Creative and flexible thinking are two of the most important traits researchers have recently stated as being critical for people to thrive in this rapidly changing world. "The ability to think of solutions to solve a challenge is a critical life skill that comes with practice," says Nancy Phillips, mother of two young children and author of the Zela Wela Kids book series on financial literacy. "Children today need real-life opportunities to set and achieve goals as opposed to being given the things they want. This begins the competence – confidence loop, which is critical to emotional development and future independence. The traditional lemonade stand is a wonderful way for young children to practice all types of important life skills including goal setting, creative thinking, planning, as well as 'hands-on' numeracy and communication skills. Children feel so much pride when they accomplish something themselves, you can literally see it shining through. An experience like this also gets them thinking about other 'businesses' or experiences they can create themselves."

In the newly released book The Zela Wela Kids Learn about Becoming Entrepreneurs, main characters Jack, Emma, and their friends Carlos and Maria open a lemonade stand and learn important life lessons such as: the meaning of "entrepreneur," the importance of creating new ideas, how to grow your money, the value of working as a team, the joy of giving and the pride that comes with setting and achieving a goal.

About the Author

Nancy Phillips has an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from Queens University, Canada. While working in the corporate world for almost twenty years, she held positions in product development, portfolio management and international marketing for three of the world's leading medical companies.

Since becoming a mother, Nancy's new passion is to research and create fun resources to inspire and help the next generation reach their full potential. She is also the author of The Zela Wela Kids Build a Bank and The Zela Wela Kids Learn about Needs and Wants.

Zela Wela Kids Learn about Becoming Entrepreneurs can be purchased from www.amazon.com