Lachlan Children Services students have developed a keen interest in science.

Snails have held a particular interest for students, so they decided to find out more about them.

During Science Week at the Centre, the children and staff watched a short presentation on the smartboard about snails and then discussed what they had discovered.

Snail is a common name for gastropod molluscs that can be split into three groups, land snails, sea snails and freshwater snails.

Most people believe that snails feed exclusively on plants, but it is not the case. Some species are omnivorous and some even carnivorous, as long as they can obtain the nutrients necessary to have a hard and healthy shell.

Snails inhabit places ranging from sunny urban gardens to remote mountainous regions with cold climates; the snails can thrive successfully in many habitats with different temperatures and conditions.

Common garden snails have a top speed of 45 metres (50 yards) per hour. Making the snail one of the slowest creatures on Earth.

Depending on the species snails can live five to 25 years. The giant African land snail grows to about 38 centimetres and weighs 1 kilogram.

The children also made collages, used magnifying glasses and used playdough to create replicas of the molluscs as part of their science discovery lessons.

By Melissa Blewitt.