Your kids will thank you later for giving them household chores

1. Spooky stories.

Who doesn’t enjoy a ghost story this time of year?

Ghosts of Snohomish Tours returns Oct. 20 and 27. The family-friendly storytelling tour, led by Snohomish resident Deverie Wood, will take you to several historic sites on First Street rumored to have ghostly activity.

The most notorious one is the Oxford Saloon, where 10 people are reported to have died, one of which was murdered.

Don’t worry — Wood keeps things PG for the kids.

Tours start at 2 p.m. at the Kaitlin Building, 122 Ave. A, Snohomish. Tickets are $15.

Call 206-920-2898 or email deverie@deveriewood.com.

2. Cha-ching!

Washington loves its tech companies. Especially those that are homegrown.

A business.org study tallied the favorite brands of each state in the U.S. In the Evergreen State, Amazon and Microsoft tied for most popular — which isn’t surprising considering both call the state home.

Yet, the Nike brand isn’t the most popular in its homestate of Oregon; the Beaver State’s top two are Honda and Intel.

More at www.business.org/marketing/advertising/most-popular-brands-in-each-state.

3. Chores for kids.

Keeping the family home clean requires a team effort. Experts say giving kids chores to do around the house teaches them how to cooperate, learn independence and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Here are examples of tasks tailored to a child’s age.

2-3: Pick up sticks in the yard and/or throw away trash.

4-5: Feed the pets, make their own beds and/or collect the mail.

6-7: Carry groceries, set and clear the table, put away laundry and/or water plants.

8-10: Clean bathroom mirrors, load and unload the dishwasher, vacuum rugs and/or take out the recycling and garbage.

Your kids might grumble now, but they’ll thank you later.

More at www.redtri.com.

— Evan Thompson, Herald writer