After a long rain, the whole yard softens and the slow things come out. This is an overnight activity: a shallow container, a handful of moss, a few guests, and a promise to put everyone back where they were found.
Trigger warning: slugs
The video below shows live slugs and snails moving in a moss terrarium, close up. It will not play on its own. Tap to reveal it only if that sounds like a good time.
Six guests, one night, then back under the log.
What you need
A shallow clear container with a loose-fitting lid, poked with air holes
Damp moss, a little soil, a piece of bark, a few twigs
Lettuce, cucumber, or a soft leaf from the yard
A misting bottle of plain water
How it goes
Go out after rain. Turn over a log, a flat stone, the edge of a flowerpot. Slugs wait where it stays damp.
Build the floor first. Moss on the bottom, bark for hiding, sticks for climbing. Mist until it glistens.
Move them gently. Lift with a leaf rather than fingers. Count how many go in so you know how many come out.
Watch in the morning. Where did each one travel overnight? Trails show up on the plastic like handwriting.
Release in the morning. Same log, same corner of the yard, while it is still damp.
What to notice
The two pairs of tentacles, the long ones for seeing light and the short ones for smelling. The way a slug retracts one and pushes it back out. The ripple that runs along the underside of the foot when it moves. Whether they all pick the same hiding place by morning.