The Lambs Lyrics
Six short pairs of lines follow ten lambs through the day, from the meadow to the trough, the hay rack, the shears and the barn, each with its own hand shape.
The Lambs
This is the meadow where all the long day
Ten little frolicsome lambs are at play.
These are the measures the good farmer brings
Salt in, or cornmeal, and other good things.
This is the lambkins' own big water-trough;
Drink, little lambkins, and then scamper off!
This is the rack where in winter they feed;
Hay makes a very good dinner indeed.
These are the big shears to shear the old sheep;
Dear little lambkins their soft wool may keep.
Here, with its big double doors shut so tight,
This is the barn where they all sleep at night.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-lambs/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Written by
- Emilie Poulsson
- Tune
- Finger play, spoken, one hand shape for each pair of lines
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| This is the meadow | Clasp your hands so your arms form a circle. |
| These are the measures | Cup your hands as if holding salt or cornmeal. |
| This is the lambkins' own big water-trough | Hold your cupped hands together for the trough. |
| This is the rack | Put your hands back to back, fingers interlaced and raised. |
| These are the big shears | Stretch your index and middle fingers out sideways like scissors. |
| This is the barn | Clasp your hands and hold them upward. |
What Does The Lambs Mean?
The poem walks through the lambs' day, one thing at a time. A lambkin is a little lamb, and frolicsome means playful. In the meadow the lambs play. The farmer brings measures of salt, cornmeal and other good things, there is a big water trough, and in winter the lambs feed from a rack, a frame that holds hay.
The shears are for shearing the old sheep, and the poem says the dear little lambkins may keep their soft wool. The barn with its big double doors is where they all sleep at night.
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 different hand shape for each thing named, such as clasped hands for the meadow and two fingers held sideways for the shears.
It has six pairs of lines, twelve lines in all.
Learning Activities
- Farm in your hands: make each hand shape in turn as an adult reads the pairs of lines.
- Lamb day: draw the six places the lambs visit, in the order of the poem.
- Hay and water: talk about what animals need to eat and drink, and where a farmer keeps it.
- Scamper: on 'scamper off', skip to the other side of the room and back.