1980
aka ep157.1 Benita and John put up some photographs and pictures children have sent in to Play School. They sing 'What Do You Think My Name Is?'. A small video camera has been set up with a recorder. Benita shows the camera and records John making Humpty fall off his wall. They then fix up a microphone so that the sounds John makes can be recorded also. Benita shows how the zoom lens on the camera works - sometimes Humpty can seem to be very close, sometimes far away. She records John and Humpty doing 'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall'. Benita has photographs of the toys. She covers them, apart from a tiny portion, with pieces of cardboard, and invites the child to guess which toy it is as she reveals more and more of the picture. John explains that on television you sometimes see only a little bit of things, but the rest is there, even if you can't see it. He sings 'Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes'. He and Benita visit some of the people who help get things ready for Play School, we see the lady who makes clothes for the toys, Katrina who draws pictures for Play School and the workshop where the clock is being fixed. John makes up a story about a pirate, using the toys and the sand tray. Benita records the story with the camera unit. John sings 'A Pirate Went to Sea Sea'.
1980
aka ep157.2 John finishes making an old fashioned sailing ship out of wood with paper sails. He sails it in a water tray, which has a rock island in the middle and sings 'Two Little Boats are on the Sea'. He reads the story of Penny the Pirate. He puts on a pirate eyepatch and sings 'A Pirate went to Sea Sea Sea'. Through the windows Noni and Mervyn prepare to make the story of 'Penny the Pirate' into a television program. Noni looks at the equipment and people needed to make the program, and looks through a camera to show how it can make the pirate ship appear very big and close. She visits the videotape van and records a picture of Mervyn on tape. She then dresses up as Penny the Pirate and she and Mervyn enact the story. Back in Play School John shows a simple cardboard pirate hat. Noni comes in with the recorded story on a reel of videotape and they watch a replay of it. They finish with the song of the week 'On TV'.
1980
aka ep157.3 William, a red setter, is in the studio. He is groomed and his photograph is taken. Photographs of Benita and John are on the board. Benita looking as if she is crying. They sing 'Cry Cry Cry if you Feel You Want To' then 'Swim swim swim' etc. John feeds the goldfish, and the mice and sings the nursery rhyme 'three blind mice'. Benita sings 'Hey Diddle Diddle' - a nursery rhyme with a dog in it. There is a cartoon of 'Old Mother Hubbard'. Benita makes William, the dog, do some obedience training then gives him a bone. She sings the song 'There Once was a Dog and his Name Was Bill'. John tells a story about the animals in 'Hey Diddle Diddle' who go to the moon in a rocket. Benita pretends to be a rocket taking off. John has used an old desk calendar to make a flip book. He has drawn tiny lines for the rocket. When he flips through the calendar, the picture of the rocket appears to move. Then he shows a drawing of a rocket on transparent plastic. He has a painted background which he moves behind the drawing. The rocket appears to take off. Benita sings 'We're Going Up, We're Going Up'. Through the windows the Play School artist, Katrina, is seen drawing pictures of the dog. When she flips the pictures the dog's mouth appears to move. She has made a painted background. The figures have been painted on transparent plastic so that when the background is moved the figures appear to move. The pictures are taken to the camera man who photographs each one. The final cartoon is shown. They sing the song of the week 'On TV' and say goodbye.
1980
aka ep157.4 Benita, John H and John W are joined by Warren and Don in Play School today. Benita and John H show their TV kitchen, which is made of painted canvas and wood but looks real. They make up an ad for breakfast cereal. Benita then shows that people can be made to look as if they're flying on TV by means of a trick. She flies like Superman, then she makes Ted disappear and reappear again. He is there all the time, but like the flying, this is a TV trick. The story takes place in a hospital - the three presenters are playing a soap-opera type story. Then, John H dresses up in a bear suit which has a separate head and eye holes for him to see through. They sing 'The Bear went over the Mountain'. Through the windows we see the creators of the Muppets working with their puppet characters. The program ends with a pop music sequence and the presenters sing and dance.
1980
aka ep157.5 Benita and John put up some pictures children have done of things they have seen on TV. Benita goes to a television studio to see how a television program is made. It is the weather program, and the ABC weather man shows her how he makes the program and talks to the big camera. John sings 'I Hear Thunder'. The story is a TV story. Humpty plays the part of Norm, a TV viewer, and Benita and John make up various TV programs for Norm to see. They have a cardboard box cut so that the screen side is open. It has a slit above the screen so that pictures painted on cardboard can be slid in and out. They make up a weather program, using Little Ted, then they do a Sesame Street item, using some commercial Sesame Street puppets. They make up several advertisements using the toys. John pretends to be a robot, then sings 'I'm a little robot/tube of toothpaste/teapot'. Film shows children in a playgroup having their faces painted to look like pirates and playing generally. Benita dresses in the cardboard pirate hat John made on Tuesday and they sing 'A pirate went to Sea Sea Sea'. They look at photographs of the Tuesday program, when Jan saw Hugh dressed up as a pirate, and the Thursday program when John H dressed up in a bear suit. They sing the song of the week 'On TV'.
1980
aka ep158.1 Benita makes a picture frame by nailing four bits of wood at corners. John creates a paper collage picture from bits of torn paper. Before framing collage John poses in empty frame as various animals. We guess which one and participate in actions. The song of the week 'Take a Box' is sung. Benita sings 'How Does a Butterfly Go' with full body actions. The clock says half past 11. John makes up a story to match a sequence of five picture cards. By altering the sequence he creates different stories to match them. He makes pictures by tearing out paper shapes. Through the windows Bruce Petty draws cartoon portraits of two children. Benita sings 'I Wiggle'. John draws a tree and pins it with a collection of pictures on the board.
1980
Benita and Alister make collage pictures of each other with wool and material off-cuts. The song of the week is sung. The picture of Benita resembles a gypsy. Benita does a gypsy dance. The picture of Alister resembles a cowboy so Alister sings the 'Cowboy Song'. They play a game of crazy dress ups. The clock is at 9 o'clock. The story is about a caterpillar who finds a home, told with sock puppets. Benita does a foot painting, her foot jiggles lead to Alister doing the Hokey Pokey. Through the windows are ballet exercises and dance. Benita does 'ballet' for participation. They look at a Degas ballet painting and children's pictures on the board.
1980
aka ep158.3 Benita and Alister make a picture with leaves, bark et al. They sing the Song of the Week 'Take a ...'. Benita shows us an echidna. Alister invites participation with an 'Echidna' finger play. Benita does rock drawing and shows us rock paintings. The clock says twelve o'clock. The story is 'Lizzie the Lizard', told with instant drawings. Alister plays a didgeridoo and Benita paints a cardboard cylinder didgeridoo. with paint made from grinding rocks. They make up clapping rhythm. Through the windows an Aboriginal person teaches children the tradition of didgeridoo painting. Benita leads singing of 'Spot Song'. Benita and Alister show us some children's paintings made with leaves on the board.
1980
Benita and Alister play skipping games, chant skipping songs and make up new ones. They act out the song One Little Elephant. The clock reads eight o'clock. The story is 'Sh ptt pen' told as pen draws dots and lines. Alister paints the drawings from the story, saying appropriate limericks. Benita shows us children's pictures and wall murals. Through the windows children are playing in a playground with murals. Benita leads hopping to song 'Hoppity hoppity'. Alister makes a picture with nails and string. They sing the song of the week 'Take a ...'.
1980
OUTSIDE BROADCAST at Pymble Play Group. aka ep158.5 Benita and Alister introduce themselves singing 'What Do You Think My Name Is?' and give the children name tags. Then they join in activities with the children. Benita does a painting of a house and sings 'Here's a House'. Alister and the children build a sandcastle, turn it into a hill and use it to sing 'The Grand Old Duke of York'. They bulldoze the hill into a road. Alister and the children join the mothers for morning tea. Benita tells a story with the toys about Humpty's birthday. Alister and the children make a 'birthday cake' from play dough. Benita joins mothers and children singing 'Ring a Ring a Rosie'. Alister makes up a tyre game with the children.
1980
aka ep159.1 Jan and John look at pictures of families sent into Play School. John sings 'How Many People Live in Your House'. Jan makes a 'family' of finger puppets using thin boxes and cotton wool hair, newspaper cut-out limbs, etc. In an imaginative play sequence the 'boy' puppet wakes the 'baby' puppet to the mothers chagrin. He feels angry. We stamp to the tune of 'If You're Happy and You Know It'. That feels better. We jump and feel happy. The story is 'Birthday Presents' in which Joseph's grandfather gives him a song. We sing 'Sing Me' with actions - jumping, marching. We see different faces around the calendar and say poem of the week, 'People'. Do you hug your friends? We sing 'A-hug, a-hug, a-hug', to the tune of 'Jump'. Then we walk. Through the windows is a family picnic. Jan then sings 'See Saw' for participation. The toys have a go before having a picnic.
1980
aka ep159.2 Jan and John put 'people' cut-outs around the calendar. Poem of the week 'People' is recited. Jan shows pictures of people who might visit your house - garbage man, milkman, paper boy, postman. John dresses as postman and sings with actions 'I Can Hear the Postman'. He delivers letters to Jan's 'house' then becomes successively the milkman, the paper boy and the garbage man. Sings 'Garbage Man' with actions. Jan introduces people who do jobs in the house, as a guessing game - a painter, a carpenter and a plumber. Through the windows a plumber is at work. John mimes water gurgling down sink but gets clogged. Jan solves matters with a plunger. John gurgles on down (participation invited). The story is 'The Broken TV' in which Mrs Drudge's TV is fixed by the TV man. John then sings 'On TV' with actions. Through the windows builders and painters work. Jan sings with actions, 'Reach Up and Paint the Ceiling'. She discovers John being a house in need of paint.
1980
aka ep159.3 Noni and John tend the Play School pets. Water for the mice, weed for the fishtank. John sings 'All the fish'. Noni sees if mice want their wheel. John brushes and feeds the guinea pigs. Calendar leads to the Poem of the Week 'People'. We look particularly at the farmer, sing 'Old MacDonald' with actions. Noni introduces our visitor, a donkey, and brushes him. Song 'Donkey Riding' is sung with actions. The story is 'Sam Who Never Forgets', about a zoo keeper. John then sings 'Elephant Wobbles' with participation. He becomes a monkey and a lion. Through the windows shows zoo keepers looking after a rhino. Noni then invites participation in scrubbing a rhino and sings 'Rubba Dubba'. Program finishes with donkey being fed.
1980
aka ep159.4 Noni and John make masks from newspaper. Noni decides hers makes her look like a blob. She 'blobs' about to the tune 'Did You Ever See a Lassie'. John is rather the hairy monster with strip-paper hair. He adds a beard and becomes 'Aiken Drum' (singing with actions). The poem of the week 'People' is recited. Pictures of different people around Calendar lead us to 'Two Fat Gentlemen'. The story is 'The Workman' in which John tries changing himself to be different sizes and shapes to suit different jobs. Noni sings 'Changes' with participation. John changes his face with make-up, leading to 'I'm a Spotty Monster'. Through the windows a clown puts on make-up. Noni then plays a clown, John joins her.
1980
aka ep159.5 Noni and John put up 'people' cut outs around the calendar. The poem of the week 'People' is recited. John shows a photo of of his family. Noni sings 'Ha ha Thisaway' with actions. John makes a mobile with paper plates, drawing on faces of people ion his family. Noni plays with a finger pencil. Noni plays 'Here is a family'. The story is 'My Family'. John picks up the story actively in 'Let's Go Walking' extending participation game with pictures of animal family groups (e.g. Horse, mare, fowl). 'I said Good Morning' is sung with sound participation. Through the windows are two brothers. John picks up film actively riding a bike (mimes). Sings 'The Bicycle Song. Noni joins in.
Mon, Apr 7, 1980
aka ep160.1 Jan and John unload junk (old tyres, pram wheels, wooden boxes, broken bikes, buckets, chairs, etc) off a truck to be used in Play School during the week. After the Calendar, the Song of the Week is sung over film of a steam train, and repeated for participation. John nails the pram wheels on a wooden box to make a pram. He sings 'The Little Red Wagon' and takes toys for a ride to 'mountains' made from junk by Jan. The clock says eight thirty. The story is 'The Happy Man and His Dump Truck' told by Jan. John sings 'A Squeaky Old Truck' and turns the wagon into a truck by adding a cardboard box cabin. Jan paints with paint on butchers' paper using wood offcuts, an orange and old lids. John sings 'Round and Round'. Through the windows a child and his mother are changing a tyre. John makes a car from junk boxes and an old chair and sings 'Take You Riding in My Car, Car'. Jan shows us various features of the truck before she drives off.
Tue, Apr 8, 1980
aka ep160.2 Jan and John add yoghurt lid and cotton reel 'wheels' to the Calendar surround. John makes several wheels spin at once by using rubber bands to connect them. John sings the Song of the Week 'Wheels Keep Turning' over film. John and Jan play a sound game making sounds with pebbles in a bottle, and a spoon on a plastic colander and a grater. The clock reads half past seven. The story of 'The Contraption' (made with junk) is told by John and acted out by Jan who dresses up with a mop wig, funny glasses and silly shoes to be 'Professor Sillyfool'. John mimes a ride on a silly machine. Jan makes sounds with hooters and bells of a bicycle, motor bike, train and old car, and invites children to guess which picture the sound belongs to. Through the windows a motor bike is racing. Jan using an old chair, ice-cream container helmet, gumboots and washing up gloves mimes a motor bike race. John dresses up in real motor bike clothing and goes for a ride around the studio on a motor bike.
Wed, Apr 9, 1980
aka ep160.3 Jan and John watch Henry the mouse on the mouse wheel. Jan sings the Song of the Week 'Wheels Keep Turning' over the film of a steam train and repeats the song for the child to join in. Jan shows a mouse family with babies and does fingerplay. The clock is at 2 o'clock. The story is 'Amy's Birthday' acted out by Jan and John using the toys. Jan sings 'If You're Happy and You Know It'. John changes Baby Little Ted's nappy and takes him for a walk in a pram made by Jan (from wooden box, pram wheels and a stick handle). Jan shows parts of pictures of wheeled vehicles for the child to guess what the whole picture is. Jan does wheel mime. Through the windows people are going shopping in a horse and cart. John sings 'Giddiap' on a horse and cart made from junk boxes, chairs, a broom and an old piece of rope. A real donkey is in the studio. Jan shows us the donkey and cart and she and John go for a ride singing 'Donkey Riding'.
Thu, Apr 10, 1980
aka ep160.4 Jan and John show photographs of old fashioned wheeled vehicles. Jan sings 'In the Olden Days'. John attempts to ride a Pennyfarthing bicycle and then goes for a ride on a modern bike. Jan does bike riding mime. The clock says 8 o'clock. John reads the story 'The Bike Lesson'. Jan does bike riding mime then John plays a game using a spinning paper plate wheel with drawings of a bus, boat, aeroplane and train. An arrow is pinned to the board above the plate. John does the sound and action of whatever drawing stops at the arrow. he then sings 'I'd Like to Drive a Big Blue Bus', Through the windows preparations are made for the departure of a sleeper train. Jan mimes train action and sings the Song of the Week 'Wheels Keep Turning'. She repeats the song over the film of a steam train then she and John make a sleeper train for the toys from cardboard boxes.
Fri, Apr 11, 1980
aka ep160.5 Jan and John play a game of finding out what things roll and what things slide using junk collected during the Play School week. Jan sings the Song of the Week 'Wheels Keep Turning' over the film of a steam train and repeats the song for the child to join in. John uses junk to make a cubby house. He and Jan play a hidings game with the toys. John sings 'Five in the Bed' as a finger play. Jan has some pictures, each of which has something wrong. The child is invited to 'guess what's wrong with the picture'. Jan moves about on all fours, thumps her chest and sings 'Can You'. The clock shows three o'clock. The story is 'What Sadie Sang' about a baby who sings. John and Jan sing 'Can You' song, then Jan hums a song for the child and John to guess: 'Take You Riding in My Car, Car'. Through the windows a circus family is living in a caravan. Jan sing 'The Elephant'. John makes a circus caravan 'train' with cardboard boxes and the toys and sings 'Round and Round'. Jan loads up the junk. John helps her.
1980
aka ep161.1 John W makes a scarecrow (broom and old clothes) and John H makes a hobby horse (broom, with boot head and newspaper mane). He sings 'Giddiap' with participation. We look at Bruegel's picture of Children's Games, noting the hobby horse and the blind man's buff game. John H blindfolds John W who has to identify objects by feeling them (various toys, a hobby horse). They sing 'I Went to Visit a Farm One Day'. John W tell the story 'The Lonely Scarecrow'. John H sings 'When all the Cows were Sleeping', leading to full body activities of shaking and jumping participation in the song. Through the windows children jump and bounce on huge air balloons. John W invites jumping participation in the song 'Jack in the Box Jumps Up'. John H makes a Jack-in the Box, and both sing 'Jack is Quiet'.
1980
aka ep161.2 Benita and Alister play a game with old clothes (who can put on the most clothes while the other counts to ten). We look at dressing up games in the Bruegel picture of children's games (e.g. King's and Queens). Alister, wearing old curtain 'train', sings 'I am the King'. Benita takes over the curtain and 'dresses' as a 'monster' singing 'I am a Monster', a 'camel' and a 'baby'. We guess each character and participation is invited each time. Alister dresses up for the story, 'Hiccups', sings 'The Hiccup Song' and invites participation in ways to get rid of hiccups. Alister invites participation in a mirror game (facial gestures and wibbly wobbly walking). He sings 'The Wibbly Wobbly Walk'. Through the windows people are walking. Benita and Alister play a game, 'I Can Hear My Feet Go', to the tune of 'Little Brown Jug'.
1980
aka ep161.3 Benita and Alister feed the Play School pets. Benita sings 'Swim Little Fish' with actions. Alister looks at Bruegel's Children's Games noting the children playing with knucklebones taken from the ends of legs of lamb. Alister invites the child to feel various bones - leg, knee, chest, jaw, nose. Benita feels the bone in her elbow move as she moves her arm, then moves other parts of her body. Alister shows a frog's skeleton and a cow's skull. Both sing 'Them Bones'. The story is 'Flippy the Frog', told with stick puppets. Alister sings 'Five Little Speckled Frogs' as a finger play. Benita shows children playing leap-frog in the picture. Both play leap-frog and jump. Through the windows a kangaroo is jumping. Benita does kangaroo jumps to the song, 'I am a Kangaroo'. The toy kangaroo breaks its leg, and is taken to 'hospital' where the other toys are in various states of disrepair.
1980
aka ep161.4 Benita and Alister practise 'tricks'. Benita balances on her hands and Alister balances a broom on his hand. There are children in the picture Children's Games doing similar tricks. We participate in more tricks while they sing 'What Can You Do, Punchinello, Little Fellow?'. The story is 'Circus'. Benita plays first a circus ringmaster, then certain 'participants' - a horse and a seal, then the 'Lovely Miss Benita'. Alister plays a dog trainer and an elephant. He tries twirling a hoop around his waist. How else to use a hoop? Make a hoop mobile and hang up craft items; make a 'hoop-pond' to jump in and out of; bowl a hoop, as in the Bruegel picture. Through the windows a circus clown does an act with a dog and a rubbish bin. The program ends with the song 'Clap Clap Clap if you feel you want to'.
1980
aka ep161.5 Benita and Alister play a blow skittles game, blowing over plastic bottles. There are children playing Skittles in Bruegel's Children's Games. They blow bubbles. Benita uses a straw and a bowl of soapy water; Alister uses a bubble mixture. Benita sings 'Bubbles, Bubbles in the Air'. Alister experiments with noises, smacking his lips, whistling and whistling through his teeth. Benita blows into a small plastic lolly container, makes a hooting sound. they become a train. The train line is a length of rope. The story is 'Follow this Line'. Benita sings 'Follow Me to Scribbling Land', then follows a 'line' (a crepe paper streamer) that Alister has laid for her through the blocks etc to the windows. Through the windows we see a band called Galapagoes Duck playing at Balmoral Beach in Sydney. Alister shows how to play a recorder. They play and sing a few songs from the Useful Book.
1980
aka ep162.1 John and Benita make a bed for Hamble out of a shoebox with brown paper bag, mattress and scrap material cover. John gets Hamble ready for bed: action song 'This is the Way' is sung. Hamble is bathed, dried, her teeth cleaned and her hair brushed. 'This Little Boy' is sung. We see pictures of different kinds of bed - brass bed, cot, soft bed, child's bed and making a bed. John makes a bed using two large boxes. Benita mimes 'Grandmother' putting him to bed. John makes a cubby house for his bed, using a blanket draped between two chairs. Sings 'Here's a House'. The story is 'Lucy and Tom's Day'. They sing 'I Jump Out of Bed in the Morning' with stretches. John mimes getting dressed, then has to 'undress' because he'd forgotten to have a bath, gets dressed again. Through the windows children put a doll to bed and play in a playground. John mimes crawling through a tunnel, walking a plank and jumping into a big tyre. Benita joins in.
1980
aka ep162.2 Noni and John are make hospital in Play School. They make high hospital beds using cartons on top of each other. John makes a hospital bed with wheels using a laundry basket and trolley. They use cushions and towels for mattresses and sheets. John uses an ice cream stick for a thermometer. The toys are the 'patients' and are put to bed. Pictures show various types of hospital beds. They sing 'I Feel Sick'. John dresses as the nurse with back to front white shirt. Noni dresses as doctor and uses string and cotton reel 'stethoscope', and pencil box 'beeper' . Noni examines patients, takes Jemima's temperature, checks Big Ted's bandage. Humpty arrives in a wheelbarrow ambulance. Toys' TV is turned on to amuse hospital patients. 'Bananas in Pyjamas' animation is shown. John makes Bananas in Pyjamas mobile for Hamble using coathanger and cardboard 'bananas'. 'Miss Polly' is sung. The story is a dramatisation about a musician with a baby that wouldn't go to sleep. Noni and John use kitchen tongs, saucepan lid cymbals and saucepan drum to play 'Oh, I can Play'. Through the windows is an army brass band. John and Noni march and mime like the band to 'I Can Play'.
1980
aka ep162.3 Benita and Alister are looking after the guinea pigs, Jack and Jill. Benita makes a bed for them using a shoe box and newspaper strips. Benita introduces Targus, a black Labrador. He has the mat he sleeps on. She brushes him, then gets him to sit and lie down. They sing My Dog Bill. Alister makes a kennel for Targus using a wooden crate and hammers on a roof. 'Johnny Works With One Hammer' is sung. Targus gets in the kennel. Pictures show a cat sleeping in a box, koala asleep in a tree and baby birds in a nest. 'I Have Made a Pretty Nest' is recited. There is a where do I sleep game with pictures of - bee, bird, pigeon and spider in their places. Alister sings 'Incy Wincy Spider' and warns not to get too close to spiders, because some bite. The story is 'Be Nice to Spiders'. Alister sings 'Let's go to the Zoo' with actions for camel, elephant and lion. Through the windows is a joey in its mother's pouch. The song 'Kangaroo Brown' is sung. Benita feeds Targus a bone.
1980
aka ep162.4 Noni and John make a water bed for Little Ted using hot water bottles and a cardboard box. There is a bouncing action song. John blows up a sausage balloon as the pillow for the water bed. Noni puts more toys in the bed and sings 'Five in the Bed', and repeats it as a finger play. Pictures show various travelling beds on train, caravan, sailing boat and reclining aeroplane seats. John makes water bed into a flying bed, removing water bottles and attacching news paper wings. 'I Can Fly Like a Bird' is sung. The story is The Procession. Noni plays a trumpet, John follows singing 'Following the Leader'. John makes the flying bed into a sailing boat by putting a ruler through one wing. 'Rolling All Around' is sung. Through the windows Benita looks over a houseboat. John makes sailing boat into a house boat by adding a box cover, eggbeater motor and a shoebox for a dinghy. The toys are then put on the house boat.
1980
OUTSIDE BROADCAST at a Campsite aka ep162.5 Play School is at a camping spot beside a river with a tent. Benita blows up her airbed and John blows his up with a foot pump. He hops in sleeping bag then puts it and air beds in the tent. He points out tent's features - window, ground sheet, then he zips the tent shut. Benita throws an air ball and plays, bouncing, rolling and throwing it. Benita gets pre-boiled sausages from hamper and sets barbecue. John puts salad etc. on a picnic table, then goes to riverside and feeds the ducks. He then tries the hammock. Benita lights the fire and cooks the sausages. John has some duck feathers and makes up a story along the lines of the song, 'Five Little Ducks'. While John and Benita eat the sausage and salad, they see a spider's web, a paddle steamer and a family rowing on the river. Then John goes off for a walk. He finds a tyre swing. Benita makes some twigs, pods, bark into little boats and floats them on the water, sees young boy and his dog rowing across the river. Both sing 'Row Row Row Your Boat'.
Mon, Jul 21, 1980
Aka ep163.1 John and Noni are making decorations for a party in Play School. Noni makes bunting from material and paper scraps. John blows up a balloon then mimes it for child participation. He then draws Humpty's features on a balloon and says that it's going to be Humpty's party. Noni stamps potato print designs on the invitations for the party. 'Stamp' is sung with John stamping his feet, his fists on his knees then on his hand. The story is 'Dandelion'. The song 'If You're Happy and You Know it' with clapping hands, laughing and jumping. Noni puts ice cream stick 'candles', on Humpty's box birthday cake, and sings 'Five Little Candles' a finger game. John and toys arrive with their invitations. Humpty's 'cake' is cut and 'Happy Birthday', and 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' are sung. Through the windows children play a party game 'Hokey Pokey', and 'Pass the parcel'. John plays musical bumps. Then there is a game to recognise happy an, and scary and angry music.
Tue, Jul 22, 1980
aka ep163.2 John and Noni are choosing clothes for different weather conditions. John chooses T-shirt, bathers etc for hot weather; Noni fur coat, wooly hat, etc, cold weather. John pretends to be at the beach. Song 'Rolling All Around'. John sunbathes and sings 'Lazy and Warm'. Noni 'shivering' does various exercises trying to get warm, including running on the spot. 'I Can Run as Fast as You'. Then she dresses appropriately. John dresses up the toys in various clothes and asks child to guess what jobs they do. Little Ted is a lifesaver, Big Ted a football trainer and Noni does exercises under his instruction. Humpty dressed as a postman. The story is about a girl posting a card to a friend. Song 'Giddiap'. John and Noni play a message game following picture clues. Noni with policeman hat mimes directing traffic. Song 'Stop Look and Listen'. Through the windows children on a kindergarten bicycle track directing 'traffic' and using toy traffic lights. 'The Push Bike Song' is sung.
Wed, Jul 23, 1980
aka ep163.3 Noni and John are looking after the Play School cockatoo. John gives him water, Noni gives him an apple core, they encourage him to say 'hello'. They sing 'Hello Cocky'. Through the windows an Albatross courtship dance is shown. Action follows. John and Noni then become various animals - including dog, a lamb, and they send each other animal messages. A finger play of 'Five Little Ducks' is done. John mimes an angry cat, Noni calms him down then calls her 'dog' by whistling. They sing 'Dogs'. The story is 'Whistle for Willie'. They sing 'If You're Happy and You Know it' with whistling, clapping and jumping. Noni and John play 'Simon Says'. Through the windows Army dogs are being looked after and taught to track. John lopes about like a dog in the surf. They sing 'My Dog Bill'.
Thu, Jul 24, 1980
aka ep163.4 Benita and John are making secret messages using candles on paper. They paint over them to reveal each message, then act on the message. John has the word 'Thursday' and finds it on the calendar. Benita runs to 'Everybody Do This'. Benita has a message for the viewer. It is someone bending over. John takes off shirt and Benita draws things on his back - different kinds of lines, sad and happy faces, they sing 'If You're Happy and You Know It' with 'Happy' verses including smiles, grins and laughs and a 'sad' cry verse. Benita finally draws a clock. The story is a dramatisation about someone marooned on an island who sends a message in a bottle. The song 'Rolling All Around' with bobbing, rolling and rocking. Through the windows are signals and rescue of someone from the surf by MET boat and helicopter. Benita mimes a helicopter, then 'rescues' a drowning Jemima.
Fri, Jul 25, 1980
aka ep163.5 Noni and John play with phones: a toy wooden one and an old publicpay phone they make a booth for it. They sing 'Ring Ring' with jokes. John finds out how to make a tin can phone with tins and fishing line. He uses it to talk to Noni. Noni makes tin can shakers, filling tins with rice, pebble and bottle tops. Then she makes 'bells' using tins and nails. John makes a big tin into a drum and they play together. 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' song is performed. The story is a dramatisation of a boy who loses his voice. The song 'Everybody Do This' is sung with clapping and stamping. John and Noni sing 'I Like Peace, I Like Quiet'. Noni uses a recorder to blow long and short notes and John responds with long and short steps. Through the windows Benita is at the zoo listening to noises made by various animals. John mimes a quacking, waddling duck and sings 'I'm a Quacker'. Noni joins in, waddling and quacking. They share some more 'Ring Ring' type jokes. Goodbyes.
Mon, Jun 22, 1981
aka ep167.1 Noni and John dress up the toys to go out. They sing 'What Shall We Do When We All Go Out'. Noni says they're going shopping and John invites them to come to his Surprise Shop. Noni and the toys catch a cardboard box bus to John's shop, singing 'Wheels are Going Round'. Through the windows a mother and daughter catch a suburban bus. After, Noni sings 'Wheels of the Bus' with actions. John gets his Surprise Shop ready, wrapping up objects. Noni and the toys come to his shop and buy some of the wrapped surprises, a hat for Humpty, ball for Little Ted and a shoebox rowing boat with stick oars for Hamble. Noni hums 'Row Row Your Boat' and animates Hamble rowing. John closes the shop and Noni and the toys leave singing the song of the week. The story is 'Mr Hunter's Punt' dramatised by John, Noni and the toys. Noni punts a boat, singing 'Everybody Punting'. Through the windows a mother and two children go shopping at Birkenhead Markets. They arrive on a ferry, visit the vegetable markets, then buy buns at the bakery. After, John sings 'Five Currant Buns' and the program ends as Noni and the toys come to John's shop to find he's sold out of buns.
Tue, Jun 23, 1981
aka ep167.2 Noni and John make a motorcycle out of a large cardboard box, broomstick 'handlebars' and garbage can lid 'wheels'. John sits on bike and sings song of the week. Noni comes in with toys and decides there's not enough room on the bike for them so she builds a sidecar. We see some photos of a modern motorcycle sidecar. Noni sings song of the week as she and the toys leave on the bike to visit 'Mr Wobble's Wig Place'. John is dressing up as Mr Wobble with a curly paper wig, pillow tied round his stomach and large coat, then sings 'Wibbly Wobbly Walk'. He has many rafia and newspaper wigs scattered around his 'place'. Noni and the toys arrive and John tries a very long newspaper wig on Noni. She can't see and John decides to play a guessing game. He puts various wigs on the toys and Noni has to guess by feeling which toy he holds out to her. John and Noni sing and dance to the Wibbly Wobbly Walk. The story is about a boy who made a zoo in his backyard. Noni tells it with the toys and dresses them up to look like zoo animals. John sings 'How does a - go?' with elephant, lion, tiger and horse verses with actions. Noni then mimes 'grooming' John the horse. Through the windows a boy has his hair cut at the hairdressers. After the film John sings 'This is the Way' with actions and verses about brushing, washing and combing hair. Then he joins Noni and helps her put Mr Wobble's wigs away.
Wed, Jun 24, 1981
aka ep167.3 Colin is drawing animal shapes while Noni selects appropriate coverings. Then they paste feathers on the bird shape, fleeces on the sheep and string on the horse for its tail. Noni gallops about to song of the week then she jogs and dances. Colin tries to play a small violin. He shows the strings and bow then plays a cassette of a violin playing 'The Blue Danube Waltz'. The story is 'Mishka' about a boy violin player who joined the circus. Colin sings 'The Circus is Coming' with drums, violin, elephants and lion actions. Noni introduces Allan, a lion cub and Terry his trainer from the Warragamba Lion Safari Park. Colin mimes a lion cub chewing. Through the windows a boy at the dentist. The dentist counts his teeth and shows him how to brush them. Noni sings and mimes 'Brush, brush, brush'. Colin has orange peel teeth, then makes a fruit salad with oranges, bananas and apples. Noni comes to share in some fruit salad and they go and say goodbye to the lion cub.
Thu, Jun 25, 1981
aka ep167.4 Colin is painting a flag for the spaceship Noni goes to make. He sings the 'Spot Song'. Noni is covering their spaceship (a paddle pool with portable clothes dryer) with streamers. Colin brings in the flag and collecting Space Captain Diddle and Space Bears Big Ted and Little Ted, they try to blast off. Then Noni decides they're too heavy and gets out. Noni mimes a rocket blasting off and swooshes around to rocket music. She ends next to Play School Rocket Clock. The story is 'Meg on the Moon' about Meg the witch and Mog the cat who go off in their spaceship to visit the moon. Colin mimes floating about in space, trying to catch objects floating past. Noni dressed in spacesuit (old sheet and pillow case) helps Colin get dressed, and they get into their spaceship and blast off, singing song of the week 'What Shall we do when we all go out?'. In their travels they discover Humpty stuck on the 'moon', then some space monsters who turn out to be Hamble, Clown and Jemima dressed up. Through the windows children get dressed for a fancy dress parade and the parade itself. After film, Colin and Noni sing and mime 'Zoom'. Noni pins some children's paintings of planes on the picture board and Colin joins her to pin up the spaceship flag.
Fri, Jun 26, 1981
OUTSIDE BROADCAST at Central Railway Station, SYDNEY. aka ep167.5 Noni and John are at the station to see off some friends. The friends are the family of Warren, the Play School pianist. While waiting for them to arrive, John and Noni buy platform tickets to watch the Southern Aurora pull into the station. John sees the luggage van unloaded and the passengers getting off. Noni looks at the train's engine then is joined by John after he's ridden along the platform on a station diesel trolley. They buy an orange drink and look about inside the station, where people wait for trains and buy magazines etc. Warren and family arrive and John offers to put their luggage on board. Meanwhile Noni has found that the Indian Pacific (Warren's family's train) has arrived. She sees the preparations needed before passenger's can get on. She looks at the train's kitchen and dining car as a waiter sets the table. John takes the luggage into the cabin and talks about the cabin's features. He sits on the bed and sings 'There Were Five in a Bed' (Finger Play). He finds Noni at the window pointing to where Warren and family can be found. John and Noni join Warren and family in the lounge car where Warren is playing the piano. They all sing 'Down by the Station' and 'Train is a Comin' '. The train is about to leave so Warren, John and Noni get out and wave goodbye from the platform. They see the guard blows his whistle and waves the train out of the station.