Counting Under the Sea

Counting Under the Sea is an Islamic animated video for children aged 4 to 6 in which the Arabic Number Friends dive into the deep blue sea and count the creatures they meet, from zero to nine, in rhyme.

Each number is introduced by its Arabic name, with a rhyme that shows children how to write it. Tiny Sifr, zero, is nothing but a dot, and she has been swallowed by a whale, where she cannot see anything at all. Wahid, one, stands straight and tall and counts one swordfish and one lonely shark. Ithnan, two, has a shy little smile and counts two seahorses with their tails linked like twins. Thalatha, three, counts three wibbly, wobbly jellyfish, and Arba'a, four, counts four sea snakes sleeping on the seabed, but decides not to count too close.

Then come Khamsa, five, with five wiggly starfish; Sitta, six, with six lobsters scuttling in a row; Sab'a, seven, shaped like the wings of a bird, with seven stingrays; Thamaniya, eight, shaped like a mountain, with eight octopuses; and Tis'a, nine, with nine blue sharks, which is quite enough for her. At the end, the children watching are asked to count to nine before everyone swims back to dry land.

The video is part of the Miraj games and animations that teach children the shapes and names of the Arabic numbers. Hearing each name, seeing each shape drawn and counting real sea creatures helps young children remember them. It is a Miraj original.