The Daily Five: Kids Countdown to Noon and Happy New Year!

1. Today will be mostly cloudy but dry, with just a slight 20 percent chance of rain tonight. The high temperature today will hit just 36 degrees, according to weather.com, with an overnight low of 31 degrees.

2. You may not want to keep the kids up until midnight but there's no reason your littlest ones can't celebrate the New Year a little bit earlier. The Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut on Main Street, Niantic, will be counting down to noon and ringing in the new year with games, songs, traditions, and family fun from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. today. The fee is $2 members, $9 nonmembers (which includes admission), or $35 maximum per family. 

3. If you're planning to go out to celebrate tonight, do be careful on the roads and have a designated driver if you're going to toast the New Year in a big way. The state police will be conducting extra roving DUI patrols tonight. 

4. There's no reason for anyone to be driving drunk tonight, especially because AAA has partnered with AmRide and Roncari Express Valet Parking to launch "Arrive Safe," a service intended to discourage drunken driving.

The program offers free rides home on New Year's Eve in your own car, with drivers provided by AmRide, a Rocky Hill-based company. Anyone in need a ride home on New Year's Eve can call AAA at 1-800-AAA-HELP (1-800-222-4357) to request it. Rides can't be pre-scheduled, but if you think you may need to use the service you can register in advance at amride.com to expedite the scheduling process.

Arrive Safe will operate on New Year's Eve, between the hours of 10 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31 and 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 1. Rides of up to 10 miles will be free to callers over age 21 from Hartford, Middlesex, Tolland, New London, and Windham counties. There will be a charge of $2.50 per mile for distances over 10 miles.

5. Happy New Year, everyone!