Festus real estate agent Laura Lohman said her effort to keep her daughters entertained while she works led to a new venture for the family – publishing a series of activity books for children.
“The current real estate world has been a bit upside down,” she said. “Now more than ever, showing buyers and sellers value is imperative.”
Last spring, Lohman and her son, Xander, then 15, and daughters Collette, then 9, and Dylan, then 8, published “Little Helper’s Activity Book Real Estate Edition,” available at Amazon.com.
“These books elevate the child’s experience, making them feel a part of the homebuying process,” she said. “Happy children mean happy adults, leading to smoother transactions and lasting connections.”
Lohman’s daughters came up with the idea, inspired by worksheets Lohman printed to keep them engaged while mom worked. Collette and Dylan thought other children would enjoy a collection of the activity sheets and then the girls developed ideas and Xander designed the pages.
“Publishing an activity book was extremely hard to figure out,” Lohman said. “There’s a lot that goes into design, concept, copyrighting and being original.
“The ultimate goal is to help children feel like they’re heard. The book also entertains children so their adults can be attentive to house shopping.”
Over the summer, the kids developed a second book, the cheerleading edition, to keep siblings entertained at cheer competitions. This fall, the Lohmans are finishing their third book, a hospital edition, designed to make a scary experience easier.
“I hope to inspire my children to be good people and know that anything they want to do is possible,” Lohman said. “It just takes an idea and a lot of hard work. Anything is possible. Even becoming published authors at the ages of 8, 9, 15 and 41.”