Blinky Bill activity pack

1. Blinky Bill is a koala character created by Dorothy Wall in 1933 for her book Blinky Bill: the Quaint Little Australian.
2. Dorothy Wall published The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill in 1939.
3. Award-winning animator Yoram Gross was inspired by these stories to create the movie Blinky Bill The Mischievous Koala (1992). Go behind the scenes to find out more about this movie.
4. The Adventures of Blinky Bill had a conservation message about the destruction of native forests.
5. The Season 1 theme song included the line "Save us from that woodchip mill" which led to complaints from the forest industry. Watch the intro.
6. Yoram Gross Films Studio is now called Flying Bark Productions.
7. In Blinky Bill The Movie, the story is told using 3D computer animation.
8. In Blinky Bill The Movie, the steering wheel of Wombo's car is on the wrong side for Australia.
9. To calm his nerves, the new computer-animated Blinky Bill sings the theme song from the TV series made in the 1990s.
10. When Blinky Bill's mother adds sails to Wombo's car it looks like the Sydney Opera House.
11. As well as being the voice of Blinky Bill, Ryan Kwanten has played a werepanther and an owl.

The thaumatrope can be made using this paper template and a chopstick or similar cylindrical item such as a pencil.

STEP 1: Colour the spider. You can also use markers to outline the web. But make sure the spider is a different colour from the web so it stands out.

STEP 2: Cut out the circles.

STEP 3: Use masking tape or sticky tape to stick the chopstick to the back of one of the circles.

STEP 4: Stick the 2 circles together.

STEP 5: Spin the thaumatrope by placing the chopstick between the palms of your hands and rub hands together.

You can also make your own thaumatrope inspired by the Australian bush.

Watch this video for more info.

STEP 1: Colour in the pictures in the frames. Maybe you would like to add a hat to make the kangaroo more like Splodge. Remember to repeat the same colours in each frame to get the desired animation effect.

STEP 2: Cut out the frames.

STEP 3: Put the pictures together. They need to stay in the same order as they are on the sheet.

STEP 3: Staple the pictures together to make a little book.

STEP 4: Hold between thumb and forefinger and flick the pages.

We've also provided a blank template for you to design your own flipbook.

Download this activity sheet and do the maze puzzle as well as some colouring.

If you are looking for some Blinky Bill-themed treats, how about Caramello Koalas, Furry Friends, mint leaves or eucalyptus lollies. Maybe add some fruit to the mix! Here are some more ideas:

Ingredients

• popping corn
• oil and butter for making the popcorn
• coconut
• choc chips
• salt

How to make

1. There is nothing nicer than popping your own popcorn and here is a method for making sure it all pops.
2. Once your popcorn is popped and ready, use the same pan to toast a few spoons of coconut. Just let it brown for a moment or two.
3. Mix popcorn, coconut, choc chips and a little bit of salt

Ingredients

• Cake of your choice
• Icing
• 2 x flake chocolate bars
• mint leaves
• Caramello Koalas

How to make

1. Bake your cake. It can be square, round or rectangular. You might enjoy this simple one-bowl recipe.
2. Ice the cake using your favourite icing recipe. Colour the icing blue (for the sky).
3. The flake is the bark of your gum tree. Build it so that it has a few spreading branches as well as a trunk.
4. Add the mint leaves to the branches and then position your koalas.

You could also make a koala-face cake, if you are feeling creative.

Ingredients

• 1 cup icing mixture
• 2 tbsp water
• food colouring (You can use black to make a grey face but any colour will do. Pink and blue koalas are very cute.)
• 8 Milk Arrowroot biscuits (their oval shape leaves room for the ears)
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 16 brown choc chips/bits
• 8 black jelly beans or pieces of liquorice (for nose)
• 8 white marshmallows (cut in half for the ears)

To Make

1. Put icing mixture in a bowl and add water gradually until you have thick icing. (If it is too runny, it won't work.) Add a tiny amount of food colouring and mix.
2. Spread icing onto biscuits and sprinkle with coconut.
3. Place two choc chips for the eyes and one black jelly bean for the nose. Cut marshmallows in half for the ears.

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