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31 Episodes 1971 - 1971
Episode 1
Aka 73.1 ep#211 Jan makes a life-size drawing of Alister. They explain they are going to set up an art gallery in Play School. The story is told by Jan over a painting done in the studio by John Firth-Smith. Alister makes a clay sculpture of Humpty. Through the windows there are Emmett Machines - constantly moving pieces of art.
Episode 2
Aka 73.2 ep#212 Alister and Jan dress as footballers for opposing teams. They play a vigorous game of football. The story is 'Jeremy and his Ball', and the Windows show the making of rubber balls.
Episode 3
Aka 73.3 ep#213 Two live lion cubs visit the Play School Zoo, and the story is called 'Big Lion, Little Lion'. Jan uses the felt board to name and identify various animals and their young.
Episode 4
Aka 73.4 #214 Barry Lovett visits Play School and talks about being an actor. The film shows a children's drama class.
Episode 5
Aka 73.5 ep#215 Jan and Alister race a toy truck and volkswagon down a ramp. They note they are travelling at different speeds because of their size, shape and weight. Alister makes his ramp steeper in an attempt to win the next race. Big Ted, Hamble, Jemima and Little Ted take turns sliding down the ramp. The presenters sing the song of the week 'What Shall We Do When We All Go Out?'. There is a film of children in a park. Jan pretends to be a mother in the park, with baby Jemima in her pram. It is one o'clock on the flower clock. Ron tells the story of 'Gertie the Duck' from Milwaukee. Jan sings 'Six Little Ducks'. Alister and Jan make animal shadows with their hands. Jan watches the TV with Ted, Humpty and Hamble, to see Richard Bradshaw's hippo, ostrich and mouse shadow puppet act. Alister talks about balancing weights and uses a balance to find out whether the toy truck or volkswagon is heaviest. Alister sits on a see-saw and Jan sees how many toys it takes to be heavier than Alister. They sing 'See Saw Margery Daw'. Jan swings on a tyre swing. They play a game of 'Following the Leader'.
Episode 6
Aka 74.1 ep#216 Benita and Don look at the calendar and recite the poem of the week. They make an airport with box hangers and a control tower. Planes are made from cardboard cylinders. Benita and Don land their planes with different levels of skill. The flower clock displays twelve o'clock, with pieces of furniture underneath. Don tells the story of 'The King who Wanted to Touch the Moon', while sitting in a throne. Benita sings 'Ring a Ring a Roses'. Don plays his guitar and they sing 'Jim Along Josie'. Through the square window there are jets flying in formation. Benita makes a cardboard box plane for pilot Big Ted. Big Ted goes for a flight. Benita and Don mime flying in formation like jets, while singing 'Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'.
Episode 7
Aka 74.2 ep#217 Benita and Don dress up as tightrope walkers and demonstrate the art of walking the high wire. The story is called 'Bod's Apple'. Through the windows is a balloon flying.
Episode 8
Aka 74.3 ep#218 Don talks about the difference between wild rabbits and pet rabbits and shows Snowball, Play School's pet rabbit. The story is about two koalas called 'Kerri and Honey'.
Episode 9
Aka 74.4 ep#219 Don jumps on a trampoline and John visits Play School to act in a story about a chair that wanted to sit down. There is a film showing a motorbike scramble.
Episode 10
Aka 74.5 ep#220 Benita and Don explain about weight and balance, using a see-saw. Don tells the story of 'The Thirsty Crow'. There is a film of Mount Rushmore rock carvings.
Episode 11
Aka 75.1 ep#221 Jan and John build a tall building. The film shows a construction site. Jan uses a model to tell the story of a fire at a multistorey block of flats.
Episode 12
Aka 75.2 ep#222 Jan and John build a double decker bus. John dresses as the driver with Jan as the bus conductress. They visit the town, the zoo and the beach. The story is the 'Little Red Bus' and the film shows a bus trip to the beach.
Episode 13
Aka 75.3 ep#223 A billy goat and kid visit Play School. John tells the story of the 'Three Billy Goats Gruff'. Through the windows people are skiing. Jan and John give the toys turns on a ski-lift.
Episode 14
Aka 75.4 ep#224 Jan and John perform the story of Jack and the Beanstalk with hand puppets. John goes for a giant walk and then shows the growing of beans on blotting paper.
Episode 15
Aka 75.5 ep#225 John uses various objects to make the sound of thunder. He reads the story James and the Rain.
Episode 16
28 mins
Aka 76.1 ep#226 Lorraine and Don sort different size boxes. Lorraine uses matchboxes to make a fire-engine. Don reads the story "The Little Fireman" and then dresses as a bush firefighter. Film shows firefighters in action. Don and Lorraine assemble a large fire-tanker and together with the toys go for a ride.
Episode 17
28 mins
Aka 76.2 ep#227 Police Constable First Class Jeff Little visits Play School and tells a story about road safety. Don dresses as a police officer and together with "Constable Teddy" sets out to find a lost person. He talks about the importance of knowing where the child lives. Film shows mounted police. Lorraine and Don have paper streamers and hats and drums and march in a police procession.
Episode 18
28 mins
Aka 76.3 ep#228 Jack and Jill two pet guinea pigs are in Play School. Lorraine reads the story with photos of "The Guinea Pigs that went to School". A film clip is shown of animals scratching and Lorraine and Don sing and move to a scratching song. Film shows a veterinary surgery and Don then dresses as a vet and attends to the toys with various ailments.
Episode 19
28 mins
Aka 76.4 ep#229 Don is a postman and delivers parcels to Play School. One package contains the book of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", which Lorraine reads. Film shows postal workers. Don, Lorraine and the toy bears have a picnic but they are annoyed by flies.
Episode 20
28 mins
Aka 76.5 ep#230 Lorraine has a magnifying glass and looks at some insects under it and then an identifying game follows of greatly magnified objects. Don is dressed as an eye doctor and tests Lorraine's eye sight. She tries on various types of fun glasses. Film shows guide dogs for the blind.
Episode 21
28 mins
Lorraine and John look at clocks. Lorraine makes a clock from a cardboard plate. John reads the story "The Little Boy who didn't want to get up". Lorraine and John make fried and scrambled eggs in studio. Lorraine shows the inside of a clock. John and Lorraine sing "Hickory Dickory Dock".
Episode 22
28 mins
Aka 77.2 ep#132 Lorraine shows how she applies make up and John gives himself a shave with a battery razor. They both read the story of "Lucy and Tom's Day". John pretends to be various shopkeepers and Lorraine goes shopping. Film shows shopping in the country in a donkey trap. John then rides in a donkey cart made from blocks.
Episode 23
28 mins
Lorraine shows a cuckoo clock. Story is told by John and Lorraine and is about "Harry's Hiccups". Lorraine mimes different ways of eating. Film shows cows, pigs and birds eating. John has a toy pecking bird. They feed the pet birds, guinea-pigs and mice and sing "Hickory Dickory Dock".
Episode 24
28 mins
Aka 77.4 ep#234 Lorraine and John greet each other in various ways and sing "How d'you do and shake hands". Story is acted by Lorraine and John and is called "Two Fat Gentlemen Met in a Lane". Film shows children playing in the park. John marches like a toy soldier and Lorraine moves like a floppy rag doll. They then pretend to wind up the toys and themselves and they move like clockwork toys.
Episode 25
28 mins
Aka 77.5 ep#235 Lorraine and John do a floating and sinking experiment with items from the bathroom. Lorraine tells a story of a little girl who didn't want to go to bed. John has the toys and sings "There were five in a bed". Film shows a boy on an early morning paper round. Lorraine moulds a mouse from wet newspaper.
Episode 26
28 mins
Aka 78.1 ep#236 Benita makes a wool doll. A shearer is in studio and shows the shearing of a sheep. Story is about Katherine who lives on a property. Don drives a mock-up mail truck and delivers mail to various stations in the outback. Film shows a real mail truck in the outback.
Episode 27
28 mins
Aka 78.2 ep#237 Don dresses in a wet suit and goes "skin diving". A film clip of the Barrier Reef is shown. Benita reads the story of "Swimmy the Fish". Don takes the toys on holiday to the beach and they stay in a Motel. Benita joins them on the beach and she and Don lie in the sun.
Episode 28
28 mins
Aka 78.3 ep#238 Benita and Don make a fish mobile and look at the pet fish. The story is an Aboriginal Folk Tale about "Tiddalick the Frog". Benita tries to play a didgeridoo and then she and Don dance a corroboree. Film shows Aborigines dancing and Benita looks at some bark paintings.
Episode 29
28 mins
Aka 78.4 ep#239 Benita pretends to live in the Inner City. She is visited by Don as the garbage man, the postman and the baker. Livia visits Play School to tell a story of an Italian shopkeeper. Don is the chef in a restaurant and serves Spaghetti Bolognaise to Benita. Film shows a gelato van selling ice cream in the city.
Episode 30
28 mins
Aka 78.5 ep#240 Benita demonstrates the making of tea and explains about boiling water. She and Don drink a cup of the tea. Story is a puppet film of "Sebastian, the Swaggie and the Fox". Film shows a family camping in the bush. Don and Benita have a mock camping setup and put the toys to bed in pillow slip sleeping bags.
Episode 31
28 mins
Lorraine tells the story of Jesus' birth in this special Christmas program, in which all the regular cast members join together to sing Christmas songs, make decorations and tell Christmas stories.