Conkers

Conkers are the seeds of a big, leafy tree called a horse chestnut. They are usually brown and shiny, like little balls. When autumn comes and the leaves start to fall off the tree, the conkers fall off too and we can collect them.

Now, the real fun of conkers is when we decide to play a game with them. We drill a small hole through the middle of a conker and thread a sturdy string through it. We tie knots on both ends of the string so that the conker won't fall off.

Next, we choose a friend who also has a conker on a string. We take turns swinging our conker and trying to hit our friend's conker. If we hit it, we get a point. If we miss, we get nothing.

But the real challenge is to try and break our friend's conker by hitting it so hard that it cracks and falls apart. When a conker breaks, the other person wins the game.

The reason conkers are so tough is because they have a hard shell made of a chemical called tannin. Tannin makes the conker strong and durable, but it can also make our fingers stained and turn the conkers brown when we leave them out in the sun.

Overall, playing with conkers is a great way to have fun outdoors and try a new activity with friends. Just remember to be careful swinging your conker and always wear safety goggles!