CHILDREN at the Learning Curve day nursery have enjoyed autumn sunshine in their new outdoor woodland area.

The Royal Wootton Bassett nursery, which sits in an acre of land adjacent to the Jubilee Lake Nature Reserve, has been developing its new forest area for more than a year to encourage imaginative, explorative play.

Joint nursery owner Naida Malik said: “We already had our field, sensory garden and vegetable plot, but we wanted to make a natural environment made from natural materials as an unusual exciting area to be in.”

The area, called the Shamba, a Swahili word for rural place or woodland area, has been put together by Learning Curve staff Jacqueline Littler, Helen Wraight, Jacqui Rodgers and Liza Wilkins.

“The team has been fantastic,” said Miss Malik.

“So far we’ve put in a living willow house, a firepit and an insect hub which collects insects for the children to look at through magnifying glasses.”