Weekend Planner: November 30-December 2

New Victory Theater -- Circus Oz -- by Rob Blackburn — Circus Oz at New Victory Theater, photo by Rob Blackburn

December is such an exciting time of the year. A ton of train shows, holiday performances, and winter-themed bashes will be cropping up all month long–but the rest of the city’s typical offerings keep going strong, too. There’s too much to include in our weekend highlights, so be sure to check our online calendar for the full scoop!

STARTING FRIDAY

Australia’s Circus Oz ups the ante at The New Victory Theater with a rock ‘n’ roll twist to the classic juggling, acrobatting, and trapezing. Hello, mate! (Friday-Sunday)

Have yourself a beary Christmas at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater’s “Three Bears Holiday Bash” puppet show, inspired by stories from Hanukkah and Kwanzaa as well as Christmas. Be prepared to sing along! (Friday-Sunday)

History gets festive at the NY Historical Society, whose Holiday Express Toys and Trains collection brings 1800s fun the to 21st Century. Get the scoop here. (Friday-Sunday)

STARTING SATURDAY

Learn to code for free with CoderDojo NYC, a collaborative non-profit that helps kids become tech-savvy. Here’s what you’ll learn about programming basics. (Saturday)

Get your locavore fix at the New York Hall of Science, which hosts a Farmer’s Market 2.0 about urban food growing and preparation. Who’s ready for some beekeeping and butter making? (Saturday)

Calling all “Nutcracker” fans: Joffrey Ballet School students perform a kid-friendly, 1.5-hour version of the holiday fairytale (Saturday), while The Peridance Capezio Center presents a modern rendition with hip hop, video images, and more (Sunday).

STARTING SUNDAY

Happy Hanukkah! What better way to celebrate than a night of candle making, dreidel decorating, and olive oil producing alongside a bevvy of performances? All at 92Y’s festival. (Sunday)

The 90-Second Newberry Film Festival at Symphony Space condenses hundred-page films into brilliant 90-second shorts. Did we mention they’re made by students? (Sunday)

Looking for an all-in-one indoor activity? The New York Public Library’s Open House, hosted at the midtown main branch, includes everything from circus acts to caroling to character visits. More here. (Sunday)

More museum goodness: Winter Family Day at The Morgan means a puppet show, holiday-themed readings, and kid-friendly exhibit tours. Get festive! (Sunday)

Enjoy the season’s most delicious and dazzling offerings on a 3.5-hour Christmas Lights & Cannoli tour through Brooklyn, complete with tasty bakery samples at the end. Yum! (Sunday)

BONUS TIPS

The city’s glittering trees make New York a real-life winter wonderland during the holiday season. Here are the must-sees for families.

December can only mean one thing: time for shopping! Make the most of NYC’s pop-up stores with our family guide to holiday markets.

Holiday fun isn’t just for weekends. This Tuesday, an Upper East Side block will be transformed into “Kid Row” for a Holiday Extravaganza with mini-manis, haircuts, art projects, shopping sales, and much more.

Weighing your child’s school options? Next Wednesday, one of the city’s top school advisers, Robin Aronow, is hosting a panel on District 3 and citywide options. Learn more here.

Speakitaly NYC

SPEAKITALY NYC offers stimulating and entertaining lessons for children 0 to 16 years through a wide combination of activities based on the communicative approach anchored in the Common European Framework of Reference: active learning (group work, role plays, etc.) and practice exercises aimed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Kids will start speaking and using Italian in a very natural way.&nbsp; Small classes capped at 6 students to make sure each one gets the needed attention and facilitate learners' progress.&nbsp; Our method is driven by a didactic method that is the result of constant updates, professional certifications and more than 10 years of experience in working with non-native speakers from different native languages and levels of knowledge. Our aim is to develop a range of Italian language skills while improving accuracy that will enable the students and participants to interact without stress or feeling rushed. We want to help those in the community really embrace not only the true culture in Italy but the Italian culture within New York City&hellip; Who doesn&rsquo;t love what Italy represents in the kitchen, in history &amp; in the arts? Speakitaly wants to support multilingual families who want to learn a new language or pass along their ancestor&rsquo;s heritage and culture. Raffaella, the founder said: "We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive society. Italian, like all other languages, is an enrichment and a growth in every way. Vi aspettiamo!"