Alyssa Grossman

SaturdayFREE Visit Governors Island to ring in the start of the season. FREE Stop by and create a miniature sculpture garden.Get into the spirit at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. FREE Soak up some sun and entertainment at the .Amp up your amphibian knowledge at opening today at AMNH.Catch a and wool-spinning station at the Staten Island Zoo. SundayMove to the beat at 's family workshop at BAM or stay put with food and crafts. FREE Hear author 's newest tale at Community Bookstore in Park Slope. MondayFREE Take advantage of gratis admission at the .At in Tribeca, kids can get crafty in the name of patriotism.

With her spunky personality and endless energy, Debby Ryan is instantly welcoming. The Texas-born actor, who made her television debut as Baily on Disney's The Suite Life on Deck, is now celebrating her own series, Jessie, a show about a girl from Texas who becomes a nanny for a wealthy New York City family. We chatted with Debby about family, friends and her newest acting adventure, which premieres on the Disney Channel on Friday, September 30. You have such a big fan base of young girls. Is there a lot of pressure to be a role model to them? There's definitely an awareness. Not ten minutes goes by that I don't think about my fans. It's such a mirror, and you realize the effect not only on yourself, but on the world around you. But I'm not a controversial person. I'm different and I'm not afraid to be different. I work with kids and I see certain things, so I realize now why my mother was so horrified and overprotective of everything that I watched. You seem so mature for 18! Are you friends with other actors your age or do you gravitate more toward the older crowd? I have two close girlfriends who are my age, and otherwise most everyone else is two years older. They're people who, on a Friday night when they need to unwind and release some stress,  come over and play Apples to Apples and we bake brownies and jam on the piano. When you're in an industry where you're forced to grow up so quickly, part of you never grows up, and that's a good thing. Jessie is set in New York C

This upcoming Saturday and Sunday, January 7 and 8, are your last chances to catch acrobats, trapeze artists, jugglers and Grandma the clown showing off their talents under the big top during . Pint-size circusgoers and their families can still snag tickets to this city spectacle's 34th season. The best part? No seat is more than 50 feet from the action, meaning nobody needs binoculars. Go to bigapplecircus.org to purchase tickets. Fri Jan 7 at 11am, 3, 7pm. Sat Jan 8 at 12:30, 4:30pm. Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center.

From the city's best new sports hub for little athletes to a beer-garden in Brooklyn that's extremely kid-friendly, our best of 2013 list has something for every New York City family. Read on to see which attractions, birthday party entertainers, restaurants and other things to do in New York City our editors named the best of 2013. Plus, find out who took top honors in our best of 2013 readers' choice poll! 

Winter break is almost here (this year, public school students have off from Saturday, December 21 through Wednesday, January 1) and the city is full of holiday mini-camp options. We've found a great program for your little one, whether you have a young fashion designer or a wanna-be chef on your hands. Scroll through our slide show to read more about these ten outstanding programs. RECOMMENDED: All winter break activities for New York City kids