Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 1 of 12

Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes are traditional short poems and songs that have been passed down through

the generations, such as Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Mary, Mary

Quite Contrary and Jack and Jill. They are familiar to adults and children alike and are a

way of sharing childhood traditions and social and oral history. Singing, saying and acting

out nursery rhymes improves early literacy skills and encourages visualisation, imagination

and play.

The simple songs and rhymes included this week in Play School can be sung or said in

traditional ways or modified to accompany play and the daily routines of eating, sleeping

and washing. Each day nursery rhymes are used as a spring board for moving, singing,

baking, making and playing. This week the Play School calendar is a large quilt with panels

reflecting different nursery rhymes.

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 2 of 12

Monday

PRESENTERS

Alex Papps Karen Pang

PIANIST

Peter Dasent

STORY

Each Peach, Pear, Plum

Janet & Allan Ahlberg

Puffin, Penguin Group 1978

FILM

Remote Living

(Play School, ABC)

ANIMATION

Singing Sheep Choir

(Play School, ABC)

IDEAS FOR LATER

Go for a gallop using an old broom

handle as a hobby horse.

Write a letter to someone you love and

post it, or type a letter on the computer

and send it via email.

SONGS

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Shake my Sillies Out

Composers: Raffi Cavoukian, Bert Simpson and

Bonnie Simpson

Publisher: Homeland Publishing (SOCAN)

This Little Boy

Composer: M. Miller & Paula L. Zajan

Publisher: Allen & Co.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Hey Diddle Diddle

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Give Me a Home Among the Gumtrees

Composers: Wally Johnson & Bob Brown

Publisher: Mushroom

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 3 of 12

MAKE AND DO

How to Make Dingly Dangly Farm Animals

You will need:

Coloured cardboard

Safety scissors

String

Masking tape

Coloured markers or crayons

Craft materials to decorate your farm animal with, such as wool for a sheep

Paste

We made a dingly dangly sheep and a dingly dangly cow, but you can make any dingly

dangly farm animal you like.

Draw the head and body of a farm animal, separately, on a piece of coloured cardboard

and cut out.

Use a short length of string and some tape to attach the head and body.

Draw some eyes, a nose and a mouth on the head of your farm animal. Decorate its body

using coloured markers, crayons and other craft materials. We pasted some wool onto our

sheep and drew some spots on our cow.

Cut out four cardboard feet. Tape each foot to a piece of string and tape each piece of

string to the body of your farm animal. You could also add a tail depending on what farm

animal you are making.

Tape two long lengths of string to the top of your farm animals body. Use these two pieces

of string to move your dingly dangly farm animal about!

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 4 of 12

Tuesday

PRESENTERS

Alex Papps Karen Pang

PIANIST

Peter Dasent

STORY

Josephine Wants to Dance

Author: Jackie French

Illustrations: Bruce Whatley

Publisher: Harper Collins

FILM

Making a Chocolate Car

(Play School, ABC)

ANIMATION

Der Glumph

(Play School, ABC)

IDEAS FOR LATER

Pretend to drive a car or ride a motor

bike.

Make a spinning ballerina and a

dancing teddy bear using the

instructions below and use them to put

on a concert.

SONGS

Teddy Bear Twist

Composers: D Watkins & C Harriott

Publisher: Mushroom/Control

Kangaroo Brown

Composer: Zoe McHenry

Publisher: Whitcombe & Tombs P/L

Hey Diddle Diddle

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Little Jack Horner

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Pat-a-cake

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Hot Cross Buns

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Lets Go Driving

Composer: Jeffrey Moss

Publisher: Festival Attractions Inc (ASCAP)

Motor Bike Song

Composer: John Walters

Publisher: ABC Music Publishing

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 5 of 12

MAKE AND DO

How to Make Spinners

You will need:

Coloured cardboard

Safety scissors

A single hole punch

String or wool

A marker

Tape

A small piece of netting or material

A Spinning Ballerina

Cut two circles from coloured cardboard a small circle for a head and a large circle for a

body.

Punch two holes in opposite sides of the large circle.

Cut two lengths of string or wool, each about 70cm long. Thread through the holes in the

large circle. Knot at either end.

Draw a face on the small circle and tape it to the large circle.

Draw a pair of arms and a pair of legs on coloured cardboard, cut them out and tape them

to the large circle.

Tape on a piece of netting or material for a ballerina skirt.

To make your ballerina spin, wind up the string and then release!

Dancing Teddy Bear

Follow the instructions above, but make sure you add teddy bear ears and a teddy bear

nose!

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 6 of 12

Wednesday

PRESENTERS

Alex Papps Georgie Parker

PIANIST

Peter Dasent

TOLD STORY

Mother Hubbard Goes to Town

(A story told by the Play School team)

FILM

Yabun Festival

(Play School, ABC)

ANIMATION

Der Glumph

(Play School, ABC)

IDEAS FOR LATER

Use some old milk cartons to make a train

with carriages! Paint the cartons or cover

them in coloured paper. Once dry, join the

carriages with pipe cleaners. Draw on

windows with people looking out. Make a

track from corrugated cardboard and a

railway station from a large box from the

supermarket. Fun for a rainy day, especially

if older brothers or sisters help set it up!

SONGS

Doin It (Making the Garden Grow)

Composers: Peter Dasent & Arthur Baysting

Publisher: Origin

Money, Money, Money

Music Composer: Benny Andersson & Bjorn

Ulvaeus

Gingerbread Man

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Splish Splash

Composers: Bobby Darin & Murray Kaufman &

W. Cassotto

Jack and Jill

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

All the Colours Walking Round the Room

Composer: Felicity Barclay

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Three Little Kittens

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 7 of 12

MAKE AND DO

How to Make Patty Case Flowers

You will need:

Paddle pop sticks, straws or pipe cleaners

Tape

Paste

Paper doilies

Different coloured patty cases

Sticker dots

Paper cups

Sand

Tape a paper doily to a paddle pop stick, straw or pipe cleaner.

Flatten out a patty case and paste or tape it to the middle of the paper doily. Add a

different coloured patty case in the centre. Decorate with sticker dots.

Plant your flower in a paper cup filled with sand for support.

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 8 of 12

How to Make Gingerbread Men

You will need:

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons powdered ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

teaspoon powdered cloves

teaspoon nutmeg

225g butter, cut into small cubes

cup honey

Gingerbread man cookie cutter

Preheat oven to 180C.

Grease a baking tray and line with baking paper.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Work the small cubes of butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. When thoroughly

worked in, add the honey and stir until blended.

Refrigerate for an hour, or longer if possible.

Roll the dough out about 1/8 inch thick on a floured board or between sheets of waxed

paper. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut shapes from the dough.

Place gingerbread men 2cm apart on a lined baking tray.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

When cool, decorate with icing and sprinkles!

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 9 of 12

Thursday

PRESENTERS

Leah Vandenberg Alex Papps

PIANIST

Peter Dasent

STORY

The Bush Jumper

Author: Jean Chapman

Illustrator: Ali Beck

Publisher: ABC Books, Australian Broadcasting

Corporation

FILM

Gracie Gets A Haircut

(Play School, ABC)

ANIMATION

Pussycat, Pussycat

(Play School, ABC)

IDEAS FOR LATER

Look for counting books at the library.

What animals lay eggs? See if you can find

pictures of them in books or magazines.

Next time you visit the city, look at all the

tall buildings and the traffic lights flashing

green, yellow and red.

Experiment with clay! See what your hands

and fingers can do with clay squeeze,

squash, pound, flatten, roll, thump etc.

Exploring and experimenting can lead to

sculpting, modelling and building. Try

making some Australian native animals by

adding paddle pop sticks, feathers, wool or

fur scraps.

SONGS

Michael Finnegan

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Johnny Works With One Hammer

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

The Wombat Wobble

Composer: Val Donlon

Publisher: ABC Music c/o Mushroom Music

Rainbows

Composer: Peter Dasent & Garth Frost

Publisher: Origin/Control

Pussycat, Pussycat

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Humpty Dumpty

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Old King Cole

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Little Miss Muffet

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 10 of 12

MAKE AND DO

How to Make Paper Plate Faces

You will need:

Paper plates

A crayon or marker

A single hole-punch

Wool

Draw a face on a paper plate using a crayon or a marker.

Use a single-hole punch to make holes around the top of the paper plate for woolly hair to

be threaded through. If youre making a male paper plate face, you might like to add some

holes at the bottom of the paper plate for a beard.

Cut lengths of wool for each hole, each about 30cm in length. Fold each piece of wool in

half and knot at the end. Thread the unknotted ends through the holes. The knots will keep

the wool in place.

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 11 of 12

Friday

PRESENTERS

Alex Papps Georgie Parker

PIANIST

Peter Dasent

STORY

10 Little Rubber Ducks

Author & Illustrator: Eric Carle

Publisher: Eric Carle Studios

FILM

Moving House

(Play School, ABC)

ANIMATION

Three Little Ducks

(Play School, ABC)

IDEAS FOR LATER

Tell a story using dinosaur figures.

Create a cave for small plastic

dinosaurs to live in using recycled

materials and bits and pieces from the

garden.

Go on a listening walk around your

neighbourhood! As you walk, listen for

lots of different sounds.

Make your own nursery rhyme book

with the words of your favourite nursery

rhymes. Draw pictures to illustrate the

nursery rhymes.

Use a washing basket as a boat and

take your toys across the ocean.

Watch out for stormy seas and high

winds and look out for a far away

island!

SONGS

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Three Little Kittens

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Dr Knicker Bocker

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Okina Taiko

Composers: Junichi Kobayashi & Yoshinau Nakata

Pussy Cat Says Miaow

Composer: Traditional

Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing

Tug Boat

Composers: Edith Newlin & Irma Simonton

Publisher: Music Sales Australia

Dinosaur Roar

Composers: Peter Dasent, Arthur Baysting & Justine

Clarke

Publisher: Origin/Control

Theme Notes

Series 243: Nursery Rhymes

Page 12 of 12

MAKE AND DO

How to Make Boats for Water Play

You will need:

Recycled materials, such as plastic bottles, lids and drink cartons

Pipe cleaners

String

Cardboard rolls

Markers

Coloured paper

Safety scissors

Paste

Use recycled materials to create boats. Containers can be joined with pipe cleaners or

string.

Make a captain and passengers from cardboard rolls. Draw on faces and paste on coloured

paper for clothes.

Use the boats and cardboard characters to act out a story.