
As we welcome the much-anticipated cooler weather to our area, we usher in fun, family activities, and excitement for all this time of year offers. Kids are carefully planning their perfect Halloween costume, parents are ready to make that first pot of chili, and the entire family is eager to spend time outdoors after saying goodbye to the suffocating humidity of an Alabama summer. This month’s issue of River Region Parents will help you in the planning as you prepare to make the most of your October!
Our Fall Festivities and Halloween Fun Guide lists local and nearby pumpkin patches, church festivals, arts and crafts fairs, and other one-of-a-kind events you won’t want to miss. In addition, Katy Clark offers a unique take on the family walk in 8 Fall-Themed Walks to Explore Your Neighborhood. Your kids won’t be reluctant to take that stroll after you turn it into a Scavenger Hunt, Sensory Walk, or Nighttime Walk with flashlights in hand.
Fall also means your juniors and seniors are taking and retaking the ACT/SAT, sending out college applications, touring universities, and buckling down on their studies. In Countdown to College: Tips to Help Students Find Their Fit, Janeen Lewis offers guidance on choosing the right university and a timeline from freshman through senior year covering all the details of what needs to be accomplished.
Tying into the college article, be sure to read this month’s Tweens, Teens and Screens, where Kristi Bush discusses why Words Matter… Even Online. Our teens must know that what they post on social media follows them and can affect their college acceptance and future job opportunities. Kristi explains a term she uses in her conferences with students called “Screen Brave,” meaning our kids often text or post words they would never say in person and how these words can harm the receiver. In some cases, our children can even be held legally responsible for what they text/post. Review this article with your tweens and teens, so they will know just how much their “words matter.”
We hope your family enjoys October in the River Region. Our family caps this month off with a pot of my Turkey Chipotle Chili and a night of trick-or-treating! If you have a favorite chili recipe you’d like to share in next month’s issue, email me at deanne@riverregionparents.com. We’d love to feature your family in our November Dinner’s Ready column!