ART

SCULPTURE SESSION Children ages 6 to 12 can learn how sculptures are made and then create their own wire-based work at the workshop “3D and Me.” Young artists must attend with an adult companion. Saturday, 2-3:30 p.m., Dahesh Museum of Art, 580 Madison Ave., between 56th and 57th streets, 212-759-0606, free with museum admission, $9 general, $4 seniors, free for children under 12.

BOOKS

STORYTELLING ACROSS THE SEA The author and illustrator of “Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories” (Tuttle), Mingmei Yip, reads from her book and conducts a coloring activity. Her book focuses on characters including the goddess of the moon, Chang-E; the story of the Eight Immortals, and Guan Yin, goddess of compassion. Ms. Yip also gives a short performance on the qin, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. Saturday, 1 p.m., Museum of Chinese in the Americas, 70 Mulberry St. at Bayard Street, second floor, 212-610-4785, free with $3 museum admission, $1 children, reservations required.

CHANUKAH

MENORAH MEMORIES A Chanukah art fair for children ages 3 and older includes live music, arts and crafts, holiday storytelling, and tours of the Jewish Museum’s large collection of menorahs. Sunday, 1-4 p.m., the Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200, $4 each child.

FOOD & DRINK

GINGERBREAD PETS New York chefs create elaborate gingerbread homes for animals at a program sponsored by the Central Park Conservancy. The event benefits the city’s Picasso Fund, an organization that provides grants to shelters and rescue groups for homeless animals, and Rational Animal, which helps New York’s at-risk animals. Participating gingerbread creators range from the French Culinary Institute to the ASPCA. Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Central Park, the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, inside park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox avenues, 212-860-1370, free.

HEALTH

AIDS INFO Young people conduct a hearing on AIDS, sponsored by the peer education group Health People. “The Kids Commission on AIDS” features stories about how the disease affects children, one of the largest demographics of the infected. Tomorrow, 3:30-6 p.m., Health People, 560 Southern Boulevard at East 149th Street, 718-585-8585 ext. 237, free.

HOLIDAYS

BROADWAY BONANZA A sprawling Upper West Side holiday festival celebrating the arrival of winter follows the lighting of the tree at Lincoln Center (5:30 p.m., Josie Robertson Plaza, Columbus Avenue at 63rd Street). James Earl Jones reads holiday stories for children (6 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 66th Street and Broadway) and children ages 4 to 9 can enjoy short performances by the theater group the Paper Bag Players (6:15 and 7 p.m., American Bible Society, 61st Street and Broadway). An outdoor square dance puts the honkey tonk back in the holidays (6:30-8:30 p.m., 63rd Street and Broadway) and the soft-shoe continues when Dan Zanes & Friends play for an all-ages dance party in the hall at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (7-8 p.m., Columbus Avenue and 65th Street). Other highlights include a live carving of an ice sculpture, a Dixieland marching band, free snacks from local eateries, and lots of shopping. Tonight, 6-9:30 p.m., Broadway between Columbus Circle and 68th Street, 212-581-3774, free. See www.winterseve.com for more information.

CHOO-CHOO CHRISTMAS A model train exhibit at Citigroup Center celebrates the holiday in small scale. A miniature world decorated in the style of midcentury New York bustles with holiday activities. “High Noon” plays in a miniature drive-in 910 2050 1038 2060theater and children decorate a Christmas tree as the train winds its way through the scenery. Through January 1, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m., Citigroup Center atrium, 153 E. 53rd St. at Lexington Avenue, 212-559-1747, free.

MUSIC

SOCK SONGS The Dirty Sock Funtime Band celebrates the release of their album “Mr. Clown & the Day the Sun Got Wet” with a party and concert for children between ages 4 and 14. Sunday, 1:30 p.m. doors open, 2-3:30 p.m. concert, Dillon’s Restaurant & Lounge, 245 W. 54th St., between Eighth Avenue and Broadway, 212-591-2253, $12 in advance at www.theatermania.com, $15 at the door.

POETRY

WINTER VERSE The founding director of the children’s arts organization the Touchstone Center, Richard Lewis, reads poems for children ages 4 through 10 celebrating winter. Attendees also make their own small book of poems examining the season’s possibilities. Sunday, 11 a.m., Poets House, 72 Spring St., between Lafayette and Crosby streets, 212-431-7920, free.

SHOPPING

TOYS FOR TOTS Child magazine hosts a viewing party to unveil its picks for the best toys of the year. A raffle benefits the pediatric department at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Tomorrow, 5:30-6:30 p.m., the Greenhouse Spa, 127 E. 57th St., between Lexington and Park avenues, 212-499-1627, free.

THEATER

NEW NUTCRACKER “Clara’s Christmas Dreams” is a new adaptation of “The Nutcracker” that is told all in verse accompanied by music and dancing. E. Thomalen’s interpretation sets the story in Hamburg against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and follows Clara as she sinks into a high fever she caught when she brought presents to a nearby soldier’s hospital. The StageRight Productions show is intended for children between the ages of 4 and 14. Through Friday, December 31, Friday, 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, 1, 4, and 7 p.m., Sunday, 2 and 5 p.m., Monday, 7 p.m., occasional additional performances, the Theatre at Saint Clements Church, 423 W. 46th St., between Ninth and Tenth avenues, 212-352-3101, $50.

PIRATE PLAY A new 50-minute version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” includes updated dialogue and pop-rock musical arrangements. The musical is presented by the children’s theater company Inside Broadway. Saturdays through December 18, 10:30 a.m., Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St., between Hudson and Bleecker streets, 212-279-4200, $15.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.