No. 17 Set up a snail race

Find your snails

You can find snails in most gardens, parks or green spaces, hiding under leafy green plants or in trees. Snails like the cool and wet, so you won't often find them in the sunshine. If you can remember that when you race them, they'll be happier.

Mark out the track

Snails move very slowly, so don't make your track too long or you'll have to watch for hours while they race.

You can either make the track by drawing a circle on the ground in chalk or you could put down some sticks in a circle. Try making the middle of the circle about 30cm away from the edge.

Start the race by putting your snails in the middle - the first snail to reach the edge is the winner. You could also set up a race track with lanes but the trouble is that the snails won't know they're supposed to stay in their lanes. It might end up less like a race and more like a mess.

If you're having trouble telling your snails apart, you could stick small stickers on their shells, but remember to take the stickers off after the race. A snail's shell is its home and helps protect it from harm.

Look after your snails

Just like top athletes have their favourite conditions for a race, snails do too! So, keep the track wet, and don't leave the snails racing in full sunlight. In fact, a snail race is best done in wet weather, but you might not enjoy that as much. Once the race has finished, please put your snail racers back where you found them so they can go home and tell their family how they've done.

Wash your hands

This is a good rule to follow once you've handled anything that lives outdoors, but you might especially want to do it after seeing slimy snail trails everywhere!