Play School

- Season 4

(1969)

Anne and Don build a railway line, make a station and a train from things in the Useful Box. Ruth tells the story about Guinea Pigs that are left on a railway station. Anne and Don are soldiers marching - and through the windows we see a parade.

Anne dresses the toys up in warm clothes for a train trip to the snow country - Don is the ticket man, conductor, guard on the journey. Story is "The Train to Glasgow". In the snow, the toys make snowballs and play before catching the train back to Play School.

Anne and Don are playing with possums - the visitors to Play School. Don reads story "Caps for Sale" about some naughty monkeys. Don plays a game with the toys, giving them a ride in a pretend "funicular railway".

The train Anne and Don have built out of cartons collapses after a short journey and Don has to mend it. The story, told by Ruth, is "The Dilly Dally Man", about a house that collapses. The toys pretend to be a band and play percussion instruments.

The story, with pictures, is about how a rabbit fooled a whale and an elephant. Anne and Don play Ring-a-Roses with the toys and make paper chains for the toys.

Lorraine and Alister build a shop. Story: Harry the Dirty Dog. Lorraine buys washing necessities from Alister's shop and does Jemima's washing. Through the windows, we see the markets.

Alister dresses in a curtain and cake frill crown as a King like the one in Sing a Song of 6d (the song of the week). The story is told by Donald about a Greedy King and a Plain Princess. King Alister chooses Lorraine to be his Queen, because of her good cooking. With the toys they have a banquet.

Lorraine and Alister feed the pets. The story, told by Donald is about a lot of animals who try to fit into a cardboard box and live there. Visitor is a young, tame kangaroo. Through the windows, Australian animals that are on our coins.

Lorraine and Alister experiment with whistling. They show pictures of birds whistling and singing and invite participation in a song about the different sounds. The story is the Emperor's Nightingale. Lorraine pretends to be a clockwork bird. Through the windows, we see Coppelia, a clockwork doll who dances when wound up by Dr Coppelius.

Lorraine and Alister make and paint pretend paper money. Alister sets up a bank. Jemima banks her savings with him. Story is about Simon who draws on everything until someone gives him some paper and crayons. Through the windows, aboriginal corroboree. Lorraine paints Alister's chest and they dance a corroboree.

Diane and Don make a boat and sail it. Poem of the Week "If I had a Ship" (A.A.Milne). Diane paints a plimsoll line on the ship demonstrating how much cargo the ship can hold. Don pretends to be a ship and invites participation. Story: Follow the Line. Don and Diane play a game - on board ship - adding one toy at a time and showing what happens when too many people board.

Diane dresses as a sailor for Don to paint her portrait. She sings and dances some of the things sailors do. Don is an artist in his studio, and while Diane does the hornpipe, Don tries to find a suitable pose to paint. The story is about a man who lives on an island and what happens to him in a storm. Don pretends to be in a storm on board ship. Diane decides to paint Don while he's posing upside down.

Diane and Don show a striped tropical fish - the visitors for today. Don play a game with rabbit and mice on a white rug. They "disappear". Jane Rendell draws and tells a story about a chameleon. Then we go through the windows to see animals with distinctive markings. Diane shows a striped piece of material. Uses it as a "safety road crossing" Jemima. Then dresses Jemima in it. Don appears in his yellow raincoat and sings the song.

Diane and Don spin a top, showing the pattern while it's still and when it's moving. Diane draws a pattern on cardboard and spins it on a pencil. Story is about a boy who uses nature (the wind, rain and sun) to give him ideas for his paintings. Don plays a game with the toys and an umbrella song singing Rub a Dub Dub. Through the window, a child in a playground. Diane does a finger painting in the flour, including a house, trees, etc. being blown down by the wind, and rain. Don has an umbrella and pretends to be in the rain, and then in the wind. Diane joins him and ...

Diane and Don are at the sand tray with Shells. They show different ones and Diane makes a picture out of them. She sings "Mary Mary". Don reads "Harry at the Sea". Diane sculpts Humpty out of the sand. Then Don sings Humpty Dumpty and knocks him off the wall. Through the windows: children learning to swim. Don pretends to swim, ride a surfboard and steer a ship, inviting participation. Diane shows a Van Gogh "Off Valparaiso". She and Don show Botticelli's "Venus Rising from the Sea".

Diane and Donald dress Teddy in a plastic raincoat, boots and umbrella. To demonstrate his waterproofing, Donald pours water over him, but he stays dry. Story is told by David Cameron about some ducklings born in the rain. Donald and Diane pretend Play School is flooded and swing about on a rope from block to block.

Two dutch dolls visit Play School, and Diane and Donald dress up as Dutch people. The story is 'The Cow who Fell in the Canal'. Diane puts on a yoke and both sing 'Where are you going my pretty maid?'. Through the windows cows are being machine milked. After the film, dairy products are shown and both sing 'A Mouse Lived in a Windmill'.

Diane and Donald change the water in the fish tank. Diane draws attention to the way fish breathe, comparing the way we breathe. Donald sings, 'Once I Caught a Fish Alive'. Diane tells the Beatrix Potter story of 'Jeremy Fisher'. Visitor of the day is a frog. Donald sings 'Five Little Froggies sitting by a well'. Diane shows frog eggs and tadpoles. Through the windows we see life in a submarine. Donald builds a submarine. Diane improvises a periscope.

Diane and Donald are playing with the toys in a baby's bath. They sing 'Rub a Dub Dub Three Men in a Tub'. Through the magic windows, we see a child living on a houseboat. Diane and Donald make a houseboat out of boxes and they fish. They say the poem 'The Fish with the Deep Sea Smile'. Diane makes some paper fish for Donald to catch. Donald tells the story of 'Fish Head the Cat'.

aka ep#130 - Diane and Donald are watering plants. Diane tells the story of 'Wet Albert'. They make a dam out of mud and pour water in it. They sing 'Jack and Jill went up the Hill'. Through the magic windows, we see a scrub fire. Diane and Donald pretend to be firefighters.

Lorraine and Ken show the making of a boat and a sailor from items in the Useful Box. "I'd like to be a pirate bold" begins the poem of the week. Lorraine reads a story of a ship that sailed over land. Through the Magic Windows we see many different kinds of boats and ships. Ken and Lorraine use the Useful Box to make a ship for themselves and the toys.

Lorraine dresses up as a lion tamer. Ken dresses up as a clown and tells the story of Samson, the lion who gets sick. Through the Magic Windows we see a circus. Ken and Lorraine use a rope to try various acrobatics.

Ken and Lorraine feed the pets. Eric visits Play School with Spike his dingo. He explains how he came to have Spike. On the Egg TV set we see Spike being trained. Ken has a pony and cart. Through the magic windows we see the training of horses. Ken puts a saddle on the pony and he and Lorraine take turns riding it.

Lorraine and Ken build a pirate ship. Eric returns and talks about Athol, his pet crow who is like a pirate. Lorraine is being a bank-teller. Ken brings Jemima in to deposit her money. The film shows the minting of coins. Ken and Lorraine drag a treasure chest onto their pirate ship.

Lorraine shows how one can tell the difference between a hard-boiled egg and a raw egg, without cracking the shell. A hen and baby chicks are in the studio. Lorraine tells the story of "Chicken Little". Ken makes a miniature farm. Through the Magic Windows we see various kinds of eggs hatching. Lorraine packs eggs to take to market.

Lorraine and Alister make a caravan and horse. The poem of the week is "A Pedlar Man". Alister rides on a block cart with a broom horse. Michael tells a story about Jim Henry's red tricycle. Alister becomes a pedlar and uses some items from the Useful Box to sell as his wares. Through the Magic Windows we see an ice-cream vendor. Alister and Lorraine sing "Do you know the Ice-cream man?" and they play a blindfold game.

Lorraine dresses as a girl pedlar selling cockles and mussels. Alister dresses as a travelling minstrel and joins Lorraine. They sing "Molly Malone". Alister tells the story of the magic harp. Lorraine dances an Irish jig. The film shows Ireland. Alister and Lorraine have a picnic with the toys, of cockles, mussels and potato cakes. They play the game "One potato, Two potato".

Alister and Lorraine look at the pets' claws and paws. They look at a horse shoe. The visitor on pets day is a donkey which Alister rides bareback. Lorraine tells the story of Donovan's Birthday. Alister mimes the riding of a camel. The film shows camels and donkeys working. Alister is being a bushwalker and sings "I love to go a wandering". Lorraine joins in the song sitting on the donkey. They both feed the donkey.

Alister and Lorraine try the Hoola Hoop. They sing "The Wheels of the Bus". Big Ted has big boots on. Michael tells the story of Holly and her Magic Shoes. Lorraine and Alister have difficulty roller skating. Through the Magic Windows we see a circus. Alister and Lorraine use different items as instruments and accompany themselves as they sing 'Noises, Noises'.

Lorraine and Alister look at a tandem bike. The bike tyre is flat. It does not bounce. They repeat the poem of the week and Lorraine mimes riding in a bumpy car and sings "Horsey Horsey". She and Alister then ride the tandem bike. The story is told by Michael and is about a lonely goose. Alister makes a vintage car. The car breaks down and has to be pushed. The film shows caravans. The picture board has paintings of different vehicles. The toys ride a tea-trolley and Alister sings "The Toys on the Bus".

Benita and Alister show Teddy who is in bed. The poem of the week is "The Land of Counterpane". Benita makes some toy soldiers. Alister tells the story of Tim Mouse and the Major. Benita sings "Little Soldiers made of Lead". Through the Magic Windows we see a toy factory. Alister and Benita mime being toys.

Benita dresses as a nurse and Alister dresses as a doctor. Teddy is still in bed and Benita makes him some matchbox ships. 'Doctor' Alister examines Big Ted. Benita sings "Miss Polly had a Dolly". Geoff tells the story of the Chocolate Kitten. The film shows a child entering hospital. Benita and Alister play a jelly eating game.

Benita and Alister bring the mice to visit Big Ted in bed. Benita plays a guessing game "Which animal goes in which house?". Alister tells the story of "The Fish out of Water". The visitors on Pets day are an Australian Terrier and her week old puppies. Through the Magic Windows we see a vet's clinic.

Benita and Alister change the sheets on Big Ted's bed. Benita looks at different kinds of toy beds. Alister is in a hammock with some of the toys. Benita and he sing "There were five in the bed". Benita tells the story of "The New Bed". Alister pretends to be a giant. The film is a carnival procession. Benita makes some giant heads from paper bags.

Big Ted gets up. Benita and Alister measure him against themselves. They also compare the size of their hands. Benita measures her hand with a ruler. Alister reads the story "How Big is a Foot". Benita pretends to sell shoes to Alister. The film is of children painting with their bare feet. Alister and Benita paint with their feet and compare their footprints.

Lorraine and Donald make cars from large matchboxes. They also make a carport and a garage. The poem of the week is "Someone came Knocking". Lorraine and Donald sing and play "Who's that knocking at my door?". Ruth tells a story about her dog Carla. Lorraine sings and mimes "I'm scrubbing with a brush". The film is of street cleaners. Donald sings a "Keeping clean" song. Lorraine joins him for last verse.

Donald dresses as Ali Baba and Lorraine dresses as a lady from Old Persia. Donald sets up a market stall and Lorraine comes to buy a basket. Donald then tells a simplified version of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". Lorraine has a washboard and mimes scrubbing dirty clothes on it. The film is of a laundromat. Donald dresses as a barber and pretends to cut and shampoo Humpty's hair. Lorraine enters with washboard and she and Donald sing and play "Ha Ha This A Way".

Lorraine and Donald look at the budgie cage door and compare it with the rabbit hutch door that swings. Donald pretends his hands are doors. The visitor for Pets Day is a poodle. Lorraine tries to make him do a few tricks. Donald reads the story of "Harry the Dirty Dog". Lorraine gives the poodle a bath, showing how to shampoo carefully. Film is of various animals washing or being washed. Lorraine has a bath for the budgies.

Lorraine makes a Jack-in-the-box. Donald mimes the movements of a Jack-in-the-box. The story is "Inside, Outside, Upside, Down", which is told with graphics. Donald shows how he made a vacuum cleaner and sings "I'm cleaning up the room". Lorraine has a home-made lawn mower and she sings "I'm mowing all the lawn". She follows this by pretending to water the lawn. The film is of a dog and hose. Donald sets up a toy-shop. He has a musical box. Lorraine tries to move like the figures that dance on the music box. Donald moves like the Jack-in-the-box.

Lorraine and Donald look at some ladybirds through a magnifying glass. They also have some pictures of ladybirds. Lorraine and Donald play a cricket whistling game and they sing "Give a Little Whistle". Ruth tells a story about a game she played as a child. Donald mimes cleaning the Magic Windows. The film is of window cleaners and office cleaners. Lorraine washes the utensils from the science shelves. Donald dries them and then looks at the ladybirds again.

Darlene and Ken make a mobile with items from various nursery rhymes. They sing the relevant rhymes. Ken plays his guitar for Song of the Week, which is: "Oh, oh the Sunshine". Darlene and Ken have raw wool which they spin and weave. The story is "Pelle's New Suit". Darlene makes a dress for Jemima. The film is of spiders. The nursery rhymes are repeated.

Ken builds a car for Darlene to drive in. It really moves. He also builds a fill-up station and dresses as a mechanic. The story is, "Whoo, whoo, the Wind blew". Darlene dresses for a ride in her car. She takes Teddy and Jemima with her. Ken pretends to be a policeman directing traffic. The child is invited to sing "Look to the Right and Look to the Left". Road safety is mentioned.

Darlene and Ken look at rabbit's fur, and whiskers. Ken applies shaving cream to his face and sings "Michael Finnegan". Ken shaves and wipes his face clean. Darlene has a false beard. The visitor for Pets Day is a monkey called Josie. She performs various tricks. The story is the monkey story of "Caps for Sale". Ken and Darlene try a few monkey tricks. Monkeys are fond of climbing. Film is of kindergarten children on climbing apparatus.

Darlene and Ken sort through a pile of socks. The sing: "There's a hole in your sock". Jan tells the story "Can you keep a Secret?". Darlene makes some hand puppets from the socks. Film is of puppets. Darlene and Ken play some ball games. Ken shows how to play hop-skipping.

Ken draws around Darlene's feet. They both sing "Song of the Week" mentioning the days of the week. Jan tells a story of new shoes. Ken does some "magic" wax painting with a candle. The film is of ducks. Ken sings "When ducks go out on rainy days". Darlene cleans Ken's shoes. They both walk barefoot on tip-toes and sing "Hey Betty Martin" with a jumping and a skipping verse.

Anne and Alister build a house with matchboxes. They blow it down and then use paste to stick it together to make it strong. Barry tells the story of "The Three Little Pigs". Anne and Alister make wind noises using a bottle and a cardboard cylinder. Anne sings "Hear the Wind Blowing". Song of the Week is Dancing Dolly. Alister has made some bagpipes which he blows into and pretends to play.

Anne and Alister do some interior decorating. They wallpaper a wall and sing: "When Father Papered the Parlour". The story is about the two mice George and Mick, and a violin. Alister has a violin which he plucks and plays. Anne paints to mood music and the film is of children making pictures to music. Humpty gives a house-warming party for the toys.

Anne makes a pair of maracas and shakes them to give various wind effects. The story is of pairs of animals who shelter in a storm - "Noah's Ark". Anne and Alister look at some doves in a dovecote. Alister sings: "I bought me a dove". They look at the dovecote and then at the pets various houses.

Anne and Alister have an assortment of shells. Alister tries to blow into a conch shell. He then tries to play a tuba. Anne sings high notes while Alister plays low "oom-pah-pahs". The story is about Harry the Dog and the singing lady next door. Alister uses a blanket and a chair to make different homes. The film is of children in a tree house.

Alister plays the piano and shows how a piano works. Barry tells a tale of his camping adventures. Anne and Alister make a tent for the toys. The film is of a percussion band. Alister then plays the various instruments used during the week - he bangs the piano keys, blows into a tuba and a pipe, shakes the maracas and then draws the bow across the violin.