Reading a Clock
We started our celebration by briefly talking about the numbers on a clock. We made sure to point out where the twelve is, and what the hands would look like when it was twelve o'clock!
Party Hat Craft
We printed out this template onto cardstock, one for each of us. I also brought out dot markers, regular markers, glue and sequins!
Little M&M had tons of fun with these!
Honey Pot's favorite color is purple, so she mainly used that dot marker.
And one yellow dot, LOL! Here she is adding some sequins in silver and gold.
We cut them out and assembled them with string.
And then we tried them on!
Memory Scavenger Hunt
This fun idea comes from No Time for Flashcards. First I gathered pictures from some of our best moments of 2013, and I hid them around the house. Then I gave Little M&M and Honey Pot each their own brown paper bag for collecting them.
Then off they went in search of some memories!
When they had found them all, we spread them out on the table and reminisced! There were sixteen in all. It was hard narrowing it down that far--2013 was a great year for us!
- When Honey Pot caught her first fish
- Little M&M playing football during our beach vacation
- Our visit to the water park with friends
- Honey Pot's 3rd birthday party
- Our trip to the crayola factory
- The Halloween train ride
- Our trip to the amusement park
- Geo-caching (or, as Honey Pot referred to it, going on a treasure hunt) with their uncle
- Honey Pot riding a pony
The kids really seemed to enjoy looking back at these moments, and loved talking about them!
Noise-Makers
I collected a few loud noisemakers and instruments to help us celebrate!
We brought them out to play with soon before noon!
Balloon Drop
We created our own balloon drop for when we counted down to the "Noon" Year. We filled a garbage bag with balloons, and adhered it to the ceiling. When noon arrived, we pulled the string which opened the bag, and the balloons all fell onto the kids standing below!
Countdown
When we were close to noon, we made sure Honey Pot saw the clock!
Then we found a video online of the ball dropping last night in Times Square. Our computer is hooked up to the TV, so we were able to watch the ball dropping on the big screen!
We gathered our noise makers and counted down!
5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR, cue the balloon drop!
And kiss someone you love!
Toast and Special Lunch
We enjoyed some sparkling cider for our "Noon" Year toast. Honey Pot doesn't drink soda or anything carbonated yet, so this was a real treat for her!
And Little M&M started clapping with joy when we told him we were having a special Snack Lunch! It was comprised of all sorts of bite-sized munchables like fruits, chicken, chips and cheese. What a treat!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing you a happy and healthy 2014!
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