I do hope that you enjoy a giggle.
I had the dubious title of ‘giggling Gertie’ as a child and the little man in the linked video certainly has an infectious chuckle. The effect of his happiness is clearly enjoyed by those around him.
Finding humour is just one of the 16 skills listed by Art Costa as being essential if we want to effectively operate in society and promote strategic reasoning, insightfulness, perseverance, creativity and craftsmanship.
The ability to laugh at oneself, with others or at circumstances is summed up in a series of quotes. Reading these emphasizes the importance of finding humour in relation to our ability to achieve highly, think flexibly and relate well.
The physical effects of laughter are relaxation of the blood vessels, boosting of the immune system, release of stress, and creating a type of endorphin.
Laughter also increases oxygen in the blood. You can increase your brain power three to fivefold simply by laughing and having fun before working on a problem.
Humour is everywhere, you can find it on the internet, in the books and magazines we read, on television shows or in the movies we watch. It is even created by the people we choose to talk to. It is all about laughing and what you find funny. Humour or laughing, helps people mentally and physically. It helps with coping with stress or sadness.
There are great benefits from sharing humour in the classroom and in the home through reading. One of my favourite books is Bamboozled by David Legge.
The story keeps on growing as children discover yet another quirky twist every time they read.
However, the first on our list of books to share that are fun to read together is by B J Novak “The book with no pictures”. Children LOVE how the story forces the reader to share hilarious words and phrases.
Then there is the The Lollies book award which is a celebration of the funniest new children’s books (the LOL stands for Laugh Out Loud!).
We use Art Costa’s Habits of Mind in many of our reading skill activities as we believe it is important for children to be aware of these important and effective traits.
Share your love of books and reading with those you love for…
“Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: All of them make me laugh.” – W.H. Auden, British-American poet
Thank you,
Lesley
Chief Learning Officer