NURSERY children have been caring for their very own toy penguin as part of new learning strategies.

Handling real fish, making fish fingers and printing with fish are some of the techniques that have been adopted in nursery at Radcliffe-based Gorsefield Primary School.

As part of the project, children have been caring for their own Galapagos penguin.

Assistant principal Andrea Martin said: "We have deepened our understanding about other places in the world, the natural world and caring for a pet, although a very unusual pet.

"We have developed our friendships and talked about separation from those we love - at three or four, a day at nursery can feel like an eternity."

"The children were thrilled to have this learning opportunity to look after a toy penguin, and to be honest so were the parents and staff."

The class had been reading 'Lost and Found' by Northern Irish writer Oliver Jeffers about a lonely penguin who needs a friend.

Nursery were set a challenge to find out as much as they could about the aquatic bird.

Then, on Monday, January 8, principal Ruth Onyekaba 'found' a lost penguin in the school grounds which children have been looking after ever since.

Mia-Rose, aged four, said: "I love the penguin in nursery because I like to huggle him. We needed to feed the fish to the penguin."

Willow, aged 4, said: "The penguin like to eat fish because they always like fish. They like to swim underwater and they cant fly."