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Autumn is here, which means Halloween is fast approaching. You can help make this season extra special for your kids by getting them in the spooky spirit with some great Halloween reading, viewing and hands-on activities.

Eerie Reading

With all that homework that comes with a new school year, you may be hard pressed to get your kids to do any extra reading. However, a fun Halloween book will earn their attention. Check out “Professor Gargoyle: Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #1,” by Charles Gilman, the first in a new series about the strange world of a creepy middle school. With a science teacher who morphs into a monster before you even open the book, this is one book you can judge by its cover, and it may also inspire a great costume. A nod to H.P. Lovecraft, the iconic horror author of the 20th century, this book is ideal for boys and girls ages 10 and older. To learn more about the book, visit www.lovecraftmiddleschool.com.

Frightful Viewing

There’s nothing more evocative of the season than a Halloween movie. You can make a night of it at home with some popcorn and an old classic like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” or take the kids to the theater for a new tale. “Hotel Transylvania,” for example, a 3-D computer-animated film starring Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez, will make Dracula fun for kids.

Creepy Crafting

From carving your own Jack-o-Lanterns to designing your own Halloween costumes to adorning your house and yard with homemade decorations, Halloween presents the perfect opportunity to get creative with crafts. Encourage your kids to go the do-it-yourself route this year. Not only are homemade costumes so much more unique than store-bought costumes, they can be inexpensive to create and are a lot more satisfying to show off to friends. Safety note: let little ones design their own Jack-o-Lanterns and help you scoop out the pumpkin, but leave the actual carving to an adult. Great crafting ideas abound on the Internet, including costumes that require no sewing. For inspiration, visit www.parenting.com. Make this Halloween a memorable one for kids with some great new reads, films and crafts.

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Between gym class, sports practice and playing outside, your kids’ active lifestyles can leave them sweaty and soiled. While a shower does the trick of getting them fully clean, your wash cycle may not be getting their clothes clean -- at least not as clean as you think. According to experts, visible stains are just the tip of the iceberg, as hidden body oils and sweat get trapped deep in the fabric of clothes, even after washing. In fact, in an average wash load, the ratio of body oils and sweat to visible stains is 20 to one. Without taking proper measures, there’s a lot of grime you may be missing. So are you your kids’ clothes clean enough?

Here are four magic tricks from the experts at Sun Products, the makers of Wisk, to turn gross laundry into clean clothing:

1. Don’t wait! Laundry is a chore that’s easy to put off until later. But doing so can have a downside, most notably the smell. Don’t leave those hidden stains from sweat and body oils to fester. 

2. Don’t reuse clothing. A national survey by the makers of Wisk revealed that four out of five people admit to dirty laundry secrets like taking items out of the basket to wear, or reusing the same pair of socks for several days. While these items may look clean, they too may contain hidden body oils. Don’t leave the house wearing dirty laundry!

3. Use a powerful detergent. Look for a formula that goes beyond surface stains, seeking out and attacking trapped body oils and sweat. Wisk Deep Clean, voted the top laundry product of the year in a TNS consumer survey, uses a patented blend of microcleaners to deep clean the fibers of your clothes. More information can be found at www.wisk.com.

4. Maintain your washing machine. Considering all those grimy loads of laundry you’re doing should be motivation enough to keep your washing machine clean too! Every so often, run a cycle without laundry, adding white vinegar or lemon juice into the tub or detergent dispenser instead. Your machine will be cleaner and smell better as a result. You can find out how much gunk might be hiding in your clothes by visiting the Wisk Facebook page. It’s time to air out your active family’s dirty laundry. With the right tools and techniques, you can redefine what it means to be clean.

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For most Americans, politics can feel like a spectator sport, especially in an election year when so much news is devoted to the horse race. But there are many ways average citizens can take active and engaged roles in local, state and national politics. “We can’t just watch from the sidelines,” says Loren J. Enns, author of, “The Sword of Liberty,” a new novel which tells the story of an America where the government has been compromised by a cabal of debt-addicted politicians who must be stopped by regular citizens relying on the power of the Constitution. “Our founders gave us the emergency authority to reign-in the federal government.”

Here are some ways you can make your political voice heard:

• Vote: According to Census statistics, only 63 percent of citizens ages 18 years or older voted in the last presidential election. Every election you should go to the polls and take your children with you, so they learn an important civics lesson.

• Learn: Read history books to gain perspective and insight. Study the Constitution thoroughly and know your rights. Use Internet search engines to read up on everything from our founding fathers to current issues. “In fact, a long forgotten clause in the U.S. Constitution, Article 5, can be used to reconvene the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in order to bypass our government and ratify amendments,” says Enns, who is advocating for a new Constitutional Amendment to establish a national initiative process by which citizens could vote on federal legislation and a national recall process by which they could remove congressmen, senators and even the president from office.

• Meet Your Politicians: Did you know many politicians host open office hours when citizens can visit and have questions and concerns addressed? Find out when visiting hours are and make an appointment. Prepare by writing out what you plan to say. If meeting in person is not possible, write, call or email. • Stay Informed: Be an educated activist by keeping up with current events. Get news about the economy, health care, taxes and other issues that affect you from a variety of unbiased sources. “For example, today our national debt is skyrocketing toward $16 trillion,” says Enns. “And every taxpayer’s share is $139,000, with many therefore believing the government is driving America towards bankruptcy. And regular citizens actually can help change this.”

• Organize: There is strength in numbers. Get your friends together and start an organization. From the Occupy Wall Street movement to the Tea Party, recent years have seen grassroots organizations rise to national prominence. You can use online resources like Facebook and Twitter to quickly and inexpensively disseminate information about your events and issues you care about. “Years from now, when history books are written, what will they say about you?” asks Enns, whose new novel “The Sword of Liberty” is being published in paperback and as an eBook, available as a free download through November 6th from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and www.theswordofliberty.com/purchasebook.htm. If you don’t like the status quo, don’t be a passive complainer. Get involved and make a difference!