AJ at Thingamababy has posted “How to Host a Garden Snail Race“, and - in doing so - has provided me & my kids with a future ‘rainy week’ activity.

Many of the molluscs will be too skittish to come out of their shells. You want brave snails. Wait until one peeks out of his shell and starts moving. Grab that one and, while holding the shell in the air, press a racing number onto the shell. DO NOT apply the number while on the ground because you’ll smoosh and possibly injure the snail.

tag... playpeople, 2up, 3up, 5up, 8up, gardening

Daffoldillies.

Kids, my own and every single other one I’ve cared cared for, love mud. Sometimes it’s eventually but, none the less, they get a passion for steaming great lumps of rich black soil. Perhaps it’s because we all plant stuff and see it grow, perhaps it’s because we add too much water and make mud pies whilst we’re at it, perhaps its because I’m not above doing all the above inside on really cold days.

Yesterday the weather here changed; suddenly I had queues of three at the door whilst coats and scarves were being sorted. And Mrs Welikeplay, she in whom I keep my concept of time, reminded me it was the end of bulb planting time. In past years I’ve planted many bulbs with small kids. Usually in pots to take home, sometimes in my garden and on one occasion - as guerrilla gardening, with permission - in someone-else’s garden.

For indoor potting

You will need
Pots
(You can pick these up for free at good garden centres and the local recycling centre/dump)
Daffodil bulbs
(for pots I like ‘Jetfire’ with it’s orange middle; for gardens I’ve used a Bridal Crown/King Alfred mix for two overlapping flowering times)
Compost - homemade if possible.
(If your kids are of an eating soil stage, you might want to microwave a bowl of compost for about 4-5 minutes and allow to cool, to kill off some of the germs and bugs. The bulbs like this too.)
Trowels/spoons/hands
and, if you’re likely to get lynched for carpet gardening, a floor sheet

Half fill pots with compost, add 5 or so bulbs and cover. Water, and place outside against the wall of your house. Return indoors, add more mud to the rest of the compost and smear liberally everywhere you can reach.

Enjoy.

tag... play for today, 2up, 3up, gardening, running wild