CREEPY-crawlies came out to play and some children even bravely dared to pick them up.

Scorpions, cockroaches, a giant snail, a tarantula and other 'minibeasts' turned up at Perry Wood nursery.

The animals, were brought in by the education group Zoolab, who taught the children about the weird world of insects and animals.

Nursery teaching assistant Shelley Ford said the children learnt a lot from their brush with nature: "It was a fantastic day and they overcame their fears. They stroked the shells and some held the animals in their hands."