| Category | Details |
| Title | Oscar Gets Wet in a Rainstorm |
| Season & Episode | Season 1, Episode 0005 |
| Air Date | November 14, 1969 |
| Primary Theme | Weather (Rain) & Emotional Expression |
| Letter of the Day | S, E, W |
| Number of the Day | 2, 3, 10 |
| Educational Concepts | Rectangles, Wet vs. Dry, Tongue Twisters, Animal Mothers |
| Featured Animals | Real Deer, Walrus, Cow, Box Turtles |
| Key Muppets | Ernie, Bert, Oscar, Anything Muppets, The Nose-Snatcher |
| Human Cast | Gordon, Susan, Bob, Mr. Hooper, Jennie |
| Celebrity Guests | Burt Lancaster, James Earl Jones, Listen My Brother |
| Musical Highlights | "Up, Up and Away," "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Riding in My Car" |
| Literary Element | If I Were A Mother... by Kazue Mizumura |
| Key Sketches | The Super Duper Secret Stealer Stopper, The Mysterious Nose-Snatcher |
| Historical Stat | This episode completed the first full week of broadcast (5 total episodes). |
| Sponsors | CTW (Children's Television Workshop) |
Summary
In the fifth episode of Sesame Street, they use a rainstorm to teach you about your senses. Gordon stays dry under an awning. Oscar the Grouch stays outside to enjoy the wet weather. The choices they make show how humans and Grouches behave. You learn that people perceive and react to the environment in various ways.
Burt Lancaster visits the neighborhood. He shows the difference between happiness and anger. James Earl Jones counts to ten with a rhythmic voice. His counting helps keep the math lesson on track for the day. The group Listen My Brother performs a new version of the Alphabet Song. Bob sings about how amazing it is to fly. These performances use music to make learning memorable.
Then, we'll move on to geometry. The cast identifies rectangles inside Hooper's Store. You learn to find shapes in your own home. Susan's reading a book about animal mothers. Gordon organizes a race between two box turtles. He's been watching how the animals move their bodies. It's a great way to learn about biology by just paying attention to what's going on.
The cast members are there to reinforce the letters S, E, and W, and they're building the letters using physical objects. Animations show Wanda the Witch and a story about the letter E. These segments connect the shapes of letters to specific sounds. By the end of the first week, you'll have a good handle on the fundamentals of reading.
A Muppet with a blank head needs a face. The cast is like the eyes, ears, and nose of the show. These parts let the Muppet hear music and sneeze. You can see how each part of the face has a specific job. This will help you learn more about human anatomy.
The first week of the show wraps up with a mix of music and math. The episode mixes social skills with academic lessons. You see a clear standard for educational television.
Parent's Guide
Bob shows you rectangles in the city and the country. He points to windows, doors, and signs. He points out a bunch of rectangular shapes on the front of Hooper's Store. This exercise teaches you environmental literacy. Kids often see shapes as drawings on a page. You can help your child connect abstract ideas with the real world by looking for rectangles around you. Keep an eye out for those rectangular boxes on your fridge or in your cabinets. This activity helps your child develop the visual skills needed to tell the difference between letters like b and d.
Burt Lancaster shows you what it looks like to be happy or angry. His face and body language change with his mood. This creates a clear contrast for the audience. A lot of kids feel strong emotions but can't put them into words. You can help your child understand that emotions are visible and manageable by watching an adult model these feelings. Play an emotion mirror game with your child. Try putting on a happy face and have them copy you. This helps them understand other people's feelings and learn to read social cues.
James Earl Jones recites the numbers from one to ten. He moves at a slow and deliberate pace. His deep voice makes the numbers seem important. Rhythmic recitation can help a child with memorization. This is the first step toward true mathematical counting.
The episode starts with a rainstorm. Gordon's looking for a place to stay dry. Oscar the Grouch stays outside to get wet. Alice Braithwaite Goodyshoes is standing next to a bathtub, and she stays dry until a monster throws water at her. You'll learn about scientific opposites and sensory states. Knowing the difference between wet and dry is a basic idea in physics. Use bath time to reinforce this idea. Tell your child their toy was dry and is now wet. This helps them understand physical sensations and the properties of the world.
Gordon sponsors the episode with the letters S, E, and W, and he challenges the kids to say tongue twisters about Sister Susie. He puts the letters together with Bob. This helps to reinforce the sounds. Tongue twisters help kids practice the mouth shapes needed for certain sounds. These exercises will help you speak clearly and transition between different letters.