To give children an opportunity to observe small creatures close up, bring a see-through tank of snails into the classroom.

• The children will be able to see the underside of the snails through the tank.
• As a group or whole class session you can put the snails onto a piece of black paper and the children will be able to see their trails really clearly.
• If they will not come out of their shells place them in a shallow dish of water.
• The children can then do observational drawings and can write words to describe the snails.