We've got lots of interesting tidbits to share this Thanksgiving week. There's definitely some bad news, like the death of Long Island City graffiti mecca 5 Pointz, the passing of a beloved kid-lit author and the era of the three-minute middle school parent-teacher conference. But we've got some good stories to share, too, including a two-for-one ticket deal to Newsies, the opening of Manhattan's first-ever board game cafe and a new Chocolate Works is coming to Brooklyn Heights.

Thanksgiving isn't the only holiday we'll be celebrating this November. For the first time in more than a century, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are set to coincide. This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience—unless you plan to live another 70,000 or so years. That's the next time Thanksgivukkah is supposed to occur!

Hanukkah starts at sundown on Wednesday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Eve) and continues for eight nights and days, and there are lots of ways to mark the holiday beyond lighting your Menurkey at sundown every evening. In fact, a lot of the best Hanukkah fetes take place this coming Sunday before the holiday even officially begins. From fun-filled Jewish museum family days to giant menorah illuminations to Thanksgivukkah parties honoring both holidays, here are the top eight ways to celebrate Hanukkah with NYC kids.

The whole city seems to be gearing up for the holidays so it's no wonder our news post is filled with all kinds of seasonal tidbits. We've got the scoop on a new outdoor ice-skating rink at the South Street Seaport, a one-of-a-kind holiday illumination courtesy of the Museum of Mathematics and a clever Manhattan boy's new invention: the Menurkey. Plus, new FREE after-school programs at the New York Public Library, a big amendment to the mandatory kindergarten law, Cirque du Soleil's new girl-power spectacle and more.

We've got lots of museum news to share, including details about a new temporary location for the Sandy-ravaged New York City Police Museum. Plus, the sad closure of a beloved Washington Heights program; new high-end kids' stores (in case you were afraid there wouldn't be enough places to spend your money this holiday season); a new blog to help parents guide their teens through those prickly years; and training your tot to be a pinball wizard... or a teeny, tiny Terminator.

So your child wants to be a Jedi Master? My Star Wars-loving kids certainly do. In fact, one of my sons is so obsessed, last year he took a demo class with New York Jedi: The Light Saber Enthusiasts Collective, a group of cosplayers and martial artists who specialize in stage combat based on a mash-up of fencing, kendo and the world of Star Wars.

Since the New York Jedi have primarily worked only with adults, they made an exception for my son to take their Jedi training class, but apparently, my son wasn't the only underage aspiring Jedi in NYC. Demand for kids' classes was so great, New York Jedi is set to debut Saber Kids!, the first-ever five-week light saber stage combat training program aimed specifically at children ages 7 to 13. May the course be with you!

Tennis is one of those lifelong sports than can be learned and enjoyed at any age. The main thing you need is enough energy to run around the court—and kids have that in spades. Don't worry if your child isn't the next Serena Williams; tennis is a great sport for improving coordination, arm and leg strength, and sportsmanship. And aside from the racket, you don't have a ton of equipment to buy or lug around.

Summer is the perfect time for New York City kids to give the sport a try since there are a few FREE youth tennis programs plus inexpensive game play at public courts, which are already open for the season. Here's where kids can swing their tennis rackets in NYC.

I was born in the former Soviet Union and grew up speaking Russian with my parents in the U.S. Once I became a mom, I wanted to pass the language and culture on to my three children. But with a dad who only speaks English, that's proven to be tougher than I'd expected. On top of that, the age difference between my kids (the eldest is in eighth grade, the youngest kindergarten) means they're rarely interested in the same activities, so finding an all-ages Russian activities has been a challenge.

However, after years of personal research and experimentation, we've found several great programs that teach a combination of Russian language, Russian culture and even Russian-Jewish culture. Since June marks NYC's 11th annual Russian Heritage Month, this seems like the perfect time to give Russia some love. Here are five ways kids can experience Russian culture in New York City.

In the age of digital everything you might think old-school DJing with those shiny black things we called records would be dead and gone. But not so. There are a number of DJ schools in NYC that teach retro turntable action as well as digital music mixing via state-of-the-art technology.

While most of these programs are primarily aimed at adults, three Manhattan schools also offer classes for junior DJs. Mixing, blending, scratching and beats are just some of what participants learn, and by the end they have their own professionally recorded demos. (Too bad they'll need to wait until they're 21 to actually spin at a club.) Here are the top DJ classes for tweens and teens in New York City.