| Category | Details |
| Title | Big Bird Makes a Sweater for Susan |
| Season & Episode | Season 1, Episode 0003 |
| Air Date | November 12, 1969 |
| Primary Theme | Comparative Sizes & Body Awareness |
| Letter of the Day | S, E, W |
| Number of the Day | 2, 3, 10 |
| Educational Concepts | Big/Bigger/Biggest, Beginning vs. End, Anatomy |
| Key Muppets | Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Ernie, Bert, Anything Muppets |
| Human Cast | Gordon, Susan, Bob, Mr. Hooper |
| Musical Highlights | "Good Morning Starshine," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" |
| Sponsors | CTW (Children's Television Workshop) |
| Director | Jon Stone |
| Special Segment | Sam the Snake (Clay Animation) |
| Literary Element | The Egg Chant Poem |
S is for Sunny Days and Sam the Snake
Gordon says hi and wishes you a nice sunny day. He focuses on the letter S, and the animations show Sam the Snake and Six Silly Sailors. These stories connect the shape of the letter to its sound. Oscar the Grouch says no way to playing a game about body parts. He later goes through and lists every body part mentioned. He's clearly paying attention to the lesson. The human cast and Muppets teach you about your body.
The lesson moves on to math. Big Bird and Mr. Hooper compare paint cans. They show the difference between big and bigger. They identify the biggest can. A film about a car dealer repeats these ideas. You learn to categorize objects by their scale.
Susan stays home while the others go out to play football. She says it's a boys' game. She sings about being a girl. Her role changes when she watches a baby reindeer. She talks about the animal taking its first steps. She leads a game to identify baby animals. This shows her interest in science.
Big Bird tries to make a sweater for Susan. He uses strips to build the letter S, but he makes a mistake. The strips look like the letter E. Big Bird is bummed about his mistake. Susan helps him fix the shape. She turns the E into an S, which shows that mistakes are just part of learning.
Everyone follows a red string across the set. The string leads to a ball of yarn. Big Bird's got the yarn. This activity connects every lesson from the day.
Parent's Guide
Big Bird and Mr. Hooper compare paint cans. They show you the difference between big and bigger. They find the biggest can. There's a movie about a car dealer that shows cars for people of different heights. You learn to rank objects in a series. Hey, could you ask your kid to put three spoons by size on the table for dinner? This helps build visual reasoning skills.
The clay animations show a seal and six silly sailors. These stories focus on the letter S. Have your child make a hissing sound. Tell them to act like a snake. Take a look around your house for any socks or shoes you might have. Linking sounds to animals helps a child learn.
A video shows how a cake starts as batter. It shows how a building starts as one beam. Bob sings about the start of a day. You teach your child to be patient. Kids usually see only the finished product. Tell your child that a drawing starts with one line. This helps them understand how long things take to make.
A film compares kids to construction machines. A boy moves his arm like a steam shovel. A mouth opens like a mechanical bucket. You see that your body is a machine. Hey, why not play a game where your kid pretends their legs are pistons? This activity is great for getting in touch with your body.
An elevator operator picks up ten people. A witch and a kangaroo are in the elevator. A little mouse makes the elevator explode. You count to ten with your child on the stairs. Make the number ten an exciting destination.
Big Bird makes a sweater for Susan. He wants to put the letter S on the front. He uses Velcro strips. He accidentally forms the letter "E," and Big Bird feels like a failure. Susan moves the strips to fix the letter. She turns the E into an S. You show your child that mistakes are part of the process. You could think of spilled milk as an opportunity to fix a problem. This will help your child feel more confident.