If you and your family are in need of a laugh right now, snail racing is the activity for you. This is such a fun thing to do as long as you are respectful to the snails and remember to put them back where you found them afterwards. Snails hibernate in Winter so the Spring and Summer is the best time of year for this activity.

You should be able to find some snails around the outside of your house without going very far at all. Try checking around the plant pots in your porch and up the sides of wheelie bins. The underside of external window sills and loose paving slabs might also home a few snails. Maybe there are some in the bottom of that watering can if it has not been used for a while.

*Snails can be collected and kept for a short time in a container with some leaves. Make sure they can breath by using some net as a lid.*

Once you have collected a few contenders you can set about creating a racetrack. We have found a stripy tea tray is perfect as the stripes become ‘lanes’. You could mark out lanes on any smooth surface, but don’t feel you have to stop there. How about a finish line, some tiny bunting or a cheering crowd of Lego mini-figures? Snails really like to be wet and love rainy days so a spray bottle of water is helpful to keep the track and the snails damp. You can encourage the snails to head for the finish line with some leaves or pieces of cucumber.