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How to Make a Terrarium

As the mom of a currently bug-obsessed four-year-old boy, I’ve been finding fun ways to use his obsession as a learning tool and encourage his love of dirt, bugs, and the outdoors in a way that keeps me from also having to dig for bugs all the livelong day. One day he came home from the park with four snails (a snail family, as he called it). He was really attached; I didn’t have the heart to make him put them back in the dirt right away. But I also wanted to make sure the snails were treated well and didn’t get the run of my house. So I came up with a fun and easy little snail terrarium DIY. Charlie thought it was the best thing ever, and it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself. It sits on our lowest built-in bookshelf so he can sit on the floor and watch the snails and help feed them when necessary. This is a great project for summer fun with your kiddos and is a way to help teach them about the earth, life cycles, bugs, and mollusks.


  1. a fishbowl with a rim 
  2. cheesecloth or other breathable fabric  
  3. a large rubber band (to secure the cloth around the rim of the bowl) 
  4. dirt snails plant carrots (for feeding)

instructions: Step 1: Start by adding dirt to your bowl. It is important to use dirt from the ground, rather than potting soil that comes in a bag, as the potting soil has chemicals that can harm the snails. Step 2: Once you’ve filled your bowl about ¼ to ⅓ full of dirt, insert any plants or succulents you want to include. These are mostly for appearance—the snails won’t eat succulents. I also added a couple of rocks, which the snails liked to climb on.   Step 5: Put cheesecloth or other breathable covering over the opening of the bowl and secure with a rubber band.  

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