The slowest minibeasts around
Snails and slugs are some of the gentlest creatures in the GARDEN, and this word search gathers them. You'll be finding the SNAIL with its SPIRAL SHELL and the shell-less SLUG, both gliding along on a single muscly FOOT and leaving a silvery SLIME TRAIL behind them.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the garden changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a slower crawl once the diagonals and backwards words appear on Hard.
Slow, slimy and clever
These minibeasts are slower than almost anything, and the words are here. A snail moves SLOW and SLIMY, feeling its way with two ANTENNAE and waving its TENTACLE eyes on stalks (its EYES sit right on the tips!). It makes a slippery MUCUS that helps it CRAWL and GLISTEN as it goes, loves the cool and DAMP, and likes to MUNCH on a tasty LEAF. When danger comes, a snail can COIL up and HIDE inside its shell, down in the SOIL.
Slow on the outside, surprising on the inside
Snails and slugs may be famous for being SLOW — a garden snail travels at about a metre an hour — but they're full of surprises. That silvery SLIME is doing several clever jobs at once: it's part glue and part grease, letting the snail glide smoothly over rough ground and even crawl upside down, and it's so protective a snail can slide right over the sharp edge of a blade without getting hurt. The SNAIL and the SLUG are really the same kind of creature — the main difference is simply that the snail carries a SPIRAL SHELL on its back to hide in, while the slug goes without.
Their eyes are odd, too: a garden snail's EYES sit on the tips of the longer pair of stalks, which it can pull in if touched, while a shorter pair is used for smelling and feeling. They come out mostly at night and after rain because they need the DAMP to stop their soft bodies drying out. Gardeners grumble when they MUNCH the lettuces, but they play a useful part in nature by helping break down rotting LEAVES — which makes them a gentle, fascinating minibeasts topic.
Great for a minibeasts topic
It's a great fit for a nature or minibeasts lesson — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own minibeast words.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Snails & Slugs word search?
The world of snails and slugs — the spiral shell, the slimy trail and mucus, the foot they glide on, their antennae and tentacle eyes, plus the damp garden, soil and leaves they love. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Which snail and slug words can you find?
The SPIRAL SHELL of the SNAIL and the shell-less SLUG, the slimy TRAIL and MUCUS, the muscly FOOT they glide on, their ANTENNAE and TENTACLE eyes, plus the DAMP GARDEN, SOIL and LEAF they love.
Is it good for a minibeasts topic?
Great fit for a nature or minibeasts lesson. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.