Conkers: a string, a nut and a long October
The same text at three levels
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In autumn, a big tree drops its seeds. It is the horse chestnut. The seeds are called conkers. A conker is brown and very shiny.
Walk through a British park in October and you will hear a soft thud in the grass. It is a green ball, covered in spikes, falling from a horse chestnut tree. If you press it with your boot, it splits open, and inside lies a seed so glossy that it looks polished: the conker.
Walk through a British park in October and you will hear a soft thud in the grass. It is a green ball, bristling with spikes, falling from a horse chestnut. Press one with your boot and it splits open, revealing a seed so glossy that it looks polished.
Words for the text
- conker
- A shiny brown seed.
- anglers
- People who fish.
- to strike
- Hit.
- to smash
- Break into pieces.
- hardening
- Making a conker harder.
- to cheat
- Break the rules to win.
- charity
- A group that helps people.
- championships
- A big game. The best wins.
The opening of the text
The tree that was not from here
Walk through a British park in October and you will hear a soft thud in the grass. It is a green ball, covered in spikes, falling from a horse chestnut tree. If you press it with your boot, it splits open, and inside lies a seed so glossy that it looks polished: the conker.
The tree is not a native of Britain. It comes from the Balkans, in south-east Europe, and it was brought here in the late 1500s. People liked it so much that it spread to parks, streets and village greens. It can reach about 40 metres and live for up to 300 years.
In May it carries white flowers with a pink flush, loved by bees. In autumn its leaves turn yellow and red. The conkers are mildly poisonous if eaten, so they are for playing with, never for eating. Deer, however, eat them happily.
In a few words
Conkers are the seeds of a big tree. In autumn, children play a game with them. This text tells how to play and where the game comes from. There is a world championship every year.
Sources
- Source: Woodland Trust, 'Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)', woodlandtrust.org.uk
- Source: Wikipedia, 'Conkers', en.wikipedia.org
- Source: Wikipedia, 'World Conker Championships', en.wikipedia.org
- Source: Countryfile, 'This fiercely fought test of skill is the weirdest world championship you'll see this year' (25 October 2025), countryfile.com
Levels
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