Dan Avery

The most important visitor of the Christmas season has arrived and magically, he seems to be everywhere. And why not? New York City has been Saint Nicholas's home away from home even before the editors of the New York Sun confirmed that, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," in 1897. We've rounded up a bunch of local spots where you can catch Claus, so you can skip that trip to the North Pole. ABC Carpet & HomeSat Nov 26--Sun Dec 18: Sat 10am--3pm; Sat 11am--3pm. 888 Broadway between 18th and 19th Sts (212-473-3000, abcsanta.wordpress.com). Free. Sporting a real beard and belly, this Santa has graced the design store's quirky Christmas cove for almost two decades. All tots who make it onto his nice list (i.e., everyone) receive handmade candy. Insider tip: The lighting here can be dim, so make sure your camera's flash is on. Beastly Breakfast with Santa at the State Island ZooSat Dec 17 8:30--10:30am. Staten Island Zoo, 614 Broadway between Clove Rd and Forest Ave, Staten Island (718-442-3100, statenislandzoo.org). $24. Pose for a complimentary photo with Santa and fill up on breakfast foods before embarking on a guided tour of the grounds. Preregistration required. Bloomingdale's, 59th StreetFri Nov 25--Fri Dec 23: Mon--Fri 10am--6pm; Sat, Sun 10am--6pm (Fri Dec 23 10am--noon). 1000 Third Ave between 59th and 60th Sts (212-705-2000, bloomingdales.com). Free; photo packages $20--$45.Macy's doesn't have a lock on Santa—he'll be stationed at Bloomingdale's eighth-floor Santa

Imagine SwimmingEven a winter baby can celebrate with a birthday pool party. The guest of honor and up to 24 friends get 45 minutes in the water at this indoor facility, where the child-to-instructor ratio is just four to one—so the swimming games are safely supervised. The package includes a separate playroom for after-swim treats and games. Cake and food aren't included, but Imagine's party planner can recommend area bakeries like Bubby's, Billy's or Tribeca Treats for a stress-free celebration. 40 Harrison St between Greenwich and West Sts (212-253-9650, imagineswimming.com). $900 for ten children, each additional child $20; up to 25 kids. ImaginOceanAvenue Q cocreator John Tartaglia has received much acclaim for this glow-in-the-dark musical about a trio of fish friends. Hour-long pre- and post-show birthday gatherings are held in a private party space; rates include decorations, a puppeteer or other party entertainer, and staffers to help with setting up, facilitating and cleaning up. An autographed ImaginOcean poster signed by Tartaglia for the birthday boy or girl and undersea goody bags for everyone seal the deal. Deluxe party packages throw in pizza and cupcakes, plus a meet-and-greet with the show's cast. Unfortunately, tickets to the show aren't included, but they're available at a discount. New World Stages, 340 W 50th St between Eighth and Ninth Aves(866-642-9849, imaginoceanthemusical.com). $400 for up to 12 people; $500 for up to 25 people. Deluxe party: $600

If your kids go wild for dinosaurs (and really, whose don't?), the American Museum of Natural History's newest exhibit will have them roaring with excitement. Opening April 16, "The World's Largest Dinosaurs" puts a spotlight on sauropods—tiny-brained, long-necked creatures that lived 150 million years ago and grew to be as long as 150 feet—with low-tech fossils, high-tech installations and a 60-foot dino model. The sauropods were a diverse group, ranging from the cow-size Europasaurus to the gigantic Apatosaurus (what we used to call the Brontosaurus). The show highlights one of the infraorder's most incredible members—the Mamenchisaurus—with a life-size model of a female; her elongated neck makes up half of her 60-foot length (see "Fossil factoids"). The model is split in half: On one side, visitors can examine the creature's exterior anatomy and skin texture, and on the other, view video projections illustrating its bones and internal organs. In addition to fossils, skin imprints, brain casts and other specimens, interactive elements give young visitors an idea of how the sauropods' size affected their metabolism, heart rate and other biological functions. Kids can control a pump linked to a computer-generated dino to see how much pressure it takes to send blood up the animal's long neck. To learn how the giants stack up to modern-day animals, museumgoers can weigh sauropod and giraffe vertebrae and compare the results, or view a dental display to see how an elephant's cho

Computers and Technology Hit the Decks at DubSpotIf your daughter was programming your iPod before she could walk, she's a shoo-in for a five-week class at this chill Chelsea DJ studio. Students are set up with Mac computers, and are schooled in mixing beats and scratching records with Serato Scratch Live before recording their own demo. Instructor DJ Reborn says learning how to count beats per minute can help kids with math and hand-eye coordination. And we're betting it won't hurt their coolness factor either. DubSpot, 348 W 14th St between Eighth and Ninth Aves (212-242-2100, dubspot.com). Sept 18--Oct 16, Sat 10--11:45am. $395 for five weeks. Ages 6 to 11. RoboFun StudioOver the course of nine weeks, kids work on three main projects in this high-tech class. First, they use prepared blueprints to build a Lego robot with RoboLab software; the process teaches basic computer programming, robotics and automation skills. Students are then taught how to incorporate sensors, gears and pulleys to create a stationary robotic project. For their final assignment of the semester they take what they've learned and create an original automaton of their own design. Can world domination be far off? We think not! RoboFun Studio, 38 E 23rd St between Broadway and Park Ave South (212-245-0444, robofun.org). Sept 28--Nov 30, Tue 4--5:30pm; or Sept 29--Dec 1, Wed 4--5:30pm. $345 for nine weeks. Ages 6 to 8. Cooking After-School Cooking Class at Taste BudsWe are by no means suggesting that you

Capoeira at the New York Capoeira CenterCapoeira got a bad rep after the 1993 action bomb Only the Strong, but the Brazilian martial art still enjoys a large following around the world. The first class is free at this Lower East Side studio, where Michael Goldstein (a.k.a. "Mestre Ombrinho") teaches capoeira Angola, a traditional method that incorporates self-defense, West African music, dance and sport in lively, ritualized game play. New York Capoeira Center, 107 Suffolk St between Delancey and Rivington Sts, third floor (212-677-2203, newyorkcapoeiracenter.com). Call for schedule and pricing. Ages 4 to 12. Circus Arts at Manhattan Movement and Arts CenterGot a kid who loves clowning around? Help her channel that energy with this introduction to the circus arts. Instructors guide tykes through warm-up stretches and cardio exercises before showing them big-top basics, like aerial silks, plate spinning, juggling and stilt walking. But the class teaches more than just showy acrobatics—it helps little ones build trust in each other and conquer their fears in a noncompetitive setting. Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, 248 W 60th St between Amsterdam and West End Aves (212-787-1178, manhattanmovement.com). Sept 13--Dec 18, Wed 4:30--5:30pm (ages 11--12); Thu 5:30--6:30pm (ages 8--10); Fri 3:30--4:30pm (ages 5--7). $630 for 14 weeks. Ages 5 to 12. KidFly at Espaa Streb Trapeze AcademyAre your kids swinging from the chandelier at home? Consider a less destructive way for them to

Art Animation at the Children's Museum of the ArtsFor six years, Joe Vena has run CMA's media lab, where he shows would-be Matt Groenings the ins and outs of claymation, cutouts, and other two- and three-dimensional animation techniques. Vena's an old pro, but the students call the shots here, mastering essentials like script development, voice work, sound and lighting. Some of the films have even made it into the Tribeca Film Festival. Children's Museum of the Arts, 182 Lafayette St at Grand St (212-941-9198, cmany.org). Sept 28--Dec 21, Tue 4--5:30pm. $425, members $380. Ages 6 to 12. Beginning Digital Photography at the JCC in ManhattanIn this weekly after-school program, shutterbug shorties learn the technical and aesthetic elements of good photography through a variety of indoor and outdoor assignments. You'll have to invest in a digital camera for your tween—but there's also a chance you'll never have to worry about red eye again. JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave between 75th and 76th Sts (646-505-4444, jccmanhattan.org). Sept 14--Jan 25, Tue 4:15--6:15pm. $650, members $610. Ages 8 to 10. Bronx River Art Center Located in a renovated warehouse on Tremont Avenue just a few blocks from the Bronx Zoo, this nonprofit specializes in ceramics, painting, digital photography and printmaking for children in grades four through 12. The center even has a cartooning class, where kids learn to create comic book characters. 1087 E Tremont St at Bronx St, Bronx (718-589-5819, bron

Dance Bounding Boys at the Ailey SchoolBilly Elliot aside, there's still a stigma against boys who are into ballet. That's why the famed Alvin Ailey academy offers this weekly lads-only class where graceful guys can improve coordination and rhythm with tumbling, music and movement. The best part? No auditioning is required. The Ailey School, 405 W 55th St at Ninth Ave (212-405-9000, theaileyschool.edu). Call for schedule. $880 per school year. Ages 4 to 6. Fairies & Fantasy at In Grandma's AtticIf ballet conjures up images of cutthroat competition and a struggle for perfection, think again. Director Deborah Bailay fosters a lifelong love for movement with her alternative creative ballet program, which focuses as much on the imaginative aspects of performance as on dance technique. On a typical day, wee ballerinas—and ballerinos, too—listen to a classic fairy tale, then bring it to life through improvisational dance, costumes and props. In Grandma's Attic, various venues (212-726-2362, ingrandmasattic.com). Schedules and pricing vary by location. Ages 3 to 6. Hip-Hop Dance at Brooklyn Arts Exchange Instructor Belinda He kicks out the jams in this body-rockin' class, where classic and modern urban-dance techniques are blended with freestyle movements. All routines are set to kid-friendly tracks. Brooklyn Arts Exchange, 421 Fifth Ave at 8th St, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-832-0018, bax.org). Sept 13--Dec 18, Sat 11:45am--12:45pm. $204. Ages 8 to 12. Indian Dance with NYC BhangraMe