A Rainy Day with Mister Rogers
From Mister Rogers' Neighborhood · 1973
Summary
It is raining in the neighborhood. Mister Rogers shares a film of beautiful things about rain, sings “I Hope It Will Rain,” and then talks plainly about why the suddenness of thunder and lightning can be frightening. Officer Clemmons brings him to a music studio where children are learning the violin, and in Make-Believe, Lady Elaine tries to play her piano louder than the thunder.
Viewer safety
Thunder and lightning are discussed directly around 15:35 — that is the point of the episode, but preview it if you have a storm-anxious class.
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Rain, thunder, and what to do with the scared feeling that comes with a loud sky.
- What did you notice about rain in the film?
- Why does thunder startle people even when they know it can't hurt them?
- What is one thing that helps you when you hear a loud noise?
- How did Lady Elaine try to handle the thunder? Did it work?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: rain, thunder, lightning, sudden, weather.
Try it: Keep a three-day weather chart: draw the sky and write one word for it.
Try it: Finish the sentence: “When I hear thunder, I can …”