‘Snow Big Thing : But Artificial or Not, It’s Fun for Preschoolers

SETTING: A Laguna Niguel preschool, flush against a verdant hillside planted in orange daisies, pines and eucalyptus. The sun is bright. Outdoor temperature is a balmy 74 degrees.

TIME: 10:45 a.m.

SCENE: A gaggle of wide-eyed children, ages 3 to 5, gather at a playground fence. They break into joyful cries as a truck drives up. “Here comes the snow!” yells one of the little boys.

In Southern California, where virtually anything is possible, snow came Thursday morning to the Children’s Choice Pre-School, just off Crown Valley Parkway in sunny Laguna Niguel.

“We’ve been doing this every year for the past nine years,” explained school director Sandra Senn. “Many of these little children have never seen snow. And since one of our study themes in January is about winter, we want them to experience snow --to sense it--to touch it, taste it, see it.

“It costs us $300 to do this, but the children really enjoy it. And, as you can see, they get dressed up in boots and mittens to play in it.”

The snow that Senn bought for her school was produced by the Orange County Ice Co. Arrival of the ice company’s truck produced a Christmaslike celebration among the children.

Earlier Thursday morning, using sand, Senn had constructed a peewee-sized Winter Olympics hill next to the school’s playground.

As the children peered through the iron rails of a gate leading to the sand hill, two ice company workmen quickly went about changing the environment. One workman held a wide-mouthed hose connected to an ice-flaking machine on the truck as another fed blocks of ice into the machine.

Suddenly the air above the sand hill was filled with cold crystal flakes. “Snow, snow!” the children cheered, watching from behind the gate.

The snow-making machine made an interesting noise--sort of like a harmonic buzz saw--as it chewed up ice blocks and spat out the glistening flakes. The children were enthralled.

Within 20 minutes, the drab little sand hill had been transformed into a gleaming white winter scene.

“Feel how cold it is around here now,” said Elaine Weiss, assistant director of the school.

To help illustrate the change, one teacher stuck an oversized thermometer into the snow hill. Children watched as the mercury dropped from 74 to a reading of 32 degrees.

Pressing Questions

The children were unimpressed by the temperature drop; they had more pressing scientific questions. Ryan, 4 1/2, watched the workmen intently, then said: “I wonder how they get snow in that truck?”

His colleagues peering through the fence told a reporter why their school’s Snow Day is such a big event in their lives.

“I want to make a snowman,” said Maria, 5.

“Um. Um. It’s cold,” said Sam, 4. (He showed his age by counting off four fingers.)

“Do you know what I like? I like to play in it,” said Chris, 5.

“I like it ‘cause it’s fun,” said Lisa, 5.

When the snow hill was complete, teachers opened the iron gates. With shrieks and whoops, the tiny scientists rushed into the research area to study the strange element.

Little girls quickly made a scientific discovery: Aggressive little boys’ first reaction to snow is to pick it up and throw it at little girls.

Aggressive little boys quickly learned an equally startling corollary: Aggressive little girls’ reaction to being hit with snowballs is to return fire--and usually more accurately.

Although picking up mittens-full of the cold white stuff--and throwing it--was their first activity, the children soon progressed to more sophisticated snow skills maneuvers.

Snowshoeing up the tiny hill was popular. It proved perilous, at times, especially to the tots who wore plastic Baggies in lieu of rubber boots over their tennis shoes. Scientific discovery: plastic slides slicker than slick on an ice-covered hill.

Even teacher Paula Lopez, 26, could not resist getting into the snow act. “Let’s form a snow train,” she said, sitting atop the hill. A queue of boys and girls sat behind her, each holding the waist of the person in front.

“Whee!” Lopez said as she started the “train,” pulling the squealing, smiling children.

“I’m from New York, and I miss the snow more than these kids ever will,” Lopez said to adult bystanders.

Target for Snowballs

One teacher brought out a homemade bull’s-eye target and hung it on the fence. “That’s to give them something to throw snowballs at instead of throwing at each other,” the teacher said. Few students, however, found the bull’s-eye as much fun as snowballing classmates. The bull’s-eye’s biggest function, it seemed, was to “slime” a blonde-haired little boy who brushed against it. The snow-wettened poster paint colored the boy’s hair into various punk-rock hues; he seemed oblivious to it.

One sweet-looking little girl, dressed in Shirley Temple curls, patent leather shoes, and a frilly, lacy dress, daintily walked on the outside of the snow hill. She had no snow clothes on.

Was she too shy and delicate to play in the rough-and-tumble of the snow? Not on your life. The sweet-looking little girl scooped up a handful of snow, walked to where a little boy was standing, and dumped it on his head. She smiled brightly; the little boy looked nonplussed.

All too soon, the little scientists found their outdoor field work had to end. For one thing, the snow was melting. For another, it was time to go back to class.

Teachers said the future Nobel Prize winners, inside their classrooms, would learn more facts about winter. And more about snow.

Dry facts from books, of course, can hardly top the empirical knowledge already gained by these Laguna Niguel children.

What is snow?

Fun, of course.

And where does it come from?

From the nice truck with the great-sounding machine, you silly, where else?