10 New Year’s Eve Activities for Kids

Posted in activities for kids, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Need some fun ideas to entertain your kids on New Year’s Eve?

I’ve compiled a list of all the things my girls and I did this past New Year’s Eve. I had such a great time making this a special holiday for them and watching them have fun celebrating it.

And my girls may be just shy of 2 and 4-years-old right now, but these activities will be a part of our traditions for many years to come since they are great for all ages.

1. Make a “New Year’s Eve Activity Bag” (or Box)

I filled a gold bag with some of the party supplies we’d be utilizing on New Year’s Eve, which included noisemakers, glitter hats, silver bead necklaces, gold balloons (not yet blown up), and a couple of LED light-up wands I picked up at the dollar store.

Since it was only a few days after Christmas, I felt that getting a “present” of activities would be a neat way to start the day.

2. Champagne Bubble Balloon Toss

Speaking of balloons, I find that they are a sure way to make any day special. So, naturally, they make holidays extra special.

In the spirit of the holiday, I picked up a package of gold balloons at Walmart (for a buck) because they were the color of champagne. I told the girls they were like bubbles and we kicked and bounced and tossed them around throughout the day and night.

3. Make Giant Numbers for Photos and Decoration

I always have construction paper on hand (especially for our alphabet activities) and so that’s what I used to make the numbers. I chose 4 colors and cut each of the numbers from a different sheet. And I did it by hand. I’ve learned that my kids aren’t perfectionists like me, so I don’t have to kill myself over the details.

We used the numbers first to pose for a few photos. Next I asked my oldest daughter what the numbers were and asked if she could trace them each with her fingers. Then we taped them to the TV hutch, just under the television, so that they would be visible while we watched the ball drop. (They actually fell asleep before that, but we left the numbers up for a few days anyway, since they looked so cheerful.)

4. Practice Counting Down

Okay, I don’t know if older kids would get a kick out of this, but my girls certainly found it exciting.

Throughout the day, when discussing New Year’s Eve and how the ball would drop at midnight, I would announce, “Let’s practice counting down!” and we would shout out the numbers from 10 to 1 followed by a shout of “Happy New Years!”

My oldest daughter loved the counting and my littlest one enjoyed all the noise.

5. Celebrate with Fireworks

We let the girls handle a couple of sparklers, and I was surprised at how quickly and excitedly they went through a whole box of snappers. Then we lit a fountain-type firework in the street and did our many ooooohs and aaaaahs.

Many people set off fireworks at midnight, but we did all this just after the sun went down.

6. Dress Up

A great way to ring in the new year is by getting all dolled up – even if you’re just hanging out at home. Whether you’re throwing (or attending) a party or just riding out the ball drop on your couch, adding a little frill to your outfit will make it extra special.

My girls got dressed up in twirl-worthy skirts and party bead necklaces. Let girls paint their nails in fun colors. Let boys try on silly neckties or style their hair in Mohawks. Have fun with it.

7. Eat Party Food

You may actually be throwing a party, but even if you’re not, celebrate the holiday like you are. This goes along with #6. Serve appetizers and tapas instead of a large meal. Set out chips and dip, cheese and crackers, hot wings.

You could make regular food special, like serving hot dogs that have been cut in spirals and turned into “confetti ribbons.”

And eat grapes. You’re young ones might not be able to stuff a dozen grapes in their mouths in a minute like the traditional Twelve Grapes of Luck, but you can still snack on them throughout the day. It helped to sneak some more fruit into our day by announcing that they were good luck.

8. Make a Giant Cookie Clock

Make a cookie cake into a Cookie Clock by adding chocolate numbers. And, sure, I talked about numbers and counting with my daughter with this clock as inspiration, but really, we mostly made it for the sake of the chocolaty, gooey goodness. Read about it here.

9. Make Confetti Poppers

This was a New Years craft for us, because my kids helped. We made confetti and made “poppers” that showered the confetti on us. It was a fun addition to our celebration. Here are our Confetti Poppers:

10. Serve Sparkling Grape Juice

But not just any sparkling grape juice… if you want to make it really festive, add in some cotton candy!

What New Year’s Eve traditions do you have? How do you celebrate it with your kids?

3Jan2014

New Year’s Eve Cookie Clock

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Cookies are always a good idea.

Seriously.

So why not bake a giant cookie to help you ring in the New Year?

Since I wanted our giant cookie to look like a clock, I used melted chocolate to make some numbers. I used dark cocoa chocolate melts, but you could also use regular chocolate chips for this, too.

I melted them at 50% power in a baggy, then cut off a small corner to squeeze out the chocolate onto some parchment paper. I let these harden while we made the cookie.

And the easiest way to shape your cookie into a circle is by using a circular pan. I don’t have any fancy “giant cookie pans” or anything, so we smushed our cookie dough into a regular cake pan. On top of a piece of parchment paper, though, that I had cut into a circle just smaller than the pan. The paper keeps the cookie from sticking.

Use your favorite cookie dough here. I went with chocolate chip, and I even used a box mix since we had some of those BOGO deals from Publix taking up room in the pantry, but you could use any recipe you like.

You need to watch it as it’s cooking. Since it will be thicker than a regular cookie, the middle will still be a little soft when the edges are done. You just kind of have to judge. Usually the middle will feel a little underdone to some people (unless you overcook it), but that’s what I love about them. It’s kind of like a cookie-brownie.

When you take the baked cookie out of the oven, let it sit for a minute or two, and then lay the chocolate numbers on top of the cookie, very gently pressing to make sure it stays in place.

The heat from the cookie will melt the bottom of the chocolate numbers and as the cookie cools the numbers will harden again.

To make the pattern easier, put the 12, 3, 6, and 9 on first, and arrange the other numbers in between them.

I drew on the hands of the clock afterwards, since I wasn’t really sure what size I’d need. You could draw the hands ahead of time when you make the numbers, though. And if you really want to make them ahead of time but you’re really worried about the size, make a few and choose the best when the cookie is done.

Once the cookie and numbers had finished cooled, I stuck some candles in it and we sang Happy Birthday to Mother Earth in celebration of the New Year. My girls loved blowing out the candles at the end of the song.

Oh, and I did actually remove the cookie from the pan after we took out the candles and before we cut it. It only cracked a little on the edge when I stuck a cake server under it to transfer it to a plate, but I didn’t take any photos after that. Was too busy eating. :)

Do you have any special New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day foods? Let me know!

15Dec2013

Felt Fashion Christmas Tree

Posted in activities for kids, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Felt Fashion Christmas Tree

Our next Christmas craft this year was a felt Christmas tree that was bigger than my girls.

It’s a similar concept to our Halloween felt board, but much, much bigger.

And more fashionable.

I had actually intended on doing a more traditional-looking felt Christmas tree, kind of like this tree that I saw last year.

But then I came across these amazing felt sheets:

Felt Fashion Christmas Tree

Score!

With these printed felt pieces I could make a delightfully girly Christmas tree instead! :)

Found them at Walmart, of all places. And I bought a yard of dark green felt from their fabric department, for the tree. I thought about getting some dark purple or a paisley patterned piece heavy with lime green (they sell precut pieces like these at Michaels), but I decided to stick with the green. I liked how it looked.

And I was going to cut a star from one of the pieces I had, but then I came across those adorable pink felt star ornaments on sale at Michaels. For forty cents, I couldn’t pass them up. Especially since they matched the felt I already had.

Felt Fashion Christmas Tree

Because I didn’t want to screw up the tree while cutting, I folded my yard of fabric in half, lengthwise, and drew a tree pattern on it with chalk, instead of just cutting it out by hand, like I do most things.

Then I cut out the ornaments. I cut rough squares and then cut circles out of them. I cut a dozen ornaments from the two with zebra stripes, but only six from the other two patterns, to give them some variation of size.

Felt Fashion Christmas Tree

Then I had to decide where to hang it. I tried using tape, even packing tape, but it was kind of heavy, so I didn’t consider the tape sturdy enough.

I tried sticking the felt directly to the stucco wall on the porch, thinking it would stick like felt does to brick, but the stucco was too smooth because of the paint.

I wound up going with Command Strips (pictured above). The picture hanging ones come with a texture similar to Velcro, so, instead of using the 8 pieces as a set of 4 hangers, I stuck the rough side of the strips right on the felt tree. Then I peeled off the sticky backing and stuck it on the wall.

The main reason I used the Strips is because I can adjust the tree. With a gentle pull, the felt comes right off of the rough side of the strips. And, when it’s time to pack up the Christmas decorations, I can gently pull the Strips off the wall. (But always follow the directions – if you do, they won’t harm your wall, but if you don’t, they’ll take the paint right off.)

Although, if you prefer, you could just leave the tree on the floor and let your kids play with it that way. But I think they have more fun with it if it’s hanging up. Like this:

Felt Fashion Christmas Tree

I love the felt for playing. It’s great for both my preschooler and my toddler. They can put the ornaments on the tree, take them off, rearrange them, make patterns, and then do it all over again.

And I love that I found these fancy felt sheets. I was prepared to do the tree in traditional colors, but I love this concept. It’s so easy to change up the colors. Like, you could do a white Christmas tree instead. Or blue. Or green, but with just gold ornaments. Or whatever colors you’ve used to decorate your home for Christmas. What a great way to personalize an interactive toy for your kids!

Felt Fashion Christmas Tree

Have fun with it!

And please share if you’ve made your own! :)

And don’t forget to check out these other Christmas crafts:

DIY Lifesize Cardboard Gingerbread House

Easy Christmas Craft: Paper Cone Christmas Trees

Easy Christmas Craft: Toilet Paper Roll Ornament Painting

Crystal Snowmen

Roaming Rosie Signature

8Nov2013

Gooey Grilled Cheese Rolls

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

gooey grilled cheese rolls

These are a fun way to change up your traditional lunch menus.

I originally found the idea on Pinterest, but now the pin doesn’t lead anywhere, and there are examples of this recipe all over the internet, so I’m not really sure who created it.

Anyway, it’s a simple concept: put a slice of cheese on a slice of bread, roll it up, fry with butter.

Of course, if you roll the bread a little flatter and larger with a rolling pin, it makes it a little easier, but I didn’t feel like it. Works without it, too. Besides, finger food in general is pretty popular with my girls, whether or not it’s as picture perfect as my inspiration. :)

So, here is a collage of the making-the-gooey-grilled-cheese-rolls process:

making grilled cheese rolls

Enjoy!

And let me know if you try any fun variations!

25Aug2013

A Fork-Lift Fork and a Garden Trowel Spoon

Posted in wanderings in the world & web by Rosemary Lynn

I think I gasped out loud when I saw these awesome construction-themed utensils. A fork-lift fork? A front loader spoon? A bulldozer pusher?

What kid wouldn‘t love eating with utensils that look like these???

I immediately considered buying these for my girls, even though they’re not all that interested in construction. They do love to build things, and they do love cars, so maybe they’d get excited about them…

And then I saw these:

Oh. My. Fairy goodness! Garden tool utensils? And they’re pink! And decorated with fairies!