Snails

Summer and spring are exciting seasons to observe new life in your garden. You can learn about plant life , biology and ecosystems

I know it is finally summer when I see snails on my lettuce patch. Snails hibernate during the winter and emerge in the spring. Snails and slugs live in many parts of the world.

Snails can be found in water and on land. They are fascinating creatures. If you have land snails or slugs (snails that don't have a shell) where you live, capture one to study. Look under rotting vegetation or in your garden. You can find snails in a pond too. Keep your aquatic snails in a jar of water and land snails with lettuce or cabbage in a jar with a mesh lid.

See how snails move by placing them on a clear piece of glass or plastic. You will notice the snail makes a path. The snail has a big muscular foot that pushes along in a flowing movement. It leaves behind a silvery trail. Snails love to eat many things in the garden. Cabbage, lettuce and other leafy vegetables seem to be their favorite meal. If you notice holes in your vegetables, it was probably made by a snail or a slug.

The snail has a body perfect for a life in the garden. It has a long tongue with sharp tooth-like edges on the side so it can eat non-stop. Land snails have four tentacles with two long ones with eyes on them. Aquatic snails only have two tentacles.

Feed your snail vegetable matter. They love moist, rotting vegetation. Talk about how the shell protects the soft bodied snail.

Also, the CD, Spin Spider Spin has been recommended as a supplement for the snail lesson. It has a beautiful song about snails.

Snails belong to the following :

Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Mollusca
Class- Gastropoda

References

Here is a recipe for sweet snail shaped bread.

Montessori Mom

References

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