The November/December 2016 Issue Of New York Family

nyf_1216_c1 — Photo by Erica Berger Photography. Latham Thomas wears an Alexander McQueen dress from Neiman Marcus Paramus, a Satya Twena hat, and Stephanie Kantis earrings. DJ Fulano wears a Ralph Lauren Kids shirt, jacket, and jeans, and his own brooch.

FEATURES

In The Glow: Wellness maven and noted doula Latham Thomas fuels her success with purpose, passion, and holistic values—all while raising the coolest kid in NYC

Party Lines: Our favorite birthday party themes and venues promise to deliver tons of fun for kids of all ages

The Spirit Of The Season: Four worthy local charities showcase the joy and necessity of giving back

Learning Curve: Top NYC schools talk about this year’s biggest educational trends

Teaching Differently: Evidence-based instruction opens doors for students with special needs

Making A Mitzvah: From flashy fun to traditional elegance, our top picks for where to host your bar or bat mitzvah celebration are sure to delight–plus, planning tips and a practical worksheet for your budget

FAMILY FUN GUIDE

15 Events For Winter: The New York Botanical Gardens’ Holiday Train Show, Circus der Sinne’s “Mother Africa,” and more

Home For The Holidays: Our annual guide to New York City’s best holiday happenings—tree lightings, Santa sightings, ice skating, and more

GIFT GUIDE

The Nice List: Our guide to the holiday season’s most unique, educational, and fun toys for all ages

All That Glitters: Delight the deserving parents in your life with gifts that surprise, sparkle, and inspire

HOME & AWAY

Quality Time: Celebrate the holidays in the sweetest way with a cozy DIY hot cocoa bar that’s as fun to set up as it is to enjoy

Real Estate: Part II of our guide to NYC’s most impressive new residential buildings

COLUMNS

Editor’s Note: Winter wonders

Events & Offers: Our upcoming Camp Fairs, Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, and two big holiday giveaways (Rockettes tickets and tickets to “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical”

Scoop: A Martha Stewart-approved meal-kit delivery box, the coolest local kids’ clothing line, a great babysitting app, a hip children’s book, and a new science facility

Spotlight: Gymnastics: Inspired by the #FinalFive at last summer’s Olympics, we asked young gymnasts from popular local programs to showcase their favorite skills

Parent In Profile: Darcy Miller’s Celebrate Everything aims to inspire, delight, and show families how they can DIT (Do It Together)

Good Idea: With his Grammy-winning original songs and a hit kids’ TV show, Tim Kubart steps into the “kindie” music spotlight

Special Place: Creative Play for Kids offers a dynamic developmental program for growing minds

Education: Insider tips for choosing the best boarding or country day school for your child

Wellness: When your child shows signs of a food allergy, don’t panic—get educated

Last Word: A mother delights in watching her introverted son find a like-minded best friend

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That's Mandarin

That's Mandarin is one of the oldest Chinese language schools in China. With a unique approach to language learning and our own in-house teaching methodologies; we aim to be not only the most experienced, but also one of the best Mandarin schools in China! We focus on providing the smoothest service and the best teaching experience to all our students; no matter whether they are studying Chinese online with our innovative online language learning system or at one of our Chinese language schools in China. Founded in 2005, That&rsquo;s Mandarin has been delivering excellence in Chinese teaching for over 15 years to more than 30,000 students of different nationalities. We now have schools in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen with plans to open more locations in more cities soon.&nbsp; &nbsp; COURSE INFO&nbsp; Learn Chinese online and enjoy private online classes with our professional native Chinese teachers anytime, anywhere. Our Online Chinese Course is perfect for students abroad who want to learn Chinese remotely. Besides, online Chinese classes are also a great opportunity for those who don&rsquo;t have enough time to come to our Mandarin school. By using That&rsquo;s Mandarin special learning platform, you can have online Mandarin classes with our teachers anytime and anywhere.&nbsp; &nbsp; We Offer：&nbsp; &bull; Standard Chinese Course&nbsp; &bull; HSK Preparation Course&nbsp; &bull; Chinese Course for Kids&nbsp; &bull; Chinese Course for Corporate Clients&nbsp; &nbsp; All lessons are private Chinese classes with certified native Chinese teachers with 24/7 access to our online system.&nbsp; For every new student we offer a free trial lesson with us.&nbsp; &nbsp; Online Classes Content:&nbsp; &nbsp; REAL-LIFE PRACTICE&nbsp; &bull; Communication skills&nbsp; &bull; Speaking practice&nbsp; &bull; Real-life situations&nbsp; &bull; Modern Chinese expressions&nbsp; &nbsp; LANGUAGE LEARNING&nbsp; &bull; HSK Vocabulary&nbsp; &bull; Daily Vocabulary&nbsp; &bull; Useful Grammar&nbsp; &bull; Set Phrases&nbsp; &bull; Slang &amp; Idioms&nbsp; &nbsp; CULTURAL ELEMENTS&nbsp; &bull; Chinese culture&nbsp; &bull; Natural wonders&nbsp; &bull; Famous sights&nbsp; &bull; Festivals &amp; traditions&nbsp; &bull; Classic literature, opera &amp; art&nbsp; &nbsp; HEATED DISCUSSIONS&nbsp; &bull; Discovering interesting topics&nbsp; &bull; Discussing global topics&nbsp; &bull; Social phenomena&nbsp; &bull; Cultural differences&nbsp; &nbsp; How&nbsp;much?&nbsp; The price starts at $24. &nbsp; When?&nbsp; The schedule depends on your availability as the course is fully customized.&nbsp; &nbsp; Where?&nbsp; We use our in-house digital platform NihaoCafe to help you connect with your teacher, review class notes, and schedule classes.&nbsp; &bull; Online Chinese Class content and teacher&rsquo;s notes automatically get recorded into the system, so it&rsquo;s easy to review your classes&nbsp; &bull; There&rsquo;s a huge teaching resource database, so you can prepare for your future online Chinese classes in advance&nbsp; &bull; There is an online course arrangement system that manages your booked Chinese classes &ndash; to guarantee that wherever you are, you and your teachers can stay informed about the online Mandarin class schedule and changes&nbsp; &bull; Teachers can also add their own courseware including webpages, PowerPoint presentations, videos, etc. into the system anytime&nbsp; &nbsp; &bull; Our professional IT team is online 24 hours a day, ready to solve any unexpected issues&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; CONTACT: &nbsp; Website: https://www.thatsmandarin.com&nbsp; Email: [email protected]&nbsp; &nbsp; Phone: +86 10 8448 9799&nbsp;

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Looking for something to do with the kids in New York City that is fun, exciting, and educational? The Intrepid Museum offers family-friendly activities and programs all year long that keep children engaged, entertained, and curious about history and science. Fun rain or shine, the Museum offers both indoor and outdoor interactive exhibits and activities. With so many things to do and see, you&rsquo;ll never hear &ldquo;I&rsquo;m bored,&rdquo; when you climb aboard Intrepid. A non-profit, educational institution featuring the legendary aircraft carrier Intrepid, the space shuttle Enterprise, the world&rsquo;s fastest jets and a guided missile submarine.

Cucu's PlayHouse

<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;">Interactive, live-streaming music and movement class in Spanish for babies, toddlers and preschoolers! Join us every day from Monday through Saturday at 1:30 pm EST to sing, dance and play together while learning Spanish from your home.</div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;">&nbsp;</div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;">This class is part of a Spanish Immersion Program where your child will be introduced to basic concepts like the animals, colors, numbers and letters. All of these through the universal language of Music. Each session is fun, interactive and engaging. A selection of Children Songs in Spanish guides the class from start to finish. Activities are related to the lyrics, in order to familiarize the children with the words and their meanings. Some of the songs encourage the children to dance. Nilda uses puppets, musical instruments, and props to teach children basic vocabulary through action and interaction, rather than through translation.</div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;"> The classes are streamed on Zoom's webinar platform. Participants (children, parents, nannies) are able to join the video from their homes and interact with us in real-time, it is a fun and engaging experience.</div>