Where Have All The Snails Gone?

On Friday, the children found snails and we brought them in and began wondering about what they eat and their habitats.  Ms. Switzer and I worried that we didn't have resources to sustain the snails over the weekend so we let them go in the dirt by the yard before home time.  I went home thinking about them and did a little research about how to keep snails.  I got some dirt (clean topsoil without any fertilizer), an aquarium, some of our rocks that the kids brought in and a small can (from our can inquiry) for the snails to hide in.  We put some lettuce and a cucumber there for food.  There! We were all ready to go out collecting new snails.  We also decided to get earthworms because I read that they live together nicely.

 

We set out on a wet day with our shovels, rainboots, and containers. The children looked everywhere!

 

They dug in the dirt in the park.

 

They looked in the puddles.

 

They looked and looked but NO snails!!! What happened to all of the snails?  They finally managed to find a couple of earthworms and some giant Fall leaves. It was soon time to go back to school.

I guess tomorrow is another day!  Their homework is to bring in any snails that they find on their way to school.  Wish us luck!

 

Parents, if you happen to have any idea where to find snails or any information on how to take care of snails (or earthworms), the students would appreciate your comments (at the bottom of this post).  Maybe we can use them in our snail inquiry (if we ever get new snails...).

 

Other Highlights From our Day:

I visited a pumpkin patch this weekend and Ms. Switzer also went to a roadside pumpkin stand near her cottage.  She got a bale of hay and some corn, pumpkins and gourds.  I got pumpkins and a scarecrow. We set up a pumpkin patch drama centre. The kids enjoyed it immensely!

Stay tuned to see how the rest of the week goes!!