There are many fun, free activities that you can do as a family. All that is required is a bit of imagination and some time set aside for fun. And the best part is that these are the kind of memories a child will remember for a lifetime.

Family game night

    Find out any of the games that are already around the house. Kids often get computer games for Christmas or birthdays, and would love to have a chance to play with their family. Or, make up some games of your own. “Charades” is a fun game to play that will challenge a child to use his/her imagination. Divide the family into teams and let each team come up with words that the other has to act out.

Family art time

    Pick some time for the family to sit down and come up with their own masterpiece. It doesn't need to be just a drawing -- take some old magazines sitting around the house, let the kids cut out pictures and paste them into their own montage. Or, use items from nature. Let them use leaves, pine cones, twigs and whatever else they can find to create something from their imaginations.

Family Picnic

    Taking the family for a picnic is a great way for some fun that doesn't cost any money. If the weather is nice, take them to a park or playground and let the kids have a day of playing. Or, if it is the middle of winter and a foot of snow is on the ground, set up a picnic in the living room.

Family Field Trip

    A family field trip doesn't have to cost a dime. Ask a nearby farm if it would be alright to bring your kids out for a tour and to see some of the animals. Or take them to a park and make a scavenger hunt where they need to find certain items from nature. Ask a local business if you could bring the family for a tour to see how things work -- you might be surprised at the number of people who would be thrilled to share what they do with others, and it could be an interesting lesson for the kids.

    In England, people are fond of sport. In other words, lots of English people like the idea of sport and watch sport on TV. But the number who take part in sport is quite small. On the whole, English people prefer to be fat rather than be thin.

    The most popular sport in England is football. Football is played on Saturday afternoon in most towns and the supporters of a certain team will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their team play. There are four divisions(级别) of the football league. Not surprisingly the best teams are in the first division. But the best supporters are often in the fourth division. You have to be a good supporter to watch the fourth division football!

    Many other sports are also played in England, such as golf, in which you try to knock a ball into a hole; basketball, in which you try to get a ball through a net; tennis, in which you try to hit a ball so that your opponent(对手) can not hit it. As you see, if the ball had not been invented, there would have been no sport.

    Actually, that is not quite true. Athletics(田径) isn't played with a ball, nor horse-racing. Perhaps that is why they are not as popular as football!

    Sunrise Hike

Saturday, October 21, 6:45 am—7:45 am

    Enjoy sunrise from the hilltop as you learn about wildlife, plants, history and forest. Ages 8 and up; under 18 with an adult. To register (报名)by phone, call 630-933-7248.

    Meet in the parking lot on the west side of Greene Road south of 79^th Street. Dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes and bring water.

    Trick or Treat

Saturday, October 28, 9:00 am—11:30 am

    You and your family are invited to join the YMCA for a Halloween hike up Badger Mountain! Make sure to wear your Halloween costumes (戏装)!

    Free shirts for the first 200 kids registered. Remember to take away your shirt by 11:30 am or it will be given away.

    Cost: Trick or Treat is a FREE event.

    Discovery Hike

Thursday, October 26, 1:00 pm—4:00 pm; Ages 3-8

    Fall is pumpkin time. Listen to a pumpkin story and learn how pumpkins grow. Then we will head out on the path in search of a little pumpkin just for you and maybe, we will find the great pumpkin along the way. $7 per child.

    Harvest Day Camp

Monday, October 31, 8:00 am—5:00 pm

    Harvest Camp is an opportunity for children aged 5-13 to find the wonder of autumn at Keystone Science School and enjoy all the fun the Halloween season offers. We'll explore the ways our natural environment has changed from summer to fall. As always, our programming is focused on building skills, knowledge and confidence. Cost: $0.00.

    Tess was eight years old. Her little brother Andrew was very sick and their parents were completely out of money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother, "Only a miracle can save him now."

    Tess took her money and made her way six blocks to Rexall's Drug Store.

    "And what do you want?" the chemist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen for ages."

    "Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really sick. He has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?"

    "We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the chemist said, softening a little.

    "Listen, I can help you." The chemist's brother was a well-dressed man. He asked Tess, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"

    "I don't know," Tess replied. "Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."

    "How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago. "One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more, if I need to."

    "Well, what a coincidence (巧合)," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents － the exact price of a miracle for your little brother. Take me to where you live. Let's see if 1 have the kind of miracle you need."

    That man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon in neurosurgery (神经外科). The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well．

    Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost… one dollar and eleven cents… plus the faith of a little child.

    Nezha is the subject of the latest feature, which officially opens in cinemas in China on Friday. Nezha has earned hot reviews and is ranked higher than Monkey King: Hero is Back. It is also China's first 3D animated feature film released in IMAX format.

    Since July 13, previews of the film have taken more than 140 million yuan at the box office and the film has a score of 8.8 points (out of 10) on China's largest filming rating site, Douban. It took Jokalate Yang Yu, the film's director and screenwriter, two years to improve the script (剧本) of Nezha, and the film was in production for three years. It is the most complex animated production ever made in China. Nezha has more than 1,300 special effects shots, and it took over 20 Chinese special-effects studios, employing more than 1,600 people, to realize the film's fairy tale setting, the mysterious Dragon King's palace and a fight between fire and water. One splendid scene alone took two months to complete.

    Yang made up his mind to produce an animated film on the theme of breaking the traditional styles and changing fate to the opposite. Yang chose Nezha as his vehicle, the representative of the rebellious (叛逆的) but righteous youth. However, compared with the original novel and past animated versions, the relationships between the characters are given modern meaning. In Yang's film he is fighting prejudice: Nezha is hated and feared. But Nezha believes his fate is not predetermined and that he can choose to be a devil (恶魔) or a god.

    "After watching so many domestic animated films, only Nezha and Monkey King: Hero is Back have made me fascinated," a Weibo user commented under the promotional video.

    "Epic! I finished watching Nezha in tears. The content-rich story, vivid characters, and amazing visual effects, work together to create a 110-minute roller-coaster (过山车) watching experience," a Douban user commented.

    "Bravo! Couldn't believe a domestic animated film can be created with such a well-developed story. The image of Nezha in this film has been overturned but his rebellious spirit is well-established. I'm sure Nezha is gonna go viral this summer!" reads another comment on Douban.

Each day, 10-year-old Seth asked his mom for more and more lunch money. Yet he seemed skinnier than ever and came home from school hungry. It turned out that Seth was handing his lunch money to fifth grader, who was threatening to beat him up if he didn't pay.

Most kids have been made fun of by a brother or a friend at some point. And it's not usually harmful when done in a playful and friendly way, and both kids find it funny. But when teasing becomes hurtful, unkind, and constant, it crosses the line into bullying and needs to be stopped.

Bullying is intentional torment(折磨)in physical or psychological ways. It can range from hitting, name-calling and threats to blackmailing(勒索)money and possessions. Some kids bully others by deliberately separating them and spreading rumours about them. Others use social media or electronic messaging to make fun of others or hurt their feelings.

It's important to take bullying seriously and not just brush it off as something that kids have to tolerate. The effects can be serious and affect kids' sense of safety and self-worth. In severe cases, bullying has contributed to tragedies, such as suicides and school shootings.

Kids bully for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they pick on kids because they need a victim—someone who seems emotionally or physically weaker, or just acts or appears different in some way—to feel more important, popular, or in control. Although some bullies are bigger or stronger than their victims, that's not always the case.

Sometimes kids bully others because that's the way they've been treated. They may think their behavior is normal because they come from families or other settings where everyone regularly gets angry and shouts or calls each other names.

Unless your child tells you about bullying—or has visible injuries—it can be difficult to figure out if its happening.