Kindy gets its own pile of the white stuff

Some children at Cherry Grove Childcare in Havelock North got to play with snow for the first time yesterday. Photo / Warren Buckland

Young children were given a unforgettable experience yesterday, after snow from this weekend's weather bomb made its way into their Havelock North kindergarten.

After taking their children to see the snow on Sunday, owners of Cherry Grove Childcare Brendon and Emma Dawson decided the childcare's youngsters might also enjoy the experience.

"We thought this was a good way to keep our families off the road during the weekend knowing their children would be able to enjoy some fun with snow without travelling too far," Mrs Dawson said. "We knew that lots of families would go looking for snow to show their children if they could, so we thought we could bring it to them."

When children arrived in gumboots and jackets yesterday, they were greeted with snow brought from the foothills of the Kaweka Ranges by the Dawsons and Jim Bishop of Awakeri Drainage.

Mrs Dawson said the 60 children - a fair majority who had never seen or played in snow - "absolutely loved it".

With ages ranging from a few months old to nearly starting school, the older children enjoyed making snowmen, throwing snowballs and a toboggan ride down specially created ramps.

"Lots of them were eating it," Mrs Dawson said. "Lots of them were really surprised at how cold it was and how they could feel it through their gumboots. They had to be bribed to come inside for lunch. We've had lots of passersby as well come in."

Troughs filled with snow were brought inside so the younger children who could not be outside would not miss the experience. Yesterday afternoon, children were "freezing and blue" but still enjoying the snow. Parents told the Dawsons the experience was amazing and went beyond the "call of duty".

Luckily, the cool temperatures meant the pile hardly shrunk from its original size so the children were looking forward to playing with it again today.