Beginnings - ABC

Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

Beginnings

The first few years of life are full of new beginnings. Young children are often eager to explore
and investigate what is new. They use their senses and their bodies as they encounter and
play with new objects, experiences and people. At other times, new beginnings can be
daunting. Sometimes young children need reassurance from family or carers and seek the
company of familiar toys as they begin something for the first time.

This week in Play School we sing songs, play games and share stories that reflect exploring
new things as well as feeling safe and secure.

Monday

SONGS

I Jump Out of Bed in the Morning
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Ten in the Bed
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

PRESENTERS Singing in the Kitchen
Karen Pang – Andrew McFarlane Composer: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: Universal
PIANIST
Peter Dasent Walking the Dog
Composers: J Kane & M Walmsley
STORY Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Cuddle Time
By Libby Gleeson & illustrated by Julie Vivas It’s So Nice to Have a Cuddle
Text © 2004 Libby Gleeson Composer: Sandy Tobias–Offenheim
Illustrations © 2004 Julie Vivas Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Broadcast by permission of the publisher
Walker Books Ltd, London Heads and Shoulders
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

FILM
New Puppy
(Play School, ABC)

ANIMATION
It’s So Nice to Have a Cuddle
(Play School, ABC)

IDEAS FOR LATER
Play “Ten in the Bed” with your toys!
Create some animal friends from recycled
materials.
Ask an adult to help you make porridge!
Top with milk, banana and honey and
serve with a glass of fresh orange juice!

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Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

MAKE AND DO

How to Make a Puppy
You will need:

Recycled plastic bottle
Coloured cardboard
Scrap of material
Safety scissors
Tape
Marker
Paddle pop sticks
Cut a strip of coloured cardboard that will fit around the body of your water bottle. This will
be your puppy’s coat. We used black material for a black puppy, brown cardboard for a
brown puppy and white cardboard with black spots for a Dalmatian puppy. Wrap the
cardboard or material around the water bottle and secure with tape.
Draw a circle on a piece of cardboard for your puppy’s face. Add some puppy eyes, a big
wet nose and a smiling mouth. Cut out and tape to the lid of your bottle.
Cut two flippy, floppy ears from cardboard. Tape to either side of your puppy’s face.
Tape four paddle pop stick legs to your puppy.
Cut a thin strip of material for a wiggly, waggly puppy dog tail and tape to the back of your
bottle.

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Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

Tuesday SONGS

PRESENTERS Do-Re-Mi
Karen Pang – Jay Laga’aia Composer: Richard Rodgers & Oscar
Hammerstein II
PIANIST Publisher: Williamson Music Co, NY
Peter Dasent
Ooh Aah Aah
STORY Composer: Jay Laga’aia
Little Apple Goat Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Caroline Jayne Chuch
Oxford University Press 2007 Walking in the Bush
Composer: Tony Strutton
FILM Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Making Soap
(Play School, ABC) Zoom
Composers: Peter Charlton & Paul Reade
ANIMATION
Here is the Sea Rolling All Around
(Play School, ABC) Composer: Val Donlon
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
IDEAS FOR LATER
Make some colourful play dough and Five Currant Buns
mould it into muffins, cakes and pies. Composer: Traditional
Have a sudsy bubble bath! Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing
Blow some bubbles! Mix some water and
detergent, then dip a bubble blower (or a Glorious Mud
pipe cleaner twisted into a loop) into the Composers: M Flanders & D Swann
soapy water and gently blow through the Publisher: Chappel
loop to create a bubble.
I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles
Composer: Jaan Kenbrovin & John William
Kellette
Publisher: A&C Black, London 1977

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Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

MAKE AND DO

How to Make Paddle Pop Puppets
You will need:

Paddle pop sticks
Coloured markers, crayons and pencils
A pipe cleaner
Coloured cardboard
Safety scissors
Three pieces of white A3 cardboard
We made a paddle pop puppet called Ruby and drew three different locations for her to
explore! Each drawing had a horizontal slit that we stuck Ruby through so she could move
from one side to the other. We also made aeroplane and boat paddle pop puppets for
Ruby to travel in.
Paddle Pop Puppets
Use coloured markers to draw a face, hair and some clothes on the top half of a paddle pop
stick. Twist a pipe cleaner around the middle for arms.
Draw a small aeroplane and a small boat on coloured cardboard and cut out. Tape a
paddle pop to the back of each one.
Cardboard Scenes
Draw three different scenes on pieces of A3 cardboard – we drew a park for Ruby to walk in,
a cloudy sky for Ruby to fly through and a wavy sea for Ruby to sail on.
Use scissors to cut a horizontal slit in the middle of each scene.

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Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

Wednesday

SONGS

Chicken Talk
Composer: Hooley Dooleys
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing

Walking through the Jungle
Composer: Max Lambert
Publisher: Penguin

PRESENTERS Spotty Song
Leah Vandenberg – Matt Passmore Composer: June Tillman
Publisher: McMillan Education Ltd
PIANIST
Peter Dasent Oomba Baroomba
Composer: Peter Charlton
TOLD STORY Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
The Little Red House
(A story told by the Play School team) Two Little Apples
Composers: P. Zajan & M. Miller
FILM Publisher: EMI Music
Sky Car at the Zoo
(Play School, ABC) Watermelon Song
Composers: Peter Dasent & Arthur Baysting
IDEAS FOR LATER Publisher: Origin/Control
Make boats out of milk cartons or plastic
trays that float on water. Play with them in Crazy Conga
the bath or in a water trough! Composers: Chris Harriott & Simon Hopkinson
Make a cardboard box boat with a long Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
cardboard cylinder for a mast and a sheet
for a sail.
Paint a pond mural. Think about what
animals might live in or near a pond, such
as frogs, ducks, lizards and spiders, and
paint them into your mural.

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Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

MAKE AND DO

How to Make an Egg Person
You will need:

An empty egg shell, with the top broken off so you can place things inside
A short cardboard roll
Things to decorate your cardboard roll with, such as coloured paint, crayons, markers
or sticker dots
Black marker
Cotton wool balls
Alfalfa seeds
Small bowl of water
Spray bottle filled with water
Decorate a cardboard roll with coloured paint, crayons, markers or sticker dots.
Place an egg shell on top of your cardboard roll, with the open end facing up.
Draw a face on the egg shell with a black marker.
Soak a few cotton wool balls in a bowl of water. Place them gently in the egg shell.
Sprinkle alfalfa seeds on the cotton wool balls. Spray with some more water.
Over the next five to six days the alfalfa seeds will grow into alfalfa sprouts and your egg
person will have green alfalfa hair!

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Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

Thursday

SONGS

Riding in a Helicopter (Wokka Wokka)
Composer: Sean O’Boyle
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing

The Fire Engine
Composer: A Wiechard
Publisher: AMPD

PRESENTERS Watermelon Song
Karen Pang – Andrew McFarlane Composers: Peter Dasent & Arthur Baysting
Publisher: Origin/Control
PIANIST
Peter Dasent I Like to Sing
Composers: Peter Dasent & Garth Frost
STORY Publisher: Origin/Control
Mrs Muffly’s Monster
Author & Illustrator: Sarah Dyer The Time Warp
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Limited Composer: Richard O’Brien

FILM
Fire Fighter Lisa
(Play School, ABC)

IDEAS FOR LATER
Visit a fruit shop and choose some fruit for
eating or cooking.
Dress up as a monster using old sheets and
tea towels. Use recycled materials to add
big feet, horns or a tail. Do a monster
dance or make up a monster rhyme.

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Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

MAKE AND DO

How to Make Strawberry Jam How to Make a Sponge Monster Foot Painting

You will need: What you need:
A punnet of strawberries Large kitchen sponge
Four tablespoons of caster sugar Safety scissors
Juice of half a lemon Long cardboard cylinder
Tape
Hull the strawberries and chop into small Coloured paint
pieces. Recycled plastic containers or plates
Large piece of butcher’s paper
Mix the strawberries, caster sugar and lemon
juice together in a large, microwave safe bowl. Draw the outline of a monster footprint on a
large kitchen sponge. Cut out with scissors.
Cook in the microwave for five minutes. Check
on your jam every minute or so to make sure You might like to stick your monster foot onto a
the bowl doesn’t overflow. long cardboard cylinder so it’s easier to stamp
with!
Allow jam to cool before eating.
Pour different coloured paint into plastic
containers or onto plastic plates.

Dip your monster foot in the paint and stamp
across a piece of butcher’s paper. Try using
different colours!

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Friday Theme Notes

PRESENTERS Series 247: Beginnings
Georgie Parker – Matt Passmore
PIANIST SONGS
Peter Dasent
TOLD STORY I Love a Parade
The Noggins Go To Town Composer: Ted Koehler & Harold Arlen
(A story told by the Play School team) Publisher: Warner Bros. Inc
FILM
Little Athletics Trumpet Song
(Play School, ABC) Composer: Malcolm Carrick
IDEAS FOR LATER Publisher: ABC Music Publishing

Make an obstacle course for climbing, Jollity Farm
crawling, sliding and balancing. Composer: Leslie Sarony
Dress your toys for a parade. Publisher: ATV Northern Songs
Turn kitchen objects into musical
instruments! Bravo Bravissimo
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Publishing

Running to the Corner
Composers: A North & M Wesley-Smith

Yippee-Yi-Yay (Hip Hip Hooray)
Composers: Sophie Emtage & Peter Dasent
Publisher: Origin/Control

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Theme Notes

Series 247: Beginnings

MAKE AND DO

How to Make Medals

You will need:
Gold and silver cardboard
Pencil or single hole punch
Safety scissors
Ribbon

Draw circles on gold and/or silver cardboard and cut out with scissors.

Ask an adult to carefully push a pencil through each cardboard circle to create a hole.
Alternatively, use a single-hole punch.

Thread ribbon through the holes and knot.

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