Seedlings: October 20, 2026

It was a brisk morning at forest school, and the birds were giving us some clues that winter is on its way! We spotted a red-winged blackbird visiting our feeder, along with some dark-eyed juncos. These little birds are a familiar sight during the colder months, and their arrival is one of the signs that the seasons are changing.

We headed off for a walk to the Blackfriars Community Gardens, where the children pulled out our animal tracks field guide to see if they could spot any signs of wildlife. We played a few rounds of our Animal Scat Memory Game, enjoyed some climbing on the little apple tree and garden fence, and spotted a lone goose hanging around. Naturally, the children decided to become geese themselves for a while!

But the real excitement of the day began when someone discovered a tiny snail.

We brought our new friend to the picnic table at the gazebo, where everyone gathered around to watch and wait for it to emerge from its shell. Eventually, it did, and we were fascinated by the way it moved and the slimy trail it left behind.

As the snail made its way across the table, we noticed it was approaching a crack between the boards. I asked the children what they thought would happen next. One boy predicted that the snail would fall through and die, while another thought its shell would get stuck.

We watched closely as the snail began making its way down into the crack. The children even climbed underneath the picnic table to get a better view of what was happening!

Sure enough, the snail got stuck. But what would it do now?

To our amazement, the little snail stretched itself upward, almost standing on end, and used its own body to create a bridge across the gap! The children erupted into cheers and applause as it successfully made its way to the other side.

It was such a wonderful little moment of curiosity, prediction, observation, and discovery. We hadn't planned a lesson about snails, but this tiny creature had captured everyone's attention and given us plenty to wonder about.

After returning our snail friend to the gardens, one boy asked another if he'd like to have a playdate where they could pretend to be snails and make snail costumes.

Well, why wait for a playdate when we could do that right now?

We didn't have any cardboard on hand, but luckily it was recycling day! We took a walk through the neighbourhood to gather materials for our costumes. By this point the sun had come out, and it had turned into a beautiful fall day.

Back at the dome, the children got busy creating. One girl became a snail princess, complete with a crown, while another child sported a crown with long slug eyes. Once their costumes were ready, our little group of snails headed into the yard to forage for food, wandering around together pretending to munch on leaves. It was pretty adorable!

During our afternoon quiet time, the children played with loose parts while we continued listening to Charlotte's Web. Afterwards, I read Snails Are Just My Speed, and we discovered all kinds of interesting snail facts, including that snails have around 14,000 tiny teeth on their tongues!

Of course, snails were the main subject of our nature journal drawings that afternoon.

We finished our day with a trip to the park, where our newly acquired snail knowledge took a rather hilarious turn. The children chased me around, pretending to eat me with their 14,000 snail teeth!

I love how one small discovery can take us in so many unexpected directions. What began with watching a snail cross a picnic table turned into predictions, problem-solving, costume making, imaginative play, reading, drawing, and a whole lot of laughter.

Thanks for a great day, Seedlings!