Deadly snake slithers into kindy

The children at C&K Carbrook were taking an afternoon nap when the snake decided to join them.

Assistant teacher Leanne Welke said she yelled "snake" and asked the children to head into a back office for their safety.

"We practice drills with the kids a lot, fire drills and lock downs, so we just followed that procedure," Ms Welke said.

"The kids are also very aware what snakes can do because we live in a rural area and we have had parents bring in snake skins to show the kids.

"We just never expected one to slither in."

Ms Welke said the snake was about 50 or 60cm long and moved "really fast".

"I asked the kids to get off their beds and head for the back room.

"I stayed in the classroom with the snake because there are places where it could hide. I asked (teacher) Robyn Fowler to barricade the door," she said.

Once the children were inside, Ms Welke phoned for help.

Despite the barricade, the snake managed to slither into the room where the children were hiding.

"I ran outside, banged on the window and said to Robyn: 'you've got to get out, the snake has gotten through'," Ms Welke said.

"Luckily the window isn't that far from the ground, about a metre, and Robyn had a chair to help hand the kids out the window.

"Once everyone was outside we sat in the sand pit and called a snake catcher to come and get it."

Ms Welke said it took the snake catcher about 20 minutes to capture the snake and confirmed it was an eastern brown.

"The kids were just so great, and they did everything we asked them to do. I was so proud of how they handled it," she said.

Queensland Museum curator of reptiles Patrick Couper said eastern brown snakes were common throughout the Redlands.

"Eastern browns are the second most venomous snakes because of the potency of their venom," he said.

"I suspect it was wandering around, particularly because early summer is their breading season. Male snakes are sexually active and wander around looking for a mate."

Mr Couper said eastern browns weren't typically aggressive but would raise their heads and form an S shape if threatened.

"Another problem is that it can be quite difficult to identify an eastern brown as it's often mistaken for a tiger snake or carpet snake," he said.

"The typical characteristics eastern browns have are their creamy bellies with distinctive orange spots.

"Juvenile snakes look different again. They often have a dark head and their whole body can be brown."

Mr Couper said residents who lived in rural areas or on the fringes of suburbia would be most like to encounter snakes in early summer.

"If you see a snake, try to avoid it and let your neighbours know you have seen a snake," he said.

"If it needs to be removed, call a snake catcher. It is illegal to kill snakes."