ABC Education TV Series for 6-8 year olds - ABC Commercial

as seen on
ABC TV
ABC Education TV Series
for 6-8 year olds

FOR THE JUNIORS
For The Juniors is a program for students aged 6-8 years
and aims to stimulate children’s curiosity and imagination;
widen their horizons and encourage them to explore their
environment; present enjoyable experiences which relate
broadly to the lives and interests of the children; and raise
issues which affect 6-8 year olds. Each series is arranged
in groups of programs relating to a particular theme.
Excellent educational resources are provided online.
FOR THE JUNIORS Series and episodes (alpha order)
1. BODY PARTS
2. BUILDINGS
3. CELEBRATIONS
4. COMMON SENSES
5. FAMILIES
6. FARM TO TABLE
7. FOOD
8. FRIENDSHIP
9. HUMAN BODY, THE
10. MINIBEASTS
11. PEOPLE WHO HELP US
12. SAFETY
13. SEA, THE
14. SPACE
15. TRANSPORT
16. WEATHER
17. WORKING ANIMALS
Each series is arranged in groups of programs relating to a
particular theme. The material has been developed using
National and State curricula to help teachers and carers
integrate the programs and activities into the classroom. See
www.abc.net.au/juniors for resource materials and activities.
PRODUCED BY
ABC EDUCATION
TELEVISION, FOR
SCHOOLS. © 1990-2003
www.abc.net.au/juniors

BODY PARTS (1989)
3 X 15 MINS
Looks at different parts of the body.
1. HANDS: Shows children in an art
class using their hands in many different
ways, extending to adults handling
vegetables, plus a look at potters and
carpenters.
2. FEET: Highlights what people can do
with trained footwork and the different
ways animals use their feet to move
around.
3. MOUTHS: We look at some of the
extraordinary ways in which we use our
mouths.
BUILDINGS (2001)
5 X 15 MINS
Looks at the ways in which buildings
are designed for specific purposes.
Taking a technology perspective, each
program identifies the reasons behind a
building’s design. Everything from the
choice of materials to safety considerations
and the need for designs to assist
people with disabilities is taken into
account. A young girl with a curious toy
that comes to life and seeks answers to
questions children might ask, features
in four of the five programs.
1. BUILDING A HOUSE: This program
begins with a montage of the many and
varied houses people build and looks at
special design features needed in a
home for someone in a wheelchair and
for a family living in the tropics. Housing
of the past is also examined with a visit
to a restored 19th century miner’s
cottage. Running through the program
is the construction of a house, from
plans on paper to bricks and mortar.
A young boy helps to keep us informed
about his new home’s progress.
2. SHOPPING CENTRE: From facilities
for delivering goods to features that
make cleaning easier, this program
shows how a well designed shopping
centre meets the needs of people who
use it. The program opens with a young
girl and her father visiting a major
shopping centre for the first time and
explores how the centre’s architects
took many things into account as they
began the design process, such as fire
safety features, facilities that help people
in wheelchairs, the value of signs and
maps and the deliberate use of certain
building materials. Information is
delivered through conversation
between the narrator and the girl’s
inquisitive toy, which comes to life after
being accidentally left behind in a
supermarket.
3. HOSPITAL: A young girl finds herself
in an ambulance going to a hospital
after falling from a tree-house. Her
favourite toy goes with her as she has
an X-ray and then spends the night in
the children’s ward. Along the way her
toy comes to life and tours the hospital
learning about facilities for gathering
and storing patient information, equipment
used in a hospital kitchen, features
that help prevent the spread of germs
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and features that assist patient movement
around the hospital. It’s not just
the people who work in a hospital but
also the design of the building that
helps with the care of hospital patients.
4. TALL BUILDINGS: Explores the
reasons why we have tall buildings and
some of the problems architects need
to solve when designing structures that
go up instead of out. A young girl living
in an apartment block demonstrates
how a garbage chute works and the
use of a security intercom system when
visitors arrive. Her toy comes to life and
explores other parts of the building,
from the underground car-park to the
rooftop. The toy’s curiosity leads us to
the construction site of a multi-storey
apartment block and, with the help of
graphics, learns what makes the
structure strong. The program concludes
with the girl telling us some
reasons she enjoys living up high.
5. HOMES ON THE MOVE: Begins
with a family on a camping holiday and
then continues to explore different
types of accommodation people use
when they are on the move, such as
swags for stockmen and shelters built
by nomadic people. The program joins
a couple travelling around Australia in a
caravan, takes us on a horse-drawn
gypsy caravan plodding a country trail
and looks at a houseboat cruising
along the River Murray. It concludes
with the central family packing up
camp and ensuring they leave nothing
but footprints.
CELEBRATIONS (1998)
6 X 15MINS
1. BIRTHDAYS: Using a young girl’s
birthday party preparations as a narrative
base this program explores ways in
which different cultures celebrate
birthdays. The concept of birthdays
is extended with segments on a 100th
birthday party and a school centenary
celebration.
2. WEDDINGS: Explores the symbols
within wedding rituals and illustrates
the cultural diversity in the way wedding
ceremonies are celebrated. Uniting
church, Hindu, Greek Orthodox and
Civil weddings in this program illustrate
that marriage is a special celebration
and an important life event.
3. CHRISTMAS: Through the windows
of a young boy’s Advent Calendar this
program explores the traditions and
rituals of Christmas celebrations. We
see different Christmas foods being
prepared and see of the story of
Christmas portrayed in a school’s
Nativity play. The program shows
common Christmas activities such as
decorating Christmas tree, writing a
note to Santa Claus and attending a
Christmas pageant.
4. NEW YEAR: This program opens
with the countdown to the end of
another year, graphics are used to
explain the concept of one year ending
and another beginning. Segments
detailing the rituals and traditions of a
Jewish and Chinese New Year showing
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the viewers that not all people celebrate
a new year at the same time.
The New Episodes are:
5. CELEBRATING A NEW BABY:
People often celebrate the birth of a
new baby in their family. We share in
the thoughts of a young boy as he
walks through a hospital to meet his
new baby sister for the first time. Later
we join his family as they bring their
new baby home. We see how some
different cultures celebrate the arrival of
a new baby, from Vietnamese prayers
and feasting, to a Catholic christening
in a church. The common thread to all
these celebrations is that they all share
the same purpose - to welcome a baby
into a wider community of people who
will share in his / her life.
6. CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS:
Achievements are defined as happy
events that can take place both in
private and public settings. The planning,
preparation and staging of a
Year Seven graduation party is woven
throughout this program. The importance
of recognising and celebrating an
individual’s achievements is explained
as we see celebrations ranging from a
police graduation parade to the presentation
of cub badges and a schools’
environment award.
COMMON SENSES (1989)
5 X 15MINS
Each of the programs follows a standard
format, rather like a comic annual or a
“Ripping Yarns” type omnibus.
1. TASTE: Explorer segment. A
sequence using special effects and an
adventurous story to conduct an
expedition around the geography and
topography of human sensory organs.
This segment is presented so that the
identity of the organ is gradually
revealed, both to the explorers and to
the audience.
2. SMELL: Sense song. The words
of the song pose questions about
each of the senses and the pictures
show animals using those senses. By
observing animals, we see the senses
as survival tools.
3. SIGHT: A world without... A segment
which examines the implications of living
without the use of each of the senses.
4. HEARING: Hugh B. Aware: Private
Investigator. In each program Hugh
must solve a problem but the clues
involve only one sense. In smell, for
instance, all clues relate to the nose
alone.
5. TOUCH: A montage of the different
human sensory organs, showing how
they move; the ways we use them; the
ways they help us.
FAMILIES (1990)
3 X 20MINS
1. WHERE I LIVE: Cassandra is 8 years
old and has two families. She spends
most of her time with her father, her
brother, her stepmother and her three
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step sisters. She also spends some of
the time living with her mother. The
program explores the themes of where
people live, who they live with and the
way living arrangements change.
2. COOPERATION: Catherine is 8
years old and lives with her mother, her
father and her two sisters. The focus in
this program is on cooperation in family
life, the way in which each member of
the family contributes to the smooth
running of the household - and how in
varying degrees, everyone is responsible
for the well-being and safety of the
others. It raises gender issues because
it is Catherine’s mother who goes to
work while her father looks after the
house and children.
3. BELONGING: Nathan is 8 years old
and lives with his brother and mother.
We observe everyday life with this
family, concentrating on how his mother,
as a single parent, manages the household
and spends time with her children.
We see the many facets of belonging
that are so important in family life.
We also demonstrate the way in which
members of the extended family play a
significant role in developing the sense
of belonging.
FARM TO TABLE (2001)
6 X 15 MINS
How many children believe that food
comes from the supermarket? This
series of six programs looks at what
happens to certain foods before they
reach the supermarket shelves. Each
program features a cartoon animal that
prompts children to question or ponder
the issues raised.
1. MILK: Shows how milk gets from the
cow to the table. To produce milk cows
need lush green grass and a calf, as
they produce milk as food for their
calves. While the calves are drinking
their mother’s milk the cow continues to
produce milk. Dairy farmers take the
calves away but milk the cows so the
cows bodies thinks they are still feeding
their calves, but they are really producing
milk for the farmer to sell. The program
shows how the farmer milks his cows
and how it is then pasteurised and
homogenised before being put into
containers ready for sale.
2. HONEY: Why doesn’t all honey look
and taste the same? Where does
honey come from? Why do bees make
honey? The program looks at how bees
live in communities in which every bee
has a very special job to do. The queen
is in charge and other bees make sure
she is well looked after and that her
eggs and her young bees are also well
cared for. Some of the worker bees go
out to collect nectar from flowers and
when they return other worker bees
turn it into honey and store it in the
honey comb. This is food for the colony
when there are no flowers around. Bee
keepers - apiarists - collect this stored
honey, separate it from the honey comb
and sell it. The program also looks at
how apiarists farm their bees.
5

3. APPLES: In a school playground,
children eat and talk about apples and
various apple products. Why do apple
trees grow apples? It all starts with the
honey bee. Two children living on an
apple orchard – along with their dog –
demonstrate what’s involved in growing
apple trees. What do they need in order
to grow? How are they harvested?
Follow the apples to the markets. Learn
how fresh apples are processed into
apple juice and apple cider vinegar.
This program features a friendly cartoon
fruit bat.
4. RICE: A rice farmer and his children
show how they grow rice: from land
preparation, irrigation, sowing seeds, to
harvesting the crop. Why is rice milled?
What’s the difference between brown
and white rice? While a father and son
are shopping at the supermarket we
show various rice products and how we
eat them in our multicultural society.
Children also talk about their favourite
rice dish. This program features a
cartoon frog that lives in the rice field.
5. BREAD: Where does bread come
from? This is the question asked while
children eat their sandwiches in the
school playground. A cartoon galah
flies to the wheat fields to introduce the
wheat crop. Watch the crop being
planted and looked after by the farmer
until it is finally harvested. Visit the flour
mill and learn why wheat is milled into
flour. How do you make bread? This
program explores the processes from
the factory production line to the small
scale local bakery to a mother and
daughter making bread at home. What
sorts of bread do we eat in our multicultural
society? The children in the
school playground talk about their
favourite breads.
6. FISH: How do fish get from the sea
to our table? Watch a commercial
fishing vessel at work and visit the fish
markets. Follow particular fish species
from the markets to the shops and
finally to the table. Discover the different
ways to eat fish in our multicultural
society. What’s a tuna farm? How is
tuna canned? A father and son go fishing
and return home later with a surprise.
This program also features a cartoon
pelican that likes going fishing too.
FOOD (1997)
4 X 15 MINS
1. PACKAGING FOOD: This program
poses the question - why do we package
food? It begins with an historical
shopping trip where food is purchased
without the modern food packaging
convenience we have today. It explores
how packaging helps to protect our
food, prevents contamination and helps
keep food fresh. One of the many
places we visit is a big commercial
bakery where we see how biscuits are
packaged to ensure they get to us
unbroken. We also explore how packaging
can make food easier to use. The
program also looks at how we can help
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the environment by looking at ways of
recycling and reusing some different
types of packaging.
2. KEEPING FOOD: Once we’ve
bought our food - how do we keep it
fresh? This program examines a range
of practical ways we can keep food
from deteriorating. We see where fresh
food comes from and explore ways of
recognising fresh or spoilt food, using
our senses. The program shows the
effects of exposing food to moisture
and air. It then demonstrates some
processes of keeping food, including
freezing, canning and drying.
3. COOKING FOOD: Explores the
reasons why we cook food and the
ways food changes when cooked. It
looks at the evolution of cooking -
taking us from early campfires through
to the wonder of microwave ovens in a
home kitchen. We see how meals are
prepared on a large-scale in a commercial
kitchen. Children are encouraged to
experiment with cooking by seeing their
peers busy in the kitchen.
4. EATING FOOD: a celebration of the
wide variety of food available. It examines
why we need to eat and what happens
to food when we eat it. A comparison
between healthy and unhealthy foods
encourages children to make sensible
choices. Cultural differences in what we
eat are explored. The program also
looks why and how different foods have
become available in Australia.
FRIENDSHIP (1990)
3 X 15MINS
A dramatised series which raises a
variety of personal issues to do with
friendship. The same set of characters
is used in each of the programs, yet
each program is self contained.
1. MAKING FRIENDS: The Weatherly
family is moving house, so Liam, an
only child, is confronted with the
problem of leaving old friends and
making new ones.
Liam also has to face the difficulties of
going to a new school. He doesn’t like
the new house as much as the old one.
Things are made worse when his first
day at school goes wrong. But friendly
advice comes from an unexpected
direction. He’s helped by the next door
neighbour, a middle aged woman, who
Liam thinks is a bit strange.
Things look up when Liam finds out
Andrew, a boy from his class, lives
across the road.
2. LOSING FRIENDS: (WARNING This
program deals with the topic of death.
Teachers may choose to preview and
do more pre-program preparation than
usual.) Gus, Liam’s best friend from his
old school, comes to stay at Liam’s
house for the first time.
Liam introduces Gus to Andrew, his
new friend. They don’t get on. For Liam
and Gus, things have changed. After
three months apart from each other,
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they don’t have much to say. It just isn’t
the same as it used to be. Gus goes
home, and Liam plays with Andrew.
Liam is called home. He knows
something is wrong. His dog, Mog, has
been run over and killed. Liam is
shocked. The next day he stays home
from school keeping to his room and
speaking to no-one.
Again, help comes from an unexpected
direction. Mrs Doran, the woman from
next door, has experienced the loss of
pets herself and understands how Liam
feels.
3. KEEPING FRIENDS: Andrew comes
to stay with Liam overnight. They have
a great time and get on extremely well.
So well in fact that Liam lets Andrew in
on his great secret. Liam has a collection
of soft toys, which he keeps hidden in
the bottom of his wardrobe. These toys
are his secret friends and he talks to
them. They all have names. The boss of
the soft toys is Bunt, the big teddy.
Andrew is interested in the soft toys.
The next day, after Andrew has gone
home, Liam discovers that Bunt is
missing. Liam remembers Andrew’s
interest and suspects that Andrew has
taken Bunt. He asks Andrew whether
he has seen Bunt and Andrew’s reply
makes him suspicious.
At school the following day, Liam tells
one of the other kids that he thinks
Andrew is a thief. Andrew hears about
this and is furious. In front of a large
group of children in the playground,
he reveals the secret of Liam’s soft toy
collection.
Liam goes home, to discover that his
mother has found Bunt among the
sheets in the laundry basket. He wasn’t
stolen after all. Liam now has to sort
out the situation with Andrew.
THE HUMAN BODY (2001)
4 X 15MINS
1. THE WORKING BODY: Follows the
morning routine of a young boy, and
looks at how his body works as a
system. He uses his muscles and
bones to get out of bed, and as he
yawns, the program explains how his
lungs, blood and heart work. As he eats
his breakfast the program looks at his
digestive system and introduces his
brain as the control centre of the body
to make all these things happen.
*WINNER* SILVER WORLD MEDAL
IN THE EDUCATIONAL/INSTRUCTIONAL
ELEMENTARY CATEGORY OF THE 2002 NEW
YORK FESTIVAL.
2. THE THINKING/FEELING BODY:
*The five senses are our contact with
the world and can protect us from
danger - just like animals. Not everyone
has five senses. The program looks at
how blind and deaf children can use
their other senses to compensate. This
program introduces how our brain
receives messages from our senses and
computes them, then sends messages
back to our body to tell it what to do.
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Our brain also processes and stores the
things we see hear, touch, taste, and
smell and that’s how we learn new things.
3. USING YOUR BODY: Focuses on
the body in action using its skeleton
and muscles from babyhood to old
age. Our skeleton has joints so we can
move our body into different shapes,
but it needs muscles to make it move.
Children with physical disabilities
participate in sport and dance activities.
Everybody needs exercise to keep their
muscle strong to support their bones.
We can all move our muscles and bone
to do a variety of physical activities, but
we’re not good at everything - and
that’s what makes us different.
4. LOOKING AFTER YOUR BODY:
Why does our body need oxygen, food
and water to stay alive? Our body has
some of its own ways to look after itself,
but we need to look after our body as
we grow and get old. This includes
giving it healthy food, exercise to make
our heart muscles strong, wearing
appropriate clothing for the seasons to
keep us warm, cool or dry and protecting
our skin from the sun. What do we do
everyday to look after our body.
MINIBEASTS
ENVIRONMENTS (1987)
4 X 15MINS
Looks at a different environment: caves,
a bush pond, a city and a beach. The
programs present each of the environments
as a home in which minibeasts
interact with other life forms and
cope with different sets of conditions.
Minibeast Environments has been
designed to allow children to observe
the programs and to draw conclusions
for themselves.
1. CAVES: Not only are two cave
environments looked at in this program,
but also the rainforests outside the
wilderness cave and the tourist cave.
2. BUSH POND: An old quarry that fills
with rainwater is only a few hundred
metres away from a city suburb. Very
few stop to look closely at the amazing
variety of minibeast life that lives
around, in and on the pond.
3. CITY: It may appear, at first, that this
program is about a guy and two girls
who rent an old house in an old suburb.
But the program revolves around the
lives of the many minibeasts who also
live there. The hall spider, the kitchen
cockroach, the bedroom beetle, the
bathroom scorpion and the house
centipede, to name just a few, are very
comfortable in such a place.
4. BEACH: A beach is a place where
humans can go to enjoy themselves; to
swim, to sunbake, to play games. But
it’s also a home to many tiny creatures,
most of which we never notice. They
live in and on the sand, in rock pools, in
the water and in the fringe of bush at
the back of the beach. The program
looks at the variety of life that inhabits
the ‘miniworlds’ that can be found on
any beach.
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PEOPLE WHO HELP US
(1997)
4 X 15 MINS
Looks at people who help us: why
we all need help from others at certain
times, who helps us, why these people
are in a position to help us, what
forms that help can take, and ways to
approach these people for help. The
programs will also examine each
individual’s responsibility to help
themselves and others.
1. PEOPLE WHO HELP US WITH
OUR HEALTH: By demystifying the
role of health workers, this program
aims to reassure children and inspire
them to take an active interest in their
own wellbeing.
2. PEOPLE WHO HELP US WITH
OUR SAFETY: The program stresses
that safety is everyone’s responsibility,
whether through safe work and play
practises or through simply obeying
rules.
3. PEOPLE WHO HELP US WITH
OUR ENVIRONMENT: Who keeps our
parks green, our streets clean and our
rubbish collected and recycled? This
program shows children that they are
not alone in their attempts to look after
planet earth.
4. PEOPLE WHO HELP US WITH
TRANSPORT: This program looks at
the wide variety of people who help us
to make that journey, from taxi and bus
drivers to ferry and jumbo jet pilots and
also explains the responsibilities and
skills involved in transporting people
and investigates the special needs of
and facilities provided for people with
disabilities.
SAFETY (1990)
4 X 15MINS
Looks at various aspects of personal
safety. Each program emphasises the
need for hazard identification skills and
the use of observation and intelligence
in the identification, avoidance and
prevention of accidents. The programs
avoid showing accidents but instead
present situations which the audience
can analyse for itself, with guidance
from the program’s presenter.
1. AS SAFE AS HOUSES: This program
opens with the proposition that houses
are not necessarily as safe as they
seem, taking a look at a child’s bedroom,
the bathroom and the kitchen. It looks at
the question of accident prevention, and
raises the issue of the safety of younger
brothers and sisters.
2. PLAY IT SAFETY: This program
takes us out of the house and into the
suburban backyard or garden. It looks
at hazards that can exist in apparently
harmless environments like the lawn,
the vegetable garden and the garden
shed. Again it emphasises the need for
hazard identification skills.
3. TRAVEL SAFETY: This program
looks at road safety from the point of
view of the child. It emphasises the
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constant need to use our senses
and intelligence to identify and avoid
hazardous situations.
4. WATER SAFE: This program has
been designed to complement and
conform with the RLSSA Aquacode
program and deals with pool safety,
creek and beach safety, and include
advice on sunburn protection.
THE SEA (2003)
4 X 15 MINS
Aims to increase an understanding
and appreciation of various aspects of
the sea.
Different shorelines and depths of the
sea are examined as places to have
fun, as places to find food, and as
places which support a great diversity
of life that has adapted to the different
environments.
1. Under the Sea: Looks at
• How animals breathe in water
• How the sea changes as we go
deeper
• How people get to see what is
below the surface of the sea and
• Some of the plants and animals that
live in the sea and how they survive
All animals need to breathe, even when
they are in water. Fish have gills so they
can take oxygen out of the water, but a
family looking at fish while floating on
the top of the water, use snorkels so
they can look at the plants and animals
just below the surface.
When people go deeper into the sea
they take their own air in tanks. We see
some scuba divers preparing for a dive
and then diving into the sea to look at
creatures that live further down below
the surface of the water.
But as water is heavy, people would be
crushed if they went too deep. There is
also no light in the deepest parts of the
ocean. Special remotely operated
vehicles with onboard cameras and
lights are used to see some of the
amazing creatures that live in the
deepest darkest depths of the sea.
2. Life on the Seashore: Two different
seashores are explored for 2 different
reasons.
• Sandy sea shore
Tyson, Jacoby and their family live a
long way from the city, so the sandy
sea shore is not only a place to play,
it’s also a place where they collect
food.
We see how they collect lots of pipis
- a small shellfish - from the shallows.
Some of the pipis are then used for
bait to catch fish, but most are taken
home and cooked for dinner.
• Rock ledge
Rachael and Rebekah live near a
city beach and are able to explore a
rock ledge with a marine biologist.
We learn about many of the plants
and animals that inhabit this type of
seashore.
However, Rachael and Rebekah learn
that they must not harm or damage any
11

of the plants or animals. That way they
will be there for others to enjoy.
3. Mangroves: Looks at how mangroves
have adapted to their wet, salty, tidal
environment. We find that mangroves
are also essential for many creatures
like prawns, crabs and fish. They grow
up here as there are lots of places to
hide in the tangle of roots, stems and
branches. When they are bigger and
stronger, they go out into the ocean. If
mangroves disappeared so would many
sea creatures. But for Tyson and
Jacoby, mangroves are special because
they are a place where they go with
their dad to collect oysters, which they
love to eat raw, or lightly cooked on the
barbeque.
4. Let’s Go to the Beach: We visit a city
beach and see some of the activities
that happen before most people arrive -
rubbish collection, a beach cleaning
machine in action, lifeguards checking
for the safest part of beach.
We meet Madelaine who is a member
of the Nippers club and find out some
important beach safety tips, like where
to swim, how to enter the water safely
and what to do if you get into difficulties
in the water.
We find out that even when we live a
long way from the sea, we can cause it
to become an unsafe place for people
and sea creatures to swim. The program
also looks at different waves and how
waves are formed.
SPACE (1998)
4 X 15MINS
Looks at the fascinating world above us
- space. With a focus on easily identifiable
objects in the day and night sky,
such as the sun, moon and stars, this
series links the topic of “space” with
the everyday experience of young
children. The series concludes with a
look at space travel, including an interview
with Australian astronaut Dr Andy
Thomas upon his return from a stay on
the Russian Mir space station.
1. THE SUN: Focuses on the way in
which people make use of the sum in
everyday life. For example, drying the
washing or paintings, ripening fruit and
providing warmth so that we can enjoy
outdoor activities. The use of solar power
as a form of energy is also introduced.
2. THE MOON: Why does the moon
shine? Why does the moon change
shape? Does the moon move? How big
is the moon? These and other questions
are explored. This program looks
at the development of our understanding
of what it is like on the moon, using
language and concepts appropriate to
lower primary viewers. Space travel is
also featured, with stories from people
old enough to remember the first man
walking on the moon, to children asking
questions about what the moon is like.
3. STARS: Have fascinated people ever
since the beginning of time. In this
program, students see some well
12

known constellations such as the
Southern Cross and the Saucepan
which appear in the night sky. Using
their own words, children in the program
give a simple definition of a star. The
program’s narrator explains that the sun
is a star and that stars are suns. The
reason stars are not seen in the daytime
is also explained.
4. SPACE TRAVEL: We meet Dr Andy
Thomas, the first Australian astronaut
in this program. Dr Thomas answers
questions children are likely to ask
about his experience travelling in space.
Using footage from the space shuttle
and NASA to illustrate, Dr Thomas
explains how you eat, exercise, wash,
clean your teeth and work in space.
TRANSPORT (2000)
3 X 15 MINS
1. GETTING AROUND IN THE AIR:
Shows different forms of air transportation
from jumbo jets, hot air balloons,
gliders and helicopters. Using easily
understood graphics and explanations
the program shows how the aerofoil
shape of the wing and the plane engine
function to allow plane to take off.
There is also a look behind the scenes
when a jumbo is refuelled and the
cargo is loaded. Two children who are
taking a plane flight to spend a holiday
with their father in another city, feature
throughout the program.
2. GETTING AROUND ON LAND:
Using three central characters and their
animated friend this program explores
some of the different ways we get
around on land, explains in simple
terms how an axle and the brakes in a
car work and using a simple experiment
shows the reason for making car tyres
from rubber.
3. GETTING AROUND ON WATER:
Shows a variety of ways to get around
on water including Aboriginal bark
canoes, sailing ships, houseboats, jet
boats, yachts, ferries. It shows black
and white footage of bark canoes being
made and follows the making of a fibreglass
boat. A young boy’s dream of
finding buried treasure is a thread
through the program.
TWELVE DAYS OF
CHRISTMAS (1996)
20 MINS
This program combines twelve
Australian native animals as an alternative
to the original Twelve Days of
Christmas. The song includes
an Emu, Galahs, Jabirus, Kookaburras,
Kangaroos, Platypuses, Koalas,
Possums, Wombats, Lizards, Numbats
and Parrots. It’s a colourful and entertaining
program that everyone can
enjoy.
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WEATHER
7 X 15 MINS
1. Rain (1984)
2. Sunshine (1984)
3. Wind (1984)
4. Wet Weather (1999)
5. Cold Weather (1999)
6. Hot Weather (1999)
7. Dry Weather (1999)
1 RAIN: The object of this program is
to encourage children to use their
senses to explore some of the unique
experiences that come with a rainy day.
2. SUNSHINE: The program investigates
aspects of Sunshine that are part
of a child’s world. These include the
nurturing, aesthetic and dangerous
qualities of the sun and its light. It follows
a day in the life of a young girl, who sets
out to find these things out for herself.
She explores the light as it appears
when reflected, diffused, and split into a
rainbow. She finds that plants need sunshine
to grow, and people and animals
need it to keep warm. She finds objects
in the sunlight cast shadows, and that
our nights come when our side of the
world is in shadow.
3. WIND: Wind is seen in terms of its
impact on the environment; driving
clouds, creating waves; carrying seeds
and leaves. As a means of propulsion;
driving sails; lifting aeroplanes; turning
the sails of windmills, and as a malevolent
force - powering cyclones and
storms, etc.
4. WET WEATHER: Opens with a
young boy caught in the rain on his way
home. Imagine what it would be like if
he wasn’t wearing appropriate wet
weather clothing? Different scenarios
encourage young viewers to think
about how rain affects their day-to-day
lives. The program explores ways to
predict rain and with the help of a
graphic learn about the water cycle.
Successive shots showing dams, a
reservoir, and a creek at different times
of the year, illustrate how rain can
change the water level in some places.
The program also looks at the need to
store, conserve and use rainwater.
Finally viewers are taken through some
easy steps to make a rain gauge and
children tell us what they think about
rainy days.
5. COLD WEATHER: Filled with images
to make young viewers shiver! It examines
the ways we dress when it is cold
and shows how some animals adapt to
cold conditions through their behaviour
and physical features. Successive shots
of the same locations at the same time
of the year illustrate the changing life
cycles of trees, from green growth
through to Autumn leaves and bare
branches. Children in the TV program
talk about the different foods they like
to eat when it’s cold. Finally viewers
are shown how to read and interpret
temperature using a thermometer.
6. HOT WEATHER: Opens with summer
scenes at the beach. A weather forecaster
sets the mood and suggests
14

some ways to protect skin from Sun
damage. Viewers are encouraged to
think about the sort of hot weather they
experience - is it hot and dry, or hot
and humid? Sun safety messages are
practiced as we see people participate
in a range of hot weather activities -
both indoors and outdoors. The program
examines how hot weather makes us
feel and how our bodies react to it. It
also looks at how some animals adapt
to heat. In the closing segments we see
some simple examples of how the Sun
is a useful energy source.
7. DRY WEATHER: After showing
some familiar dry day scenarios, this
TV program looks at what makes a day
dry by examining the concept of low
humidity. Using images of Antarctica,
viewers learn that dry days aren’t
necessarily hot. A young girl explains
that harvesting takes place on her family’s
farm during the dry months. Some
selected landscapes are shown at
different times of the year, illustrating
how green places turn brown as rainfall
drops off. Other consequences of
prolonged dry weather are also illustrated,
including ways in which some
plants and animals have adapted to dry
conditions. Finally, the program looks at
some practical ways to conserve water,
especially in areas of low rainfall.
WORKING ANIMALS (1999)
2 X 15 MINS
Two new episodes of this popular series
explore the lives of working animals.
1. WORKING DOG: Shows children
that dogs are more than household
pets. It explores the working world of
five different dogs and their handlers.
These dogs use their specially trained
skills to fulfil different roles in a range of
working environments. We see how
dogs and their handlers communicate
and work together as a team. The
program examines some rules that
dogs and their handlers must obey in
their places of work. It also shows how
dogs can meet some basic human
needs and that the relationship
between owner/ handler and dog is
mutual and rewarding.
2. WORKING HORSE: Explores some
historical and modern day work roles
for horses. Four different horses are
observed working with their handlers.
The programs look at the physical
and mental attributes of horses that
help them in their work and the way
handlers value their horses and communicate
with them. Through the use
of historic footage and photos the
program looks at life before cars. It
shows why some ways of using
working horses have changed from the
past to the present day, and that horses
are still better than machines for some
forms of work. The program also
explains and demonstrates some basic
safety rules that should be observed
when around horses.
15

For further information on this popular
FOR THE JUNIORS series and invaluable
classroom worksheets, activities and resources
visit: www.abc.net.au/juniors
Download free .pdf format materials using
Adobe Acrobat.
For a more comprehensive list
of programs and educational resource available
from ABC Video Program Sales extensive video
collection or as seen in the School Television
Service, please call our Sales Co-ordinators on
1300 650 587 or browse
www.abc.net.au/programsales for details.
Printed in 2003 by ABC Video Program Sales
Australian Broadcasting Corporation GPO Box 9994 Sydney NSW 2001 © 2003
16

FOR THE JUNIORS
This popular series is suitable for
lower primary school students.
Enquiries: ABC Video Program Sales
GPO Box 9994
Sydney 2001
Phone: 1300 650 587
Fax:(02) 8833 3975
www.abc.net.au/juniors
www.abc.net.au/programsales