Picks of the Week: November 18-24

With Thanksgiving and Hanukkah just a hop, skip, and a jump away, the city has ratcheted up its family-friendly events and exhibits for the coming week. We’ve added an additional pick to this week’s post in honor of all the action around town. 10 more days ’til Turkey Day!

Through Sunday, February 23

12th Annual New York Transit Museum Holiday Train Show
Grand Central Terminal
8am-8pm
Whether you’re hopping on a train at Grand Central Terminal for the holidays or merely looking for something fun to do with the kids, the New York Transit Museum Holiday Train Show is just the ticket. This year, the show will be based on the children’s book Next Stop Grand Central by Maria Kalman. Tons of Lionel trains will chug from the terminal to the North Pole in this beloved holiday installation. Kids will also be able to participate in daily scavenger hunts throughout the station. Free.

Through Sunday, August 10

The Power of Poison
The American Museum of Natural History
10:30am-4:30pm, every half hour
Throughout history, poison has wreaked havoc in its countless forms, from the menacing rattlesnake to the seemingly unassuming skin of a mango. The American Museum of Natural History’s Power of Poison exhibit explores the role venom has played in nature, human health, literature, and myths. Learn about some of history’s most puzzling cases of poisoning, like Cleopatra’s notorious snakebite and Napoleon’s encounter with arsenic. Free with museum admission.

Saturday, November 23

7th Annual Children’s Book Fair
The Brooklyn Museum
12-4pm
Join more than 35 Brooklyn-based children’s book authors and illustrators for The Brooklyn Museum’s annual Children’s Book Fair. The fair will include books appropriate for toddlers through teens and will feature readings by Melissa Guion, Oliver Jeffers, and Adam Gidwitz. Stick around for a special performance of “Peter and the Wolf” by the Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra and The Maestrosities. Fair is free; tickets for “Peter and the Wolf” (includes museum admission) are $10 for kids 5-16 and $20 for adults.

Family Day at The Center: Make A Better City
The Center for Architecture
2-4pm
During Family Day at The Center for Architecture, ages 5 and up will have the opportunity to tour the center’s newest exhibit, Practical Utopias, which explores such Asian cities as Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo. Visitors will then create their own model NYC district, using cardboard and other household materials, based upon the exhibition’s innovative building designs. Preregistration is required. Admission is $20 for a family of 4 and $5 for each additional guest.

Saturday, November 23-Sunday, November 24

The Little Orchestra Society: Stravinsky’s “Firebird”
New York City Center
11am & 1pm Saturday;1pm Sunday
The Little Orchestra Society and the New York City Center invite ages 6 through 12 to their production of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird.” Guest conductor David Alan Miller will lead the orchestra, while puppets stage the ballet’s action. This production is the first of the society’s three-concert series, Happy Concerts for Young People. Tickets start at $17.

Sunday, November 24

Chanukah Festival & Mitzvah Day
92Y
10:30am
Celebrate the Festival of Lights during 92nd Street Y’s annual Chanukah Festival & Mitzvah Day! All ages are welcome to make their own “menurkey” (a menorah in the shape of a turkey), decorate dreidels or spinning tops, and munch on latkes and jelly doughnuts. Families can also engage in community service activities in honor of Mitzvah Day. Attendees are encouraged to bring an unwrapped, unopened toy with them for 92Y’s Chanukah Toy Drive. Admission is $10 for adults and $15 for children.