquarium. Benita sings 'Swim Big Fish'. John reads the poem 'Roger was a Razor Fish' by Al Pittman. Bit and Bot the fish are kept in a bag ...

Aka 4.2 Benita builds a treehouse for Jemima with a rope and bucket to lift things up to the cubby. John reads poems from a book including 'Five Little Owls' and 'Tree house' by Shel Silverstein. The wheel calendar reveals animals living in a tree, including a koala, possum, sugar glider, kookaburra and rosellas. John pretends to be a colourful galah with a streamer crest, box feet and red fabric wings. John sings 'Zoom'. Benita sings 'Two Little Dickie Birds' using finger puppets. Through the triangle window people walk through an aviary at Currumbin Bird Sanctuary. ...

Aka 4.3 Benita and John look at two diamond pythons visiting from Taronga Zoo with their keeper. The pythons' sleep propensities are discussed, their scales and colouring, and their movement. Benita makes a cotton-reel snake, threading reels onto a piece of cord, adding eyes with a marker and scales from pasted on tissue paper. John makes mud pies in small tart tins, adds sand sprinkles and gum leaves for decoration. Benita makes a cubby from cushions for Little Ted, Jemima, Lisa and Banana. The story is 'The Ants' by Richard Tulloch. Through the windows children help...

Aka 4.4 Benita and John decorate their sand shoes with stars, moons and lightning flashes using fabric marking pens. Benita plays a 'pick the shoe' game with Little Ted, Jemima and Banana. Benita sits in a large box and pretends to fly in it to various places, for example: rainbow land, the jungle and the Antarctic. John makes some bread shapes using pastry cutters. Benita helps him decorate them with Ricotta cheese and coloured sprinkles. The story is an animated version of John Prater's book 'The Gift'. Through the windows new shoes are purchased at a shoe shop. The...

Aka 4.5 Benita and John make stars from cardboard triangles, decorate them with glitter and suspend them using ribbon tape. John has a picture of a streetscape with various things that wrong in it, for example: boat in a sky, upside down house, bike with a square wheel. He lifts off the silly things to reveal the right ones. Benita makes a helicopter from a saucepan lid, ice cream sticks an two cardboard boxes. John makes a hangar from a shoe box. The story is 'Anybody at Home?' by H.A. Rey. The calendar wheel reveals air transport in the sky: helicopter, jet, hot air...

Aka 5.1 Shadow puppets of 'Jack and Jill' are shown each day this week while the nursery rhyme is sung. Benita and John make a river with a pond at one end in a sand tray and fill these with water. Paper grass, birds, rabbits and frogs are placed around the pond, and a bridge over the river. They sing 'The Green Grass Grew Around'. A felt board game with shapes is played: the wrong part is corrected, for example a car with square wheels. A block city is built near the river and a take-away container boat with 'people' floats off towards the pond. The story is 'The ...

Aka 5.2 Trisha and George bathe and dress Hamble. They paint sheets of paper different colours. Once the paper is dry they cut out a fruit bowl and make cutout fruit to stick in it. Trisha mimes painting the walls, floor and ceiling of a room. They make a milk shake. Through the windows cows are being milked. The story 'Wet Paint' is told.

Aka 5.3 Benita does some finger painting. John does some foot painting. The fish tank is cleaned out: Bit and Bot are put into clean water. Benita puts together the wooden tree puzzle. The story of 'Tiddalik' is acted out. Through the windows there are flamingos.

Aka 5.4 Benita and George make a sand castle and use it for 'The Grand Old Duke' and 'Jack and Jill'. The hill is flattened: Humpty is drawn and then turned into an octopus. A sea garden is made in the sand tray, with sea animals made from cellophane, pipe cleaners etc. Through the windows it is washing day. The story is 'Harry By the Sea' by Gene Zion.

Aka 5.5 Trisha and George make ice blocks and eat them. They make iced water. A dog sled is made and the toys are dressed in warm clothes to go for a sled ride. They ride down a mountain made from a bean bag. Ted has skis made from glad wrap boxes for skiing. Through the windows there is ice skating. The story is 'Miffy in the Snow' by Dick Bruna.

Aka 6.1 Benita and Philip make greeting cards for a birthday, holiday and bon voyage occasion. Philip helps an aeroplane go into its hangar on the calendar. He sings 'I'm a Little Aeroplane'. An aeroplane is made from wood and corks; a hangar from a box; a runway from corrugated cardboard. It is three o'clock on the rocket clock, with a tip truck behind. Benita reads the story of 'Jetabout Jenny', which has flaps revealing her comings and goings. Philip makes some cardboard spirals for a mobile. Today's animation shows a red dot becoming a porthole in a ship. Benita ...

Aka 6.2 Benita and George make melon balls from slices of honeydew and water melon. The melon balls become an 'island' on a green jelly sea and cantaloupe boats are added. A place is made for Lisa from folded cardboard, scrap material for curtains, a carpet, and a box for an armchair. A cat in an egg carton basket is added. A game is played with the toys, guessing who is in the box, including: Little Ted, Humpty, Jemima and Banana. They are taken to visit Lisa at her place. Through the windows there is a caravan park. Today's animation shows the red dot becoming an ...

Aka 6.3 Benita and Alister look at day and night pictures in 'The Yellow Book'. They find out about the flying fox. Crayon drawings are painted over to make day and night pictures. A cardboard box is made into a red fire engine for Big Ted and Little Ted. Through the windows there is a fire engine and a trainee fire fighter. Today's animation shows the red dot becoming a red traffic light. The story is 'Goodnight, Goodnight' by Eve Rice.

Aka 6.4 George draws around Liz on a perspex screen: he fills in her features and paints her shirt. A conducting game is played, with George as a conductor, then Liz and Warren responding to his direction. Humpty is given a medical check up using a stethoscope made from cotton reels, string and a paper cup. Through the windows is a visit to the doctor. Today's animation shows the red dot becoming the wheel of a car. The story is 'Orlando' by Gwenda Smyth.

Aka 6.5 Liz and George make a large collage picture of a shopping centre with a paint roller, a wood block and pictures from magazines of furniture and clothes. Today's animation shows a red dot becoming a ball in a toy shop. Liz mimes shopping and sings 'What Shall We Do When We All Go Out?'. ON LOCATION John is in a shopping centre and buys some bread, and a newspaper. He looks for a present for Benita, deciding against a bed or jewellery and settling on a teddy bear, as Benita collects bears. BACK IN STUDIO Liz helps Maurice do 'Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear'. It is ...

Aka 7.1 The animation of the song 'When all the Cows were Sleeping' is shown each day this week. Benita and John make a 'Night and Day' lampshade by attaching a house, tree, clouds and a sun to one side; and another house, for a night time scene, with moon and stars, on the other side. They play a singing game, using the lampshade. Benita makes a 'growing book' by attaching photos of herself at various ages to a piece of folded cardboard. Through the windows there are babies. The story is 'The Red Woollen Blanket' by Bob Graham.

Aka 7.2 Benita and John play a game choosing day or night clothes to wear. They make a two-person band with homemade instruments and 'play' a song. Through the windows there is a one-man band playing 'If You Knew Susie' to a kindergarten audience. The story is 'Mrs Armitage' by Quentin Blake.

Aka 7.3 Noni makes a home for some garden creatures: snails, worms, and slaters. John and Noni play a game matching animal sounds to pictures. They also go camping with some of the toys. The story is told by Noni using creatures made from natural materials to tell a story about a walk in the daytime and then in the night-time. The 'Jump or Jiggle' animation is shown. Through the windows Alister is camping.

Aka 7.4 Noni and John play with a box doll's house with cardboard cylinder dolls. They make felt pictures on a felt board with interchangeable felt shapes. Through the windows there is a montage of baby animals. The story is 'I Want to See the Moon' by Louis Baum.

Aka 7.5 Trisha and George help Little Ted get ready to stay overnight with Humpty. They watch video clips, then go to bed. A night time skyline is etched on a cardboard box with black crayon. They make a garbage truck with boxes and play at collecting rubbish. A live band joins the presenters in the studio and assist in telling the story of 'Ben's Trumpet' by Rachel Isadora. Through the windows there is a montage of footage of a city at night, including: ice-cream making, ferry at the quay, and garbage collection.

Aka 8.1 The calendar this week is a collection bag with the name of the day inside, along with a surprising collection. Trisha and Alister sort through the Useful Box. Bush creatures for the story are made from a leaf, twig, banksia pod, pine cone, gumnuts and some plasticine. A garden is made from coloured dough and things collected in the garden. Through the windows are autumn leaves. The 'Jump or Jiggle' animation is shown. The story of the 'Bush Treasure Hunt' is told using the bush creatures made earlier.

Aka 8.2 Noni and John dress up Big Ted, Little Ted and Maurice as butcher, baker and candlestick maker for 'Rub-a-dub-dub'. They dress up as characters from a nursery rhyme. John mimes cleaning. They take photos of the toys with a box camera. Through the windows a family dress up in period clothes and have a period-style photograph taken. The 'Bananas in Pyjamas' animation is shown. The story is 'Jillian Jiggs' by Phoebe Gilman.

Aka 8.3 Liz and John mime cooking a huge cake using a picture recipe. They feed the Play School pets: Jack and Jill, the guinea pigs; Bit and Bot, the goldfish; Pepino and Pepina, the budgerigars; Henry and Henrietta, the white mice. Through the windows there is a procession and dance in Bali. The 'Hickory Dickory Dock' animation is shown. The story is 'Titimus Trim' by Lynley Dodd.

Aka 8.4 Liz and John make a toy shop from boxes and sell the toys in a shop game. Liz has a pouch made from a bag and sings 'The Kangaroo Song'. Liz paints a garbage bag with spots ad stripes and swirls, singing 'The Spot Song'. The animation 'Bags' is shown. Liz and John make a box sculpture. Through the windows a shoemaker mends a boot. The story is 'Joey' by Jack Kent.

Aka 8.5 Trisha and Philip put string on woodblocks and dip them in paint to make print patterns. They play a game of pass the parcel. The presenters make a treasure box by sticking old stamps and letter cards onto a shoe box. The animation of 'Elephants Balancing' is shown. Through the windows there is a mail ferry. The story of 'Forgetful Fred' is performed.

Aka 9.1 Each day this week the song 'Ya sou, ya sou' is sung to the tune of 'Frere Jacques'. Coloured patches are lifted on the calendar, each day, to reveal objects in that colour. Benita and John make a donkey, a sheep and a goat with cardboard, wool and string. John makes an island with cushions, a rug, newspaper trees and a cardboard air-strip. Benita makes a plastic-spoon pilot and a punnet cabin for a shoebox transport plane. The visitor today is an octopus. The presenters blow bubbles to make prints on paper. Through the windows a blue bird of paradise is shown...

Aka 9.2 Benita and John play a dressing up game in which they select a coloured ball and put on clothes matching that colour. Benita makes a Greek family with folded newspapers and scraps of material. Thy make a church window with pieces of coloured cellophane stuck onto tracing paper. Through the windows there is a Greek christening ceremony. The story is 'Big Sarah's Little Boots' by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark.

Aka 9.3 Benita and George feed two donkeys, which are visiting Play School. Feltboard animals with mis-matched ears have their ears changed to fit the appropriate animal. Paper is painted and folded to look like a butterfly, a caterpillar and a cabbage leaf. Benita makes a Greek salad. The Greek translation of 'Where's Spot?' by Eric Hill is read. Through the windows people a shopping in a Greek vegetable market.

Aka 9.4 Benita and George roll dough, making plaits and other shapes. They bake the Kouloorakia biscuits. Benita dresses as a clown and is tricked into sitting on a balloon by George. They sing 'Look at me, I'm a Clown'. Sally and George put on rubber glove 'combs' and newspaper 'wings' and mime being hens. The story of 'The Little Red Dots' and also 'Fancy That!' by Pamela Allen, are told. Through the windows there are hens, a goat and donkeys.

Aka 9.5 Benita and George paint stripes to make rainbow paper. They paint balloons with stripes, a flower and a line. They make dolmades with rice and other ingredients wrapped in vine leaves. Through the windows there is Greek dancing. The story of 'Humpty's Party' is acted out with the toys and accompanied by Greek musicians who are visiting Play School.

Aka 10.1 Each day this week Fiesta Internationale perform a different folk dance. Today's dance is the Danish dance of the Seven Jumps. Benita and John decorate a pot for a plant and replant a gerbera. They decorate an ice-cream cake with a face made from fruit. They decorate a cardboard box with old greeting cards and take the toys for a ride in a boat. Through the windows we see the Bicentenary celebrations for Australia's arrival of the First Fleet.

Aka 10.2 Liz and John decorate a bare branch as a 'holiday tree' with photos, postcards, shells and pine-cones brought back from holidays. Liz makes banana ice-cream. Through the windows George is playing at the beach with his daughter, Ali. Through another window we see the Festival of the Winds with kites at Bondi Beach. The dance today is the Mexican Hat Dance. The story is 'Just in Case', acted out by John.

Aka 10.3 Benita and George make a bed in a box for some kittens. They make a cradle with wooden coat hangers and a shoe box. A variety of bells are rung. A bell mobile is made from a coat hanger, paper cups and foil. A can-o-phone is played, made from empty soft drink cans with pegs inside. Through the windows is a musical playground. The dance of the day is the Ukrainian Troika Dance with horses and bells. The story is 'David's Waiting Day' by Bernadette Watts.

Aka 10.4 Liz and John make paper dolls in a chain. They pretend to dance like a 'stiff' doll and a 'floppy' doll. Jemima moves house with a box truck and is given house-warming presents. A wreath is made with hand-shapes cut out of cardboard. Bon-bons are made and filled. Through the windows bon-bons are made in a factory. The dance today is the Ukrainian Doll Dance. The story is 'Nicky's Noisy Night' by Harriet Ziefert.

Aka 10.5 Trisha ties a paper doily around a posy of flowers and presents it to Philip. Lacy patterns are printed with a paint roller onto pieces of old sheets which are then used to make a dancing skirt and a sheet for the toys' bed. A lion mask is made using a paper plate, with wool for a mane. Through the windows is the Moon Festival at Darling Harbour with a Chinese lion and dragon dances. The dance today is La Bruja - Mexican Lace Dance. The story is 'The Procession' by Robin Klein, performed by Philip activating small dolls.