One day the path is underwater and you are forced to rely on boat operators to get you to the other side.

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Highlights has teamed up with the founder of National Puzzle Day, Jodi Jill to get kids and families excited about puzzling together. Whether it's a crossword, jigsaw, trivia word searches, brain teasers or Sudoku, puzzles put our minds to work. Founded in 2002, National Puzzle Day is a way to share enjoyment of puzzles. As a syndicated newspaper puzzle maker and professional quiz maker, Jodi Jill developed classroom lesson plans especially for the observance and the popularity has grown year after year. Partnering this year with Allison Kane, Head of Puzzle Innovation at Highlights, they have developed some fun ways to celebrate Puzzle Day with fun free resources for your puzzle fun. Studies have found that when we work on a jigsaw puzzle, we use both sides of the brain.  And spending time daily working on puzzles improves memory, cognitive function, and problem-solving skills. Word searches and crossword puzzles have the obvious benefit of increasing vocabulary and language skills. Sudoku, a puzzle sequencing a set of numbers on a grid, exercises the brain as well. By testing memory and logical thinking, this puzzle stimulates the brain and can improve number skills. Puzzles also offer social benefits. When we work on these brain teasers with someone, we improve our social interactions. Whether we join a group or play with our children, those interactions keep us socially active and teach our children social skills, too. Even working them quietly together provides an opportunity to focus the mind.

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From The Peninsula Hong Kong to Lake Como’s Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Marrakech's La Mamounia to London’s Claridge’s, this beautifully illustrated collection unveils the grand histories, one-of-a-kind experiences, and lush hideaways of 100 of the world’s most remarkable hotels.  Visit the Hotel Cipriani in Venice, where a wood-paneled water boat brings you to the hotel’s front doors from St. Mark’s Square. Or spend a night in Ireland’s historic Ashford Castle, where you’ll live like a king or queen and try your hand at falconry on the hotel’s medieval grounds. Take in sweeping city views while you sip cocktails at the famous Long Bar at the Waldorf Astoria in Shanghai. Or listen to the rushing cascade of Victoria Falls from your room at the Royal Livingston in Zambia.  Your choice of hotel can often make or break a vacation. And often, it’s the hotel itself that is the destination. In this beautifully illustrated collection of 100 top hotels around the world, discover the extraordinary properties around the world—from Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville to Big Sur's Post Ranch Inn in California—that have become as iconic as the cities they’re based in.  Written by National Geographic travel expert Annie Fitzsimmons, each entry of this luxurious volume highlights the unique and storied history of the hotels, the intricacies of their stunning architecture and cozy interiors, the people who have put the properties on the map, and one-of-a-kind experiences to be had within each hotel, whether or not you’re staying as a guest. You’ll find yourself creating a bucket list of the next places where you’ll want to stay in some of the most beloved destinations around the world.  

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Welcome back to the studio.  This is My Day of Play, where you’re taken into the real events and actions of how it happens long before the process of editing or cleaning up.  The original purpose of these episodes was to give my broadcasting students something to edit, to practice with and to call their own.  Then I realized that you are just as important.  Share the reality of how it really went.  We begin things with best selling author Christy Mandin who’s out to prove to the world that being weird is a great place to be. Then we’ll wrap things up Chef Jake Cohen who has hit the flat screen with a new series titled Jake Makes It Easy.  You’ll find it on A&E. This is My Day of Play.  Completely unedited in the way of meeting the wizard behind the curtain.  

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Long considered our most "beastly" and primal sense, the inner workings of smell have stumped scientists for centuries. Now, in THE FORGOTTEN SENSE, Jonas Olofsson uncovers the sophisticated biological processes that animate our olfactory system, with profound implications for how we perceive the world around us. The sense of smell has long been underappreciated. In a 2012 survey, adults were asked which sense is the most important, and only about two percent chose the sense of smell. In another survey, Americans were asked what is most important: their sense of smell or their pinky toe. The result was a tie. However, attitudes about the sense started to change after the coronavirus pandemic hit. Since 2020, over 300 million people have suffered from an impaired or distorted sense of smell after getting Covid. People began realizing, at last, the importance of this forgotten sense. Indeed, our sense of smell guides our lives far more than our screen-heavy, sight-privileged era would suggest. It animates our experience of food and drink, helps us access memories, and strengthens our intimacy with each other. Drawing from cutting-edge original research, Olofsson shows that not only is our sense of smell extraordinarily sensitive, but also how it engages our brain's full capacity. From the pheromones, environmental signals, and emotions we process with each breath, olfaction makes us the individuals we are. Moreover, smelling is an intellectual exercise, Olofsson argues, one that we have the remarkable capacity to strengthen and, with some effort, even regain after illness. 

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When it’s extremely difficult to make up your mind.  Having the power of choice can actually weaken someone.  On this episode we’re going to explore our choice of being open in the public with our religion… Plus the choice to cheat in sports. I’m Arroe.  Life is a series of choices.  Who decides when you’re not making it the right choice?  Is it the fear of going wrong?  The greatest lessons in life are often lost inside hidden away attempts and concepts.  It’s time to reopen your heart. Having a choice is a daily gift.  On this highway we learn to trust mirages… What is the choice? 

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When Chip Leighton started posting funny exchanges with his kids on TikTok in 2021, he didn’t expect it to turn into a community of parents sharing laughs—and occasionally commiseration—over the trials of raising teenagers. Leighton’s videos have now garnered over 250 million views and feature classic moments like “What time is noon?” and “Where do I buy pasta water?”. His debut book, What Time is Noon, captures these moments and much more in a hilarious collection perfect for parents, kids, or anyone who appreciates the absurdity of family life.  "This book is about finding joy in the chaos," Leighton explains. "One day you’re a cool parent, and the next, your kid tells you not to wear mom jeans to their school again." Through laugh-out-loud anecdotes, silly quizzes, and playful charts, Leighton takes readers on a relatable ride through parenting teenagers—offering just enough tongue-in-cheek advice to make you feel like you’ve got it all figured out... for now.  Beyond the humor, “What Time is Noon” carries an underlying message: even when teens seem distant, they still crave connection—just on their terms.  Leighton uses humor as a bridge between generations, showing parents that they don’t need to have all the answers, just a willingness to laugh along the way.  

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I’m always asking questions.  The fun begins when you start researching for answers. Such as… Why is AT&T destroying my forest with their fiber expansion?  Plus…What day of the week is looked upon as being the best?    I’m Arroe…  I am a daily writer.  A silent wolf.  I stand on the sidelines and do nothing but watch, listen study then activate.  I call it The Daily Mess.  A chronological walk through an everyday world.  Yes, it’s my morning writing.  As a receiver of thoughts and ideas, we as people tend to throw it to the side and deal with it later.  When a subject arrives, I dig in.  It’s still keeping a journal!  By doing the research the picture becomes clearer.  This is the Daily Mess…  

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Set in 1991 Miami, DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN follows Dexter Morgan as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. When his bloodthirsty urges can't be ignored any longer, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness. With the guidance of his father, Harry, he adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people who deserve to be eliminated from society without getting on law enforcements' radar. This is a particular challenge for young Dexter as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.

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Those old sayings. Who what where when and how? Some of those old sayings are not only ancient but still carry an impact today. One of them? Ditto...

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