Humor Month is Time for Fun!

Picture by hilmandale

As some of you know, April is National Humor Month. Just in case you haven’t found the time to enjoy this national celebration, here are a few ideas to help you cram a month full of fun into 1 ½ weeks!

First, you must stop by the great National Humor Month web site. Try some of their free downloads. I recommend 30 Days, 30 Ways if you need a humor lift. You can also try many of the ideas from their Classroom Tools list. This handy little brochure has lots of tips for teachers and students, but many, if not all can be used by anyone who wants to practice and enjoy the benefits of humor.

Read some children’s poetry and books. For riotous rhyming poems that will have you rolling on the floor laughing, visit Kenn Nesbitt’s Poetry for Kids web site. This fun-filled stop encourages children to try their hand at poetry and is full of playful, mischievous poems that you will love to repeat again and again. Today my favorites are “My Car is Constructed of Pickles,” and “A Rock Makes an Excellent Puppy.” Kenn Nesbitt’s whimsical style is great fun that shouldn’t be missed.

Here are a few other ideas:

• Tell a joke.
• Watch a funny movie.
• Say a tongue twister. “Gobbling gargoyles gobbled gabbling goblins.”
• Practice different laughs. Snicker, chuckle, chortle, giggle, guffaw, hee-hee.
• Share your favorite TV commercials. One of my favorites right now is the Ice cream and cake song. “Ice cream and cake, ice cream and cake. . .” The best part is the toy T-Rex dinosaur with bunny ears on.
• Sing your favorite happy song. “Don’t Worry be Happy.”
• Listen to comedians on CD. Bill Cosby can still crack me up.
• Read some comic strips in the newspaper.

While looking for the Ice cream and cake video, I found that Baskin-Robbins updates it for the holidays. Here's the Easter one (note T-Rex's bunny ears.)

Here's the Halloween version. . .

Spring is here - ejnoy it!

Here is a funny little video I found on You Tube about a hyperactive little lady bug. He must have had a touch of cabin fever. Makes you want to pay more attention next time you're outside.

Wacky Fun.

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Pictures by jane_sanders

I used to love the old Saturday morning cartoon Wacky Races. You would think that week after week of watching cars race each other would get old after a while, but it never did. First of all you had all the amazing teams (including the cool cars.) The purple menace of Dick Dastardly and Muttley in the Mean Machine. There’s the elegant beauty of Penelope Pitstop in her pink Compact Pussycat. Or the inventive Professor Pat Pending in his Convert-a-car.

You can’t forget the rest of a great cast; The Slag Brothers in the Bouldermobile, The Ant Hill Mob in the Bulletproof Bomb, The Gruesome Twosome in the Creepy Coupe, Peter Perfect in the Turbo Terrific, Lazy Luke and Blubber Bear in the Arkansas Chuggabug, Red Max in the Crimson Haybailer, Sergeant Blast and Private Meekly in the Army Surplus Special, and Rufus Ruffcut and Sawtooth in the Buzzwagon.

Re-watching this now as an adult I enjoy it just as much as before. I love the silly but inventive ways that the teams trick, cheat, and speed their way to the finish line. You never knew who would have a sneaky trick up their sleeve (except for Dick Dastardly – the name says it all.) Some of the special features were fun and clever, like Dragon Power in the Creepy Coupe, or the Ant Hill mob shooting out the tires of their opponent.

Week after week the cars raced across mountains, deserts, through cities and around various “shortcuts’ other drivers added to the course. There were land mines from Sergeant Blast, cars sawed in half by Rufus Ruffcut, and scientist Pat Pending could transform his car into boat or plane as needed.

Life-size working versions of these cartoon cars were made for the UK’s Goodwood Festival of Speed every year until 2008. They have now completed the entire set. How cool is that? Head down nostalgia lane and purchase yourself a copy of this fun TV show on DVD. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Easter!

Spring colors are blooming everywhere!

Hope the Easter Bunny brings you the perfect treat!

Fun Things for Fall.

Fall picture by George E. Norkus

Fall has arrived with all the fun it always brings – colorful changing leaves, cool, crisp nights, Halloween, and hot chocolate with marshmallows. But this year, I wanted to think of a few different things to appreciate about the season. Here are a few ideas:

1. Candy bars don’t melt in the hot car on the way home from the store.
2. Entertainment – ever watch someone raking up leaves on a windy day?
3. Cozy firelight. Something about a warm, crackling fire just says contentment and comfort.
4. Singing in your car. Finally a chance to roll up your windows and belting out your favorite tunes without hurting the sensitive ears of other drivers.
5. No more pests. Bees, mosquitoes, snakes and other creepy-crawlies go away for awhile.
6. Apples! Apple pie, applesauce, apple cider, apple butter, and of course – an ordinary apple. Yum!
7. Bulky sweaters. They’re colorful, bright, and great at hiding the flaws of our not-always-perfect figures.
8. Quieter Saturdays once the lawnmower is retired for the season.
9. Sunday is for Football!
10. Romance time. Snuggling under the covers for warmth leads into something more.
11. New TV shows. The end of summer re-runs and a return of old favorites.
12. After the exciting fireworks of multi-colored leaves, you get to crunch-crunch-crunch them under your feet as you walk. I don’t know why it’s so fun, but it is.
13. Being outside all day long and not getting sweaty.
14. Pretending to be someone else for a day. Isn’t Halloween great?
15. Smelling cedar and pine in the chimney smoke.

What are your favorites?

Best Ways to Deal With a Harry Potter Hater.

Yes, believe it or not HP Fans, there are actually people who do not adore our little black-haired, super-genius, evil-defeating hero known as Harry Potter. These foolish muggles overlook the greatness of The-Boy-Who-Lived, thinking him nothing more than a silly little child.

When you come upon such addle-brained and unenlightened people, simply try some of these well proven strategies to cope with their narrow little minds:

1. Make sure they are healthy. Find out if they have had a recent check-up. A head injury could account for their confusion on the subject. Check their pulse and peer into their eyes to be sure they are breathing and not in a coma.
2. Be friends. Assure them that you understand how much better the Jedi in Star Trek was. Always salute them with “Live Long in the Force.” This is sure to please.
3. Squeal in horror as you recognize a Death Eater in disguise. Shout “Death to Voldemort,” and run away screaming.
4. Express your sympathy about their being dyslexic. No wonder they haven’t read the books yet poor things!
5. Gently pat their hand and assure them it’s alright to be afraid of the unknown. Offer to teach them the “Lumos” spell if they’re also afraid of the dark.
6. Send them frequent HP updates, including new movies, the upcoming theme park, each character’s film career and whatever other interesting tidbits you can find. Tell them “you don’t know what you’re missing – let me show you.”
7. Remark on how much they look like a Harry Potter character. Argue with yourself over which one they remind you of most. “Hagrid - no, Dumbledore – certainly not, ahh, I have it – Dobby!”
8. Report them to the Ministry of Magic. These are obviously criminal masterminds whose resistance to the esteemed Mr. Potter is simply a reflex of their dislike for any “meddling goody-two-shoes.”
9. Assume they are a pessimist who thinks everyone is terrible. Suggest you can teach them skills to become as optimist as you have been inspired by the heroics of Harry and his friends. Offer to give them numerous examples.
10. Check them into the nearest psychiatric hospital for examination. Nothing but mental impairment sufficiently explains their lack of adoration for our favorite hero. :0)

Check out this fun video on You Tube.

For more ways to annoy Harry Potter Haters.

P.S. Check out my other web site Bright Days for a look at the upcoming Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, FL. Opening Spring 2010.

Opposite Day.

Picture by Pink Sherbet Photography

Here’s a fun approach to a childhood favorite – opposite day. Today, try doing things that are the opposite of what you would normally do. The point here is to experiment and have fun. Try doing something that is different from your normal routine. It can be a small change or a big change, just as long as it’s new to you.

Try juice instead of coffee in the morning. Take a new route to work. Park in a new spot. Talk to people you normally avoid. Eat foods you haven’t tried before, or eat in a different order. Try spaghetti for breakfast. Drink milk at dinner.

If you are normally talkative at work, read the newspaper instead, or go for a quiet walk by yourself. If you watch reality TV, try a cartoon or a fantasy movie instead. Turn of the radio as your drive to work and see what the silence sounds like. Smile at other drivers as you go by.

Try a new style of dress. Go casual in the most comfortable (work appropriate) clothes you own. Or play dress-up like you did as a child, putting your best effort into looking and feeling great. Wear a different sock on each foot. Wear tennis shoes with your pants.

If you are normally around adults all day, visit a playground full of chattering, happy kids. Or visit the cute and cuddly puppies and kitties at the local dog pound. Instead of reading the paper, take a walk in the bright sun.

Here’s an easy one we all forget – change your computer screen. Make your background a different color, and change your screensaver. Move your stapler and pencil cup to the opposite side of your desk. Rearrange your files or take down all your “normal” family photos and put up pictures of your favorite movie heroes instead.

Why try opposite day? Why not? Life is all about the living. It’s like the old say “How do you know until you try it?” Take a chance and make a change. It may be one you enjoy so much you’ll keep it up for many months to come. Have fun!