A PEEBLES nursery has been commended for its efforts in teaching its pupils about STEM.

Kingsmeadows Nursery recently received a visit from the Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Todd MSP, who praised the early years practitioners for their "good practice".

The nursery was recognised for its inclusion of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) exploration with the children after working with Jennifer Allan, an education and social sciences lecturer from the University of West Scotland.

The introduction of STEM in the nursery led to Scottish Government selecting Kingsmeadows to launch its online learning module, providing STEM resources to early years educators.

Ms Todd said: "ELC (Early Learning and Childcare) settings are already great at inspiring and developing children’s curiosity in the world around us.

"This module showcases some of the brilliant learning in STEM happening and supports practitioners to give children the highest quality learning in these topics."

During her visit, Ms Todd spent time reading to the youngest pupils at the nursery, as well as playing with sand and water with the toddlers and exploring the nearby woods with the pre-school aged children, before enjoying a slice of cake with nursery staff.

A spokesperson from Kingsmeadows Nursery added: "STEM activities help children develop not only literacy and numeracy but also cognitive functions including problem solving skills, concentration and attention, and memory.

"Socially, STEM activities offer opportunities for children to work individually or with their peers as part of a team, and to develop their sense of self in relation to others and the world around them.

"Desirable aspects of a child's personality can also develop through STEM activities, such as resilience, creativity, adaptability and determination.

"Kingsmeadows Nursery is ideally situated to offer children outdoor experiences as the grounds incorporate garden areas, vegetable growing beds and woodland areas - in addition to being located adjacent to a much larger woodland area where the children can investigate, explore and learn through expanding their curiosity in a natural environment."