Classic.
Courtney Act has written an opinion piece in The Sydney Morning Herald today, responding to comments by Senator Alex Antic at a parliamentary committee two weeks ago.
Play School: Dinosaur Roar
Premieres Monday 17 July at 9am on ABC Kids and ABC iview 5 episodes
Get ready to stomp, prowl and growl your way through Play School Dinosaur Roar series! Join the presenters, with special guest Tim the paleontologist, exploring the âroar-someâ world of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures!
Visit the Play School Dino Museum each day to make new discoveries at the Creature Carousel. Whether itâs the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, the very âcoolâ polar dinosaurs, or fascinating fossils, young budding dino-enthusiasts are sure to be inspired.
Production credit: Supervising Producer: Natalie Robinson-Hurst. Series Producers: Anna Allbury and Karin Fitzhardinge
Play School and the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council announce partnership
Australiaâs most enduring pre-school program Play School and the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) are pleased to announce a new partnership that will create a platform for Indigenous voices, perspectives, languages, art and stories.
The collaboration will explore opportunities to develop content and resources across screen, audio and online through Play School âcast memberâ and Noongar doll, âKiyaâ.
SWALSCâs Chief Executive Officer, Vanessa Kickett, said âOur partnership with the highly respected and long-standing childrenâs program, Play School, is such a wonderful opportunity to share our Noongar culture with children and families across Australia, and around the world.â
SWALSC, as the Central Services Corporation for the South West Native Title Settlement, will engage representatives from the Cultural Advice Committees from each of the six Noongar Regional Corporations to consult with Play School on Noongar history, culture and language, and educational story ideas for Kiya.
ABC Head of Childrenâs Libbie Doherty said: âPlay School has such a cherished legacy in Australia. Its songs, stories and focus on learning through play transcends generations. Weâre excited to work with SWALSC to represent First Nations Australians through Kiya on one of our most loved programs.â
Kiya first appeared on Play Schoolâs âAcknowledgement of Countryâ â an episode that highlights the importance of caring for Country together. While Kiya is not Play Schoolâs first Indigenous toy, she is the first to have a connection to specific country, in being Noongar from Western Australiaâs south-west. Kiya means âhelloâ in Noongar.
Play School is an ABC Childrenâs Original production.
Play School: World By Night
Monday 14 August 9.00am
Put on your cozy jammies and snuggle in for the Play School: World By Night series. Thereâs plenty to see once day turns to night!
When the sun goes down, the world comes alive in many ways!
Put on your cozy jammies and snuggle in for Play School: World By Night series, exploring bedtime routines, nocturnal animals and bustling cities after dark. With special guests Kirsten the astronomer and Ravi with âDivaâ the barn owl, thereâs plenty to see once day turns to night!
Production credit: Supervising Producer: Natalie Robinson-Hurst. Series Producer: Karin Fitzhardinge. Producer: Katie Ring. Windows Producer: Alice Donaldson. Digital Associate Producer: Tim Scott.
Humpty and Dad
Sunday 3 September 9.00am
In this special episode, Humpty and his dad have fun building a cubby and are joined by Hamish Blake with the toys to say a very Happy Fatherâs Day to the dads and father-figures of Australia. We invite you to snuggle up with a father-figure on Fatherâs Day for songs, games, stories and fun!
âThrough The Windowsâ we meet a family with multi-generational male figures.
Production credit: Supervising Producer: Natalie Robinson-Hurst. Series Producer: Karin Fitzhardinge. Producer: Katie Ring. Production Manager: Sharon Bruce. Digital Associate Producer: Tom Scott. Production Co-ordinator: Elizabeth Pearson. Production Assistant: Venus Hague.
Play School: Story Time - Season 6
Sunday 3 December 8.45am
Find your favourite toy and get comfy on the Story Time couch as some of Australiaâs most well-known celebrities read an adventure packed range of childrenâs picture books.
Series six features Matty J, Amanda Keller, Sean Szeps, Felix Riebl and many more! Plus, five episodes in Auslan featuring Nas Campanella, Mark Coles Smith, Sam Bloom, Sofya Gollan and Indira Naidoo.
Gather your dads and round up your dogs for a cuddle on the couch â the first episode features doting dad Matty J and his delightful dog Buster! Matty, Humpty and Humptyâs Dad read âDads and Dogsâ by Mick Elliot.
Production credit: Play School is an ABC Originals Childrenâs Program, developed and created by the award-winning ABC Childrenâs Department. Director: Hattie Archibald. Series Producer: Karin Fitzhardinge. Producer: Katie Ring. Associate Digital Producer: Tom Scott. Production Co-ordinator: Elizabeth Pearson. Production Assistant: Venus Hague.
Play School: Down At The Beach
Tuesday 26 December 9.00am
Whether itâs exploring the rockpools, playing beach cricket or splashing in the waves, thereâs lots to explore Down at the Beach.
Thereâs so much fun to be had Down at the Beach. Whether itâs exploring the rockpools, playing beach cricket or splashing in the waves, thereâs lots to explore and great fun to be had. Of course, itâs important to be safe as we slip, slop, slap, slide and seek! With special guest lifesavers, Chelsea and Courtney (with helpful Nipper Big Ted), and wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta, thereâs lots to do Down at the Beach.
Production credit: Commissioning Editor: Nicole Cheek. Executive Producer: Lyndal Mebberson. Senior Production Manager: Sharon Bruce. Series Producer: Bryson Hall. Producer: Natalie Martin. Associate Digital Producer: Tom Scott. Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Pearson. Production Assistant: Venus Hauge.
Play School: Storytime
Monday 22 January 8.50am
Find your favourite toy and get comfy on the Story Time couch as some of Australiaâs most well-known celebrities read an adventure packed range of childrenâs picture books. The latest batch of episodes from series 6 features Matty J, Amanda Keller, Sean Szeps, Felix Riebl, Tom Forrest and many more!
Production credit: Director: Hattie Archibald. Series Producer: Karin Fitzhardinge. Producer: Katie Ring. Associate Digital Producer: Tom Scott. Production Co-ordinator: Elizabeth Pearson. Production Assistant: Venus Hague.
The Guardian Australia did a feature interview with Michelle Lim Davidson, one of the showâs presenters.
Play School legend Don Spencer has returned to film an episode in the new season.
Schedule for the week
Monday 29 July
Get ready to race with Leah and Luke! They are joined by Australian Sprinter Calab Law for a nail-biting running race between toys Maurice and Jemima, and commentate exciting field events with Owl, Joey, Fergus and Scrap.
Tuesday 30 July
Miah and Zindzi make a splash with water sports! Olympic Diver Sam Fricker joins Miah to commentate a diving event between toys Little Ted, Kiya and Fergus. Zindzi, Miah and Sam perform a synchronised swimming routine.
Wednesday 31 July
Abi and Kaeng have a blast playing ball sports! They are joined by Australian soccer players, Jada Whyman and Abbey Lemon, for an intense game of soccer with the toys. Abi and Kaeng play a long game of cricket.
Thursday 1 August
Time to compete in solo and team sports with Matt and Nicholas! The toys, Little Ted and Kiya, perform impressive rhythmic gymnastics routines. Matt joins Paralympian Dylan Alcott for a game of wheelchair basketball.
Friday 2 August
Leah and Teo have fun outside playing backyard games! The toys, Maurice and Owl, compete in a sack race. Leah and Teo race in an obstacle course of their own makingÂ
all while balancing an egg (or orange) on a spoon!
Play School Science Time - Series 3
Monday 12 August 8.55am
Dust off your lab coat, Play Schoolâs Science Time is back for even more awesome experiments!
Join Matt and Miah to learn about snot, stars, spaceships, and everything in between! And with the help of some excellent experts, Matt and Miah create spectacular science experiments that children can try out themselves with items they can find at home.Production credit: An ABC production
Synopses of Science Time episodes
Monday 12 August - rainbow water
How does a plant drink water? Rachael is learning about capillary action by making a rainbow water experiment using water glasses and paper towels. This episode will have you soaking up all sorts of fun facts!
Tuesday 13 August - wind-powered car
How can air cause movement? Rachael is learning about how air can apply force and cause movement in the Science Time lab, using household items to make a wind-powered car!
Wednesday 14 August - marvellous moulds
What are curds and whey anyway? Rachael is mixing and experimenting with milk and vinegar to make curds and whey. Discover your âwheyâ and learn how the soft mixture can harden into moulds that you can paint and decorate!
Has there really been no new episodes of Play School in 2 years?
The latest new episodes on iview are from 2022.
Surely there has been new episodes in the last two years. You would hope.
Not sure why nothing has been added to iview though.
There are more new special episodes this week, under the theme Whatâs Cooking?
Remember the Instagram photo of Melissa Leong I posted in this thread two months ago? Her episode is on this Wednesday morning (September 18).
The guest line up for the rest of this week is:
Monday - Alice Zaslavski
Tuesday - Mark Olive
Thursday - Nagi Maehashi
Friday - Morgan Hipworth
The Cheap Seats tonight showed excerpts from the Play School Halloween episode, The Not Too Spooky Special. The 45-minute episode is available on iView but will also be repeated on ABC Family this Thursday (October 31) at 9am and 3.15pm.
Join Eddie, Rachael and Matt for The Not Too Spooky Special! Theyâll be sharing spooky stories, wearing spooky costumes and making a spooky potion - but not too spooky! It will be spooktacular!