parents Archives - ThePhillyFiles.com

July 26, 2020

Emotionally preparing your children for back-to-school season

Between sheltering-in-place, online learning and time away from friends, many children will need a little extra support as they head back to school this…

July 25, 2020

Create a family-friendly ‘staycation’

5 ways to fill your home with happiness With summer vacations looking a little different this year, infusing new energy into playtime – and…

April 10, 2020

Now is the time to teach at-home nutrition

With a lot of parents facing the challenge of keeping housebound kids happy and healthy, this is the perfect time to teach kids the…

October 29, 2019

Cops mean candy on Halloween night!

PHILADELPHIA — Kids of all ages may want to keep an extra eye out while trick-or-treating on Thursday night, always for safety but especially…

October 11, 2019

Students at schools closed due to asbestos will go to new schools

Benjamin Franklin High will start this Monday, and Science Leadership Academy should be ready the following Monday SPRING GARDEN — Students from the two…

October 5, 2019

Asbestos means no classes until at least Thursday at 2 Philadelphia schools

SPRING GARDEN — One construction issue at Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin High School and Science Leadership Academy delayed the start of the school year, and…

October 2, 2019

Another 2 days off at 2 Philadelphia schools with asbestos problem

UPDATE — Wednesday, it was decided there will be no classes for the rest of the week for students at Ben Franklin High School…

September 3, 2019

Man accused of shooting father to death back from Massachusetts and charged

BUSTLETON — The man arrested in Massachusetts for shooting his father in Philadelphia has been extradited and is charged with murder. Philadelphia police had…

August 29, 2019

What parents need to know before school starts on Tuesday

UPDATE — The School District of Philadelphia reports Benjamin Franklin High School and the Science Leadership Academy have to delay their openings until Thursday,…

August 9, 2019

The war on guns, from Philadelphia to the feds

It’s almost a week since gunmen killed 31 people in mass shootings, 13 hours apart, and nothing concrete has been done to reduce the…

August 6, 2019

Man wanted for killing father arrested in Massachusetts

UPDATE — Sohan Panjrolia extradited to Philadelphia and charged. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The man wanted for killing his father in their Bustleton home over…

Presidents DayMonday, February 15, 2021

Presidents Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. It was originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, but the holiday became popularly known as Presidents Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.

PurimThursday, February 25, 2021

The jolly festival of Purim starts tonight, on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as recorded in the Book of Esther. Purim means “lots” in ancient Persian, and Haman had thrown lots to determine which day he would carry out his diabolical scheme. One of the observances is a feast, which often includes wine or other intoxicating beverages.

Daylight Saving TimeSaturday, March 13, 2021

“Spring forward” tonight at 2am, the second Sunday in March. The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by (who else? Philadelphian) Benjamin Franklin to reduce electricity usage by extending daylight hours. People in about 70 countries observe Daylight Saving, but they don’t in Hawaii and most of Arizona. It’s also a good time to change batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and flashlights, and remove expired items from your refrigerator and first aid kit.

St. Patrick’s DayWednesday, March 17, 2021

The Feast of Saint Patrick is both a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, the traditional date of death of the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick lived from about 385 to 461, but the day was only made an official Christian feast day in the early 1600s. It commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Also, the Lenten restrictions on eating, and drinking alcohol, are lifted for the day.

Beginning of SpringSaturday, March 20, 2021

At the spring (or vernal) equinox, days and nights are approximately 12 hours long, with day length starting to increase and night length starting to decrease. As the season progresses, the Earth’s axis increases its tilt relative to the sun and the hemisphere warms significantly, causing new plant growth to “spring forth,” giving the season its name. “Springtime” can also refer to the ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal and regrowth.