Now that we have a toddler in the house, holidays are beginning to be exciting again. Kids are so magical in the way that everything is always exciting to them. So since little E is really starting to understand the fun of certain activities, I thought it would be super fun to celebrate New Year’s. Problem is-there is NO WAY he will make it to midnight…heck, I don’t know if I will even make it! Enter “Noon Year’s Eve.”
You read that right. NOON Year’s Eve. Since we are awake usually around 7 a.m. anyway it’s perfect! I found a ton of cute ideas on celebrating with kids, and here is my plan:
The first thing I plan on doing is these awesome count down balloons. We will pop one every hour until noon. Inside they will have different activities to do (ours will include dance party, New Year’s coloring page, create “2015” banners or crowns, and homemade noise makers and confetti poppers) and the last balloon will be filled with just confetti! On the link posted there, she has some cute ideas as well!
One of the activities I really want to do is create our own ball to be dropped at noon. Most the versions I saw online were made with a Styrofoam craft ball, but since I don’t want little E to be using glue or pins, we will instead make a contact paper 2-D version. The inspiration came from this post. Instead of making a star shape, make it a circle that you can “drop” from the ceiling at noon!
For the banners and crowns, all you need is a bit of construction paper, crayons, and string for the banners. For these crowns get a couple of cheap headbands, beads (they use studs), pom poms, pipe cleaner and use a bit of imagination…or a template. I recently (finally! I’ve been asking for years!) received a personal die cutting machine which is pretty much the best thing in the world for crafting and I think this will definitely make detailed crowns and banners a lot easier. But, even if you don’t have one of those nifty things, you can cut them out and decorate them easily.
To make the homemade noise makers all you need is some empty plastic water bottles and dry beans, colored rice, or beads. It’s really as simple as putting the fun stuff inside the empty bottle. Add glitter inside the bottle for a fun visual effect and ribbon outside to spice it up. Why not go all out and get plastic champagne glasses and just saran wrap over the top (held down with a rubber band) and use those to shake around? The more noise the better! I really liked these ribbon wands that I found on Pinterest, but you would have to make them ahead of time. If you would rather have an activity to do with the kids I’d stick with the water bottles.
These confetti poppers that I found at Smashed Peas and Carrots look like they would be a blast! Just toilet paper rolls, construction paper, tape, and balloons. My son isn’t quite strong enough to pull apart actual poppers so I think these would be a lot more fun for him. I definitely will NOT be using paint markers to decorate and the confetti can be made much easier (cut a fringe on the end of the paper then cut across your fringe!) or bought. Either way, grab those toilet paper rolls and worry about the giant mess later!
Because E is still so young, I’m not sure I will let him try the carbonated grape juice. Instead I think we will stick to a sippy cup of apple juice as the toast at noon with a fun themed lunch (homemade snowman pizza anyone?). Although, I can’t guarantee that I won’t be drinking the sparkling juice…….it’s the best I got.
Another super cute idea I read about was camping out in the living room that night. So, since we are going to be celebrating during the day and nap time for both my boys is right around noonish (usually closer to 1:30 these days), we will definitely be camping out for nap time in the living room. We will be reading a New Year’s themed book right before napping while enjoying a New Year’s snack (okay, just a regular fruit or veg). Thank goodness for nap mats!
I know, I missed a big part with the whole “resolution” thing. My son is too young for it, so he wouldn’t understand it. However, if your kids are a bit older-go for it! My resolution this year is to stop worrying so much. It literally drives me nuts!
Do you have any traditions you celebrate with the kids on New Year’s Eve? What are your resolutions? Let us know below!