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Five Ants Marching Up A Tree: Action Rhyme — Use Instead Of “Five Little Monkeys”

ants on a gray and blue background

Five Ants Marching Up a Tree

Ms. Christina shares her original action rhyme “Five Ants Marching Up a Tree” and a recipe for a fun, healthy snack. You can use this song instead of “Five Little Monkeys,” which has a problematic history.

Lyrics:

One, two, three, four, five! 

Five ants marching up a tree, 

looking for some food to eat— 

they had not the slightest hunch 

that they’d be somebody else’s lunch. 

Munch! 

Oh, no! How many are left? Let’s count them … 

One, two, three, four!

Four ants marching up a tree … 

Continue until no ants are left.

And that’s the end of lunch. Yummy!

Snack:

“Ants on a Log” – celery, peanut butter (or cream cheese or hummus), raisins 

Skills and benefits:

Vocabulary, phonological awareness, manual dexterity, backwards counting, number sense, learn about nature.

Origins:

Lyrics and tune by Ms. Christina.

Copyright: Ms. Christina — permission given for educational use.

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