If you have children who love to celebrate Halloween but aren’t such big fans of being scared, here are some books they can read with silly and kid-friendly stories about Halloween festivities, flying brooms, magic scarecrows, spooky buses and scaredy cats.

My best friend from childhood loves Halloween. A decade ago, Nake (his real name is Dave, but when I was 4 years old, I gave him a nickname for life, since it's tattooed on his fingers) decided to get married in Las Vegas on All Hallows' Eve.

A plastic pop bottle makes a great mini laboratory. That's what Lynn Brunelle discovered when she was head writer for "Bill Nye the Science Guy." As she and her colleagues talked at writers meetings, she kept using her water bottle to help demonstrate whatever experiment she was talking about.

Give your home a spooky vibe this Halloween season by creating glow-in-the-dark slime creatures. While making slime is a fun activity on its own, transforming it into shapes such as pumpkins, ghosts and bats is a bright, ghoulish delight.

CHICAGO – If one thing deserves to go on during this freak show of a year, it’s Halloween. Since March, I’ve been thinking about Halloween and what the coronavirus pandemic might do to it. Haunted houses, the resorts of older teens enamored of frights but not willing to dress up in silly costumes, are out.

An oncology nurse for 36 years, Vicki Dodson does far more than just listen to a cancer patient's story. Her longtime knowledge helps patients chart a treatment plan forward. Dodson, 60, works as a nurse navigator at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. In September, she received national recognition from CURE magazine.

Each year when the organizers of the One Heart Native Arts and Film Festival choose the theme for the event, they consider "What are the things that are resonating in the country today?" said executive director Josephine Keefe. This year it was the coronavirus pandemic, which Keefe said has hit Indian Country particularly hard.

If you’ve ever had a leg or an arm “fall asleep,” the nerves in your brain and body were sending you an important message. That’s what I found out from my friend Darrell Jackson, a researcher at Washington State University who studies how drugs affect the nervous system.

Sometimes your pup deserves a special treat. While there are plenty of commercially produced options, there are lots of recipes for making treats at home, said Raelynn Farnsworth, a clinical associate professor at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Recess is an important part of the day for students even when school is happening remotely. And, being active is important for adults, too. So, while so many people are learning and working from home, add family recess to the schedule. "It's just a great way to bring the family together," said Dr. Cicely White.

First it was toilet paper. Disinfectant wipes. Beans. Coins. Computers. Now, desks are in short supply because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gummies are all different shapes and flavors. Maybe you’ve had gummy worms, gummy bears or peach rings. It turns out gummies require just a few simple ingredients. That’s what I found out from my friend Connie Remsberg, a pharmacist at Washington State University.

Deciding to embark on an all-American road trip might sound odd during the novel coronavirus. Driving across the entire country seems insane during a pandemic until such a journey is analyzed. If we're primarily in our safe zone, our car, and make prudent decisions, we should be fine, we surmised.

Science can be explosively fun – and messy. That's what Molly Moore is learning. Moore, an education and enrichment librarian for the Spokane County Library District, is creating weekly Science From Home videos hoping to help children and families engage in STEM activities at home while many students are working remotely this fall.

This year's presidential campaign is like no other: The conventions were virtual, there's no baby kissing, and folksy diner visits are out. One other way that it will differ from those in the past quarter-plus century? There will be no first lady's cookie recipe contest sponsored by Family Circle.

Did your child struggle with virtual learning this past spring? Tears, anxiety and frustration? Parents felt extra pressure, too. Some families have mapped out better strategies for fall, and educators and parents share tips that can help make virtual school this time go smoother.