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New BeginningsJanet OlsonPublication date: February 8th 2020Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young AdultIda and Engen’s 13-year-old friendship is altered when the death of their friend comes between them. Engen, guilt-ridden over Janelle’s passing, has become violent. Ida, in her grief, attempts to fill the loss with a one-night stand, which leaves her pregnant. As punishment, their parents force them to join a program called Youth of America Help a Nation, and they are sent to Africa on work assignments. Enter Lev Rosen, Ida’s irresistible boss at the orphanage where she’s been appointed. Lev has his own connection with Ida, although she doesn’t...

Encourage creativity and the arts. ( Aaron Burden via Unsplash/)In this device-dependent world of ours, sometimes kids need breaks from screens to take pen—or rather crayon and marker—to paper. Not only does coloring help children develop cognitively and psychologically, it also fosters self-expression and creativity. And, well, it’s just plain fun.Here are the most educational, fanciful, and kooky coloring books for kids.Really get those ABCs and 123s. (Amazon/)With more than 100 illustrations, this jumbo coloring book introduces basic shapes, letters, numbers, and animals to kids ages 1-5. Every giant 8.5-by-11-inch page is filled with cute, bold images, and activities that...

Summer time means the kids have some extra time on their hands.  Parents have a few options on what to do with the kids. One option that I strongly encourage is to purchase a few purposeful summer toys and games for the break from school. There are quite a few options out there that can literally change the way you kids are seeing the world, their careers and how they process information. I’ve put together some of my favorite summer toy picks for Critical Thinking Toys that will keep your kids challenged this summer. Disclosure: This post contains my affiliate links...

Two-piece part-whole perception puzzles can look simple but they can be difficult, they go to the core of what puzzles are about - matching pieces and forming a whole. Part-whole perception puzzles help the child to understand 'part' and 'whole' relationships, that two parts can come together to form a single shape or a single whole picture. They allow for hands-on discovery and exploration of shape, colour, form and spatial relationships. There is growing evidence that spatial skills exercised during puzzle play are foundational in supporting learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. "Through infant age, toddler age and in...

New BeginningsJanet OlsonPublication date: February 8th 2020Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young AdultIda and Engen’s 13-year-old friendship is altered when the death of their friend comes between them. Engen, guilt-ridden over Janelle’s passing, has become violent. Ida, in her grief, attempts to fill the loss with a one-night stand, which leaves her pregnant. As punishment, their parents force them to join a program called Youth of America Help a Nation, and they are sent to Africa on work assignments. Enter Lev Rosen, Ida’s irresistible boss at the orphanage where she’s been appointed. Lev has his own connection with Ida, although she doesn’t...