The Counting Lesson Lyrics
Two finger plays for counting to five: bees creep out of a beehive on the right hand, and ants come out of an ant-hill on the left.
The Counting Lesson
Here is the beehive. Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Soon they come creeping out of the hive,
One! two! three! four! five!
Once I saw an ant-hill
With no ants about;
So I said, "Dear little ants,
Won't you please come out?"
Then as if the little ants
Had heard my call,
One! two! three! four! five came out!
And that was all!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-counting-lesson/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Counting Rhymes
- Written by
- Emilie Poulsson
- Tune
- Finger play, spoken, one hand for each verse
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Here is the beehive | Right hand: make a fist with the knuckles facing down for the hive. |
| One! two! three! four! five! | Open one finger at a time, starting with the thumb, until all five hang down. |
| Once I saw an ant-hill | Left hand: make a fist with the palm facing down for the ant-hill. |
| One! two! three! four! five came out! | Let the fingers come out one at a time, the same way, then stop. |
What Does The Counting Lesson Mean?
The poem is a counting game for fingers. In the first verse the beehive is a closed fist, and the bees creep out one finger at a time until the whole hand is open. In the second verse the left hand becomes an ant-hill and the little ants come out when they are called.
Each verse ends in a count to five, so children say the numbers out loud as each finger appears.
History and Origin
Emilie Poulsson wrote the words, and the poem is printed in her book Finger Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten (1889) with music by Cornelia C. Roeske. The book gives a hand position for every step and labels the right hand for the bees and the left hand for the ants.
Learning Activities
- Both hands: do the right hand for the bees, then the left hand for the ants.
- Call the ants: say 'Dear little ants, won't you please come out?' in a coaxing voice before the count.
- More numbers: count backwards from five, closing one finger at a time.
- Draw a hive: draw a hive with five bees and an ant-hill with five ants.