Family
Carve Out More Family Time This Halloween
Last Updated on October 24, 2025 by Daily News Staff
(Family Features) By the time Halloween rolls around, many families are deep into the hustle and bustle of the school year. The holiday provides a great opportunity to focus on family and spend some quality time together.
Shared experiences bring loved ones closer, and Halloween is a perfect time for doing something with the people in your life who matter most, whether it’s your immediate family, college family, friends, siblings or extended family.
These family-friendly activities can help you create some special spooky memories this Halloween with your friends and loved ones:
Halloween Tips:
Visit local attractions. Many communities offer seasonal events or destinations where you can find all kinds of family fun while enjoying a refreshing autumn afternoon. Some popular examples include corn mazes, pumpkin patches and haunted houses. You might also find other attractions such as hayrides and petting zoos.
Decorate pumpkins. Designing the perfect jack-o’-lantern or pumpkin creation can be fun for the whole family. Toddlers and younger children can express their creativity through painting, stickers and accessory kits while older children and young adults may find carving kits to be more their style. Consider the options from Pumpkin Masters, which creates new products every year so you can always find something fresh each Halloween. For example, Premium Sticker Patterns make it easy to peel, stick and carve with pattern transfer sheets while options like Mummy Carving and Decorating Kit or Unicorn Decorating let little creatures in on the fun.
Go trick-or-treating together. Participating in this age-old tradition as a family can make for a fun evening of joy and laughter. You can also incorporate numerous teachable moments, including reminders about safety around strangers and when crossing the street, practicing manners like please and thank you or taking turns ringing doorbells with friends or siblings.
Watch scary movies. Whether you relive your own youth by introducing your kids to the classics or explore more contemporary flicks, gathering the group around the screen for a frighteningly fun movie night can appeal to the whole family. With so many options available, you can easily find something age-appropriate for your little ones – just be sure to add some seasonal snacks to make the night complete.
Find more ideas to inspire quality time with family this Halloween at pumpkinmasters.com.
Recycle Your Pumpkin
Once the holiday fun is done, you may wonder what to do with your leftover pumpkin (and the insides, too). Consider these ideas:
Bake the seeds. Whether you eat them yourself or share them with local wildlife, roasted pumpkin seeds provide a tasty treat. They’re delicious with a light coating of olive oil and salt, or you can get creative with seasonings and spices.
Make slime. The stringy, gooey insides of a pumpkin make for a ghoulish bowl of goopy guts, perfect for Halloween pranks. You can use the pulp in its natural form or search for recipes that add ingredients like glue, water and baking soda for even more texture.
Compost it. Pumpkins generate organic waste, so adding them to a compost bin (or burying them) can be quite beneficial for the soil. Either option returns organic matter to the Earth, rather than heaping it into a landfill where it’s just adding to accumulating food waste.
Create a planter. If you save the pieces carved from your jack-o’-lanterns, you can use a toothpick to secure them in place. Then you’ll be left with a vessel that’s perfect for using as a seasonal planter. Add some mums or other autumn blooms and enjoy them throughout the fall.
Donate to a nearby farm. Pumpkins can be a tasty treat for wildlife and livestock. If you don’t have animals like bunnies and squirrels to share your pumpkin with in your own backyard, check with area farms to see if they’d like your leftover pumpkins to use as food for the animals.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images (mother and child painting pumpkins)
SOURCE:
Pumpkin Masters
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News
Money Management: The Importance of Financial Literacy
You may have mastered the core subjects like math and grammar in school, but financial literacy – or understanding the basics of money management in order to help you make better financial decisions – often goes overlooked before adulthood. It’s not so much a course of study as it is a plan of action. When you understand how to earn, save, spend and invest wisely, you aren’t just building a stable future for yourself, but your family and community as well.
(Feature Impact) You may have mastered the core subjects like math and grammar in school, but financial literacy – or understanding the basics of money management in order to help you make better financial decisions – often goes overlooked before adulthood. It’s not so much a course of study as it is a plan of action.
Financial literacy in the United States has remained stagnant at generally low levels for several years, according to research from TIAA Institute and the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, with even lower levels among Gen Z. Yet greater financial literacy – including key aspects such as goal-setting, budgeting, saving, credit management and investing – is strongly linked to better financial outcomes, including lower rates of debt constraint and financial fragility.
While emboldening yourself to understand financial terms can be a little overwhelming at first, once you have a grasp of basic concepts you can begin to get a handle on your money and make better financial decisions. Simply put: When you understand how to earn, save, spend and invest wisely, you aren’t just building a stable future for yourself, but your family and community as well.
From nonprofit partnerships to volunteer-led programs and fee online resources, Schwab and its employees help millions of people every year build the knowledge and confidence to take charge of their financial futures by serving as board members, mentors, role models and educators.
Because financial health is a lifelong journey, the earlier people learn vital money skills, the better. That’s why the financial advisory services provider develops education programs geared toward kids that continue into adulthood, helping people no matter where they are on their journeys.
Talk Money
It’s never too early to start a conversation about financial literacy. Having teens identify goals that are important to them – such as concert tickets or a first car – can kickstart coversations about money. Working with your child (and a financial advisor, if necessary) on a plan for saving to realize those goals can serve as a jumping off point. After achieving some success, their enthusiasm may grow, which is a powerful motivator to keep saving.
Support School Initiatives and Programs
Outreach programs that empower young people to make smart financial decisions is key to a bright future. Programs like Money Matters – Schwab’s flagship financial education program utilized by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America – gives young people hands-on experience with all aspects of money and investing.
This example, and others, don’t just include program funding – they build partnerships that create impact and opportunity with national collaborations that reach more than 17 million youth annually, empowering young people with the tools and confidence to make smart financial decisions for life.
Spread the Financial Love
Championing financial literacy empowers everyone – individuals, families and communities. By serving as a board member, mentor, role model or educator to help bring financial literacy to others in your community, you can supply the tools and knowledge to lead programs that focus on giving back, empowering future generations in countless ways.
To learn more about financial literacy and find resources to empower your local community, visit SchwabMoneywise.com.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
SOURCE:
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
child education
Making the Grade: How High-Impact Tutoring Builds Student Success
Student Success: If your child is struggling in school, it can feel overwhelming to know how to help. One approach many schools are turning to is high-impact tutoring, also known as high-dosage tutoring.
Making the Grade: How High-Impact Tutoring Builds Student Success
(Feature Impact) If your child is struggling in school, it can feel overwhelming to know how to help. Learning gaps can grow quickly, confidence can slip and what should be simple can start to feel frustrating for both students and parents. But families don’t have to solve this alone. Schools and districts play a critical role in providing the right support. One approach many schools are turning to is high-impact tutoring, also known as high-dosage tutoring.
Backed by extensive research, high-impact tutoring has emerged as one of the most effective school-based strategies for accelerating learning. Studies from EdResearch for Recoveryshow students who participate can gain the equivalent of 3-15 additional months of learning in reading and math within a single school year, making it a powerful tool for accelerating learning and closing achievement gaps.
This type of enrichment goes beyond merely homework help and is vastly different than traditional tutoring. Offered during the school day, many schools and districts across the country are starting to offer proven, structured high-impact tutoring programs by partnering with organizations like Catapult Learning, a leader in providing education solutions that generate demonstrable academic achievement and better life outcomes for students.
Consider these benefits of high-impact tutoring:
Small Group, Big Leaps
A number of factors set high-impact tutoring apart from traditional tutoring. To start, high-impact is most effective when it’s delivered during the school day (either on-site, live virtually or hybrid) in small group settings. Secondly, each session occurs up to five times per week and can be 20-45 minutes in duration. This type of small group instruction delivered with frequency and consistency isn’t just a supplement to classroom learning – it creates a pathway toward academic goals that may not have existed before.
Trusted Tutors, Real Progress
For families, finding the right tutor can feel overwhelming. Vetting private tutors, managing schedules and evaluating quality can be a time-consuming, uncertain exercise. School-based high-impact tutoring removes that guesswork. Districts partner with experienced education organizations to provide vetted, highly trained tutors, structured instructional materials and ongoing progress monitoring.
Through partnerships with school districts nationwide, Catapult Learning helps deliver structured, research-based high-impact tutoring programs that are designed to support students in reading and math, aligning with classroom goals to ensure learners of all skills and abilities receive the right support at the right time. Plus, its research-based instructional materials – combined with exemplary tutors and real-time accountability – allow families to benefit from clear insights into their child’s growth through real data and measurable outcomes.
Flexible and Accessible
High-impact tutoring has the added benefit of being flexible, accessible and less taxing on parents. Because it’s designed to be built directly into the school day, there are no extra trips, costs or added scheduling stresses for families. It’s a hassle-free way for students to get the help they need without burdening parents or caregivers.
Proven Results
The urgency for high-impact tutoring has only increased in the years following the pandemic. The widespread instructional disruptions left countless students with unfinished learning and specific skill gaps traditional classroom time can’t always address. High-impact tutoring offers a targeted way to make up for educational losses and promote equity by providing intensive, individualized instruction to the students who need it most.
Research shows high-impact tutoring is now recognized as the most effective school-based strategy for accelerating learning in reading and math for struggling students. Multiple studies confirm that well-designed tutoring programs produce measurable learning gains.
While many school districts face challenges in providing consistent, high-quality academic support due to limited capacity, staffing and resources, programs implemented by Catapult Learning have demonstrated students can achieve up to eight additional months of learning in reading or math within a single school year. In practical terms, this means students can make accelerated progress toward grade-level expectations, strengthen foundational skills and build confidence in the classroom – all within the structure of the regular school day.
As more schools adopt this approach, families can check with their district to learn whether high-impact tutoring is available. To better understand how these programs are delivered in schools, visit catapultlearning.com for additional information.
SOURCE:
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
New hybrid event aims to give grieving audiences meaningful holiday viewing, with films from more than 25 countries and a mission centered on love, loss, and emotional truth.
A new film festival debuting in late 2026 is taking a different approach to holiday entertainment. Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival, created by My Grief Angels Inc., is being introduced as what organizers believe is the world’s first film festival dedicated entirely to grief, remembrance, resilience, and healing.
The hybrid festival will run in two segments: November 25–29, 2026, during Thanksgiving week, and December 24, 2026, through January 3, 2027, during Christmas and New Year’s. Top Honors films will be announced on December 31, 2026.
Organizers say the timing is intentional. Research cited in the announcement shows that grief and loneliness are major holiday stressors for many Americans, making the season especially difficult for people coping with loss. In that context, Grief Fest™ is positioning itself as an alternative to the flood of traditional feel-good holiday programming.
The festival is open to short films, features, documentaries, experimental work, AI-generated projects, and VR experiences. It is described as inclusive, non-religious, and LGBTQ+ friendly, with submissions already received from more than 25 countries. All films will be presented in English, either spoken or subtitled.
Grief Fest™ will be available both in person and virtually through Film Festival Plus, making it accessible to audiences worldwide. The launch of GriefFest.com also includes Lumen, a multilingual AI guide designed to help filmmakers and attendees navigate the festival in their preferred language.
Rather than focusing on industry prestige, organizers say the festival is centered on community and emotionally honest storytelling. For audiences who feel unseen during the holidays, Grief Fest™ is aiming to offer something rare on the seasonal screen: recognition.
Source: PR Newswire
Related Reading
- Grief Fest: Official festival site
- My Grief Angels Inc.: About the nonprofit behind the festival
- Film Festival Plus: Virtual access platform
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