Untitled

Press, 3 September 1982, Page 7

Sandy McMenamin. supervisor at Mount Hutt's new ski kindergarten, helps one of her young charges on her way down the miniature slope in front of the kinder--1 garten. The ski-field now boasts a junior ski-school and a ski kindergarten. These cater for small children who come up the mountain for the day with their parents. The kindergarten is for children aged from three to six years. They are supervised in a specially sealed off area at the bottom of the ski-field. On warm, sunny days, the children play outside in the snow, and are encouraged to have a go at learning to ski. They practice “making pieces of pie” with their feet, which teaches them how to stop, and they take turns at ski-ing down a tiny slope. At times it gets too cold to

stay outside. Ms McMenamin takes her small pupils inside the big, red, old Transport Board bus that has been specially converted into a brightly-coloured play area. There they can read or be read to, paint pictures, and play with the many toys. The junior ski school is supervised by a qualified ski instructor, Edie Young. It caters for children aged seven and more. .They receive a basic lesson for 90 minutes, and ski on the learners’ slopes. For $5 for the 90-minute session, the children receive tuition and a learner’s lift pass. The ski kindergarten charges $3 an hour for each child. Last year, Mount Hutt ran a small creche for children aged three and more in the bus. This year they have extended their activites on to the snow, and turned it into a ski-ing kindergarten. ’