EXPLORING the great outdoors is one of the favourite occupations of these young children.

Staff at their nursery school are encouraging them to take an interest in their environment.

The hard work of the First Nursery in Peebles was recognised in a report by the Care Inspectorate which noted that children were happy and enjoying their experiences.

“We feel quite strongly that spending time outdoors is really important for the children,” said Margot Smolenska, the joint nursery manager.

“We take our three to five year olds on weekly visits to the woods and find that as well as the obvious benefits for their physical wellbeing, the children are fascinated by the nature that is all around them.

“Some children spend ages looking at the rabbit holes in the hope that they might spot a rabbit, others love having the freedom to the use the environment imaginatively - for example a tree stump turns into a porridge pot and they serve each other porridge!”