Schooled in slime

Suzie Harrison

Shrieks of excitement were heard as the children watched their

snails race one on one. The wonder and thrill of whose snail would

make it all the way -- not just head and antennae -- across the

finish line.

It was all part of the fun, learning and excitement in Carolyn

Delino’s first-grade class at Top of the World Elementary School.

Prior to the race, the class went over some of the things snails

do.

Each time the teacher asked a question most of their hands would

fly quickly into the air to respond.

“I learned that they have hearts,” said Makenna Pitz, 7.

“They sucked on my finger,” said Rowan Young, 7.

Students were paired together and the race track was a slick

plastic-coated matt with circles going around it -- assimilating a

smaller-sized race track.

As the races began, so did the level of excitement and questions

about their snails in competition.

“My snail is winning, Alex Feldman exclaimed.

His competitor Clayton Barnes, 7, was quick to respond.

“You don’t get any prize though -- it’s just for fun,” Clayton

said.

Sarah Kahn, 7, jumped up and pointed to her snail: “That’s mine,

mine is winning,” she shouted. When Christian Rios, 7, claimed her

snail was starting to go around the circle -- the prepared coach

Sarah responded, “No, no -- it’s not.”

Sarah kept cheering her snail on. “My gosh look how fast he is

moving.... It’s half off, Mrs. Delino, it has to get over the line,”

Sarah said.

Moments later her snail crept its way across the victory line and

became the first snail to win in the first set of races.

Christian, on the other hand, wasn’t faring as well. He noticed

his snail was turning around and heading the wrong direction.

While half the class was racing snails the other half was eating

them, though not escargot style. They were making snail-shaped treats

out of peanut butter, jelly, bread and pretzel sticks.

“I made four snails and ate them all,” Brian Robbins, 6, said.

“The snail racing was the most fun.”

Over at the track one of the kids yelled that the snails were

piggy backing showing one carrying the other. A bunch of students

quickly came over to witness the event.

“His started going on top of mine, ours are playing follow the

leader,” Traer Freeman, 6, said.

Once the racers crossed the finish line on top of each other, the

students debated whether if it was a tie or not.

Noah Pattillo, 7, remarked that his was preferring a circular

motion and Makenna pointed to the snails.

“Look, they’re running track,” she said, laughing.

Traer yelled to his snail to go, go, go as it was heading to the

finish line.

Racing snails, eating snails, coloring and cutting out snails on

paper, as well as making textured snails was part of the entertaining

learning process of discovering animals.

* SUZIE HARRISON is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. She may be reached at 494-4321.