::: ants, ants, everywhere ants!
As the children are really enjoying our ant farm, we thought it would be a good time to introduce some ant stories onto their library shelves. One playful story they are enjoying is ….
I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track by Joshua Prince
When switchman Jack, while eating his lunch by his shack, spies an ant walking along the railroad track he gets worried and knows he has to do something to help …
… before the little guy gets run over by the approaching train.
It’s a nice story with delightful language and illustrations and a happy ending!
Once we discoverd the collective nouns for ants were;
an army of ants – a colony of ants – a swarm of ants
It made us think of that great song, ‘The ants went (go) marching‘. So here are the words as we sing them -
The ants went marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching one by one,
the little one stopped to suck his thumb.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching two by two,
the little one stopped to do up his shoe.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching three by three,
the little one stopped to climb up a tree.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching four by four,
the little one stopped to shut the door.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching five by five,
the little one cheered HOORAY I’M ALIVE!
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching six by six, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching six by six, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching six by six,
the little one stopped to pick up some sticks.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching seven by seven,
the little one stopped to look up to heaven.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching eight by eight. Hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching eight by eight. Hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching eight by eight,
the little one stopped to shut the gate.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah!
he ants went marching nine by nine,
the little one stopped to check the time.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
The ants went marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants went marching ten by ten,
the little one stopped to say “THE END”.
And they all went marching down to get out of the rain.
Tags: ant song, ants, book, Joshua Prince
I love the book Hey Little Ant, it is one of my favorites when discussing insects but also throughout the year. Here is a review from Amazon that details all the reasons this book is so wonderful.
“Hey, Little Ant,” by Phillip and Hannah Hoose is one of my favorite children’s books. Based on a real-life experience the author had as he watched his toddler squishing ants one day, this book is as powerful a teaching tool as I’ve seen come along in a very long time. In this classic, a Kid threatens to squish the book’s hero Ant and a clever dialogue ensues. Allowed to plead its case, the Ant explains to the boy that he, too, has a special reason for being. Through cleverly rhyming verse, set to musical notes if you’d rather sing it, the Ant tries to negotiate for its life, citing the “Golden Rule” to solidify its case. The beauty of this tale is that it ends with a dilemma: “what do you think that Kid should do?” Leaving it open-ended is a tremendous way to generate dialogue with children. It gives them the opportunity to think the problem through and offer problem-solving solutions; it serves to empower them by giving them a voice. At a time in our society when schools are reluctant to teach values through character education, along comes a little book with a powerful message. As a counselor, I used it to teach middle schoolers how to deal with the people who are ANTS in their lives – who might bite them with their words or try to poison them with their actions – focusing on characteristics we might need like Awareness, Negotiation, Tolerance and Sensitivity. I give “Hey, Little Ant” as many stars as it can get and more. Don’t miss this one; you will NOT be disappointed!
Thanks Carrie for the great info. Sounds like a wonderful book!