Celebrating "Noon" Year's Eve at Kidspace

Making this New Year's Eve a kid-friendly one, I decided to head over to Pasadena with CC for "Noon" Year's Eve at Kidspace Children's Museum.

And after weeks of dreary, wet weather, it was great to celebrate the pre-2011 festivities in the bright sunshine just a stone's throw from the already-busy Rose Bowl Stadium. Counting down the new year at noon was also a parenting plus.

While it seemed as if most SoCal parents had the same idea -- we waited in line for about 20 minutes before getting in -- CC and I still had fun exploring the very hands-on Kidspace as well as live entertainment provided by Radio Disney.

After entering through the Kaleidoscope walkway, CC immediately bounded over to the Digging Deeper exhibit, which featured a roped-in InterAntics climbing space and a small tunnel, in which she could pretend to be a tiny ant.

One climbing space just wasn't enough, however, so we also ventured up the gorgeously blue Raindrop Climber. (Yes, I said "we." The climber topped out at 40 feet, and I didn't want CC to go it alone. Head-bumping, however, was inevitable.)

Next, we wandered over to the outdoor "Noon" Year's Eve festivities, which featured tons of balloons -- and tons of people! -- in the small amphitheater next to the gardens. Radio Disney DJs were on hand to give out prizes, while they cranked out the G-rated tunes.

CC even scored some Winnie the Pooh temporary tatoos -- or "too-toos," as she calls them -- after answering a Disney-related question correctly. Yeah, she knows her princesses.

It was a lot of fun, but I think we'll have to venture back over to Kidspace when there isn't a major holiday -- or football game -- going down. The hands-on aspect is perfect for my little SoCal adventurer.

Happy New Year!

Kidspace Children's Museum
480 N. Arroyo Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91103
626-449-9144
Admission: $10 for adults and children over age 1; free for children under 12 months