Find Out What’s So Funny When Nothing’s Funny Sometimes life just stinks—people disappoint, bad things happen, and hardship comes. Laughing Matters is a collection of stories that shows the difference between those who resign and those who rejoice when reality bites. Readers will be encouraged to choose joy, to find hope, and to discover the abundant life Christ offers all who follow Him. Author and humorist Phil Callaway—once described as “Dave Barry with a message”—employs his revealing and hilarious style to remind readers that, “it’s always darkest just before the fridge door opens.” Do you resign or rejoice when reality bites? Sometimes life just stinks. People disappoint. Bad things happen. Hardship comes in double helpings. The last thing you want to do is laugh. So let hilarious humorist Phil Callaway show you—as only he can—that some of the darkest times are those just before the fridge door opens. *** ** *** ** “Everything Phil Callaway writes is full of life because he’s discovered a fabulous secret: The joy of Christ doesn’t go away, even when life is a mess.” Luis Palau, President of the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association “Phil really knows how to get in touch with his spiritual funny bone.” Janette Oke, Bestselling author “One page into this book and I’m quaking with laughter. Callaway has the uncanny ability to uncover the funny in any situation and report it with inspirational wit.” Paul L. Maier, Coauthor of The DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction? “This book is an excellent source of encouragement for anyone in the midst of a crisis who may be asking God that hardest question of all: ‘Why?’” Martha Bolton, Author of Cooking with Hot Flashes and Didn’t My Skin Used to Fit? Story Behind the Book Phil Callaway wrote this book after a five-year journey he and his wife embarked upon when she began having seizures. He discovered that when life throws you curve balls, juices lemons in your eyes, scrunches you in a knuckle sandwich…the last thing you want to do is laugh. And at the moment we realize that life can just plain stink, “this book helps us know where to go from that point,” he says. Celebrities like Dave Dravecky, Barbara Johnson, Gloria Gaither, and Joni Eareckson Tada have endorsed Callaway’s positive approach to trials. “Everything Phil Callaway writes is full of life because he’s discovered a fabulous secret: The joy of Christ doesn’t go away, even when life is a mess,” says evangelist Luis Palau.

Tamblyn offers an enlightening and practical look at how teachers and training professionals can inject elements of entertainment, creativity, humor, and emotion into their existing methods, even when dealing with serious or technical topics. Filled with fun, challenging, and thought-provoking exercises, the book also provides dozens of workshop activities and techniques.

From the authors of the best-selling Habits of Mind… Two leading consultants present a game-changing look at why and how to “mind the gap” between what we claim are educational essentials, and how we evaluate results. Dispositions builds on the authors’ influential Habits of Mind writings, including new evidence of why influencing students’ dispositional habits is their key to finding meaning in classroom content. Topics include: Making dispositions come alive in the minds of students Shifting the thinking of educational leaders, parents, politicians and the public How to align day-to-day classroom practices with larger dispositional outcomes

A practical guide to using laughter and humour as a thinking skill to feel better and communicate more effectively. This book will explain simple techniques that will improve the reader's ability to gain a more positive perspective in difficult situations and increase their happiness through adopting the techniques from the Laughology model.The key subjects covered are What is laughter;What is humour; The psychological connection;

Dave Keeling's Independent Thinking on Laughter: Using humour as a tool to engage and motivate all learners is an uplifting manifesto packed with tips and techniques to help educators unleash the power of humour and laughter in the learning environment. Foreword by Ian Gilbert. Education is too important to be taken seriously: everyone in our schools from the youngest learner to the, ahem, 'most senior' teacher likes to laugh. And beyond the many stress-busting and morale-boosting benefits that laughter brings on an individual level, the collective rewards of laughter in the classroom setting are also numerous such as enhancing openness and teamwork, stimulating imagination and creativity and, above all, strengthening the student-teacher relationship. No one is more familiar with the power of classroom conviviality than 'stand-up educationalist' and Independent Thinking Associate Dave Keeling, who in this book takes readers on an enlightening journey into the part that humour can play in improving the learning experience for all concerned. Writing with his trademark wit, Dave shares handy hints acquired from his experience in the world of comedy and offers a veritable smorgasbord of activities for use with learners all proven to generate laughter, enhance learning and make the teacher look great. The teacher's mission, if they choose to accept it, is to take these ideas and exercises and adapt, enjoy, explore and generally mess about with them to their heart's content. An inspiring read for all teachers and educators. Independent Thinking on Laughter is an updated edition of The Little Book of Laughter (ISBN 9781781350089) and is one of a number of books in the Independent Thinking On series from the award-winning Independent Thinking Press.

Maximize your child’s potential in ways that extend beyond academics alone. Gain a clearer, more cohesive relationship with their teachers. A Teacher’s Inside Advice to Parents: How Children Thrive with Leadership, Love, Laughter, and Learning explains how to support and inspire all kids towards success and satisfaction. When parents and teachers share common goals and methods to meet a child’s essential needs, this wraparound effect flows seamlessly from home to school and back again. This affirming, practical parenting approach provides expert insight for connecting with the classroom and influencing your child in four fundamental aspects: Leadership supplies the appropriate guidelines and routines your child requires in order to feel a soothing sense of security, structure, and stability. Love offers the attention, encouragement, and acceptance that create a strong bond of trust and open communication between you and your child. Laughter adds the joy, excitement, and adventure that embolden and assist in your child’s personal exploration of creativity, purpose, and direction. Learning develops and reinforces your child’s knowledge, wisdom, and skills vital for a contributing, self-sufficient life. The Four Ls of Parenting directly lead to the cooperation, confidence, contentment, and capabilities parents and teachers both strive to foster in every child—all accomplished with increased efficacy and delight while nurturing and educating the kids they care about so deeply.

Could you use a good laugh? This definitive guide by the founder of the worldwide laughter yoga movement will show you how to giggle your way to good health! Bring laughter into your life at any time of day--no special equipment needed, no new wardrobe, no expensive classes, not even a sense of humor! Laughter yoga is all about voluntary laughter--how you can learn to laugh even in the absence of humorous stimuli, and reap the extraordinary, scientifically proven benefits, which include stress reduction, pain relief, weight loss, heightened immunity, and, especially, enhanced mood: If you act happy, you'll become happy--your body can't tell the difference! Children laugh more than 300 times a day, adults fewer than fifteen. But it's easy to start laughing again. The exercises in this book combine voluntary laughter with yogic breathing to give you a full body-mind workout. And it turns out that laughter is the fastest way to reduce stress and the best kind of cardio: Ten minutes of hearty laughter is equal to thirty minutes on the rowing machine. With Laughter Yoga, join the growing worldwide movement and discover how laughter really is the best medicine. A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE

Find out how to create the climate and space for everyday student writing. In this new co-publication with MiddleWeb, award-winning teacher Mary Tedrow shows you how to encourage students to integrate daily writing into their lives, leading to improved critical thinking skills, increased knowledge of subject areas, and greater confidence in written expression. This practical guide will help you consider the unique needs of your students, while still meeting state standards. You’ll discover how to... Develop classroom routines and activities that invite creativity and self-expression Teach writing methods that can be used across different grade levels and all content areas Challenge students to examine their own writing processes for thinking and problem solving Evaluate written work in a way that emphasizes growth over grades Many exercises, prompts, and attempts at thinking found in the book can be easily adapted for use both in and out of the classroom. Whether you are a new or experienced teacher, Write, Think, Learn will enable you to make writing come alive for all your students.

Critically acclaimed author Cammie McGovern presents a heartwarming and humorous middle grade novel about the remarkable bond that forms between an aspiring service dog and an autistic boy in need of a friend. “Joyful, inspiring, and completely winning, Chester and Gus is unforgettable,” proclaimed Katherine Applegate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Newbery Medal winner The One and Only Ivan. Chester has always wanted to become a service dog. When he fails his certification test, though, it seems like that dream will never come true—until a family adopts him. They want him to be a companion for their ten-year-old son, Gus, who has autism. But Gus acts so differently than anyone Chester has ever met. He never wants to pet Chester, and sometimes he doesn’t even want Chester in the room. Chester’s not sure how to help Gus since this isn’t exactly the job he trained for—but he’s determined to figure it out. Because after all, Gus is now his person. In the spirit of beloved classics like Because of Winn-Dixie, Shiloh, and Old Yeller, Cammie McGovern’s heartfelt novel—told from Chester’s point of view—explores the extraordinary friendship between a child and a dog with a poignant and modern twist.

Few things in life are more delightful than sharing in the laughter of a baby. Until now, however, psychologists and parenting experts have largely focused on moments of stress and confusion. Developmental psychologist Caspar Addyman decided to change that. Since 2012 Caspar has run the Baby Laughter project, collecting data, videos and stories from parents all over the world. This has provided a fascinating window into what babies are learning and how they develop cognitively and emotionally. Deeper than that, he has observed laughter as the purest form of human connection. It creates a bond that parents and infants share as they navigate the challenges of childhood. Moving chronologically through the first two years of life, The Laughing Baby explores the origin story for our incredible abilities. In the playful daily lives of babies, we find the beginnings of art, science, music and happiness. Our infancy is central to what makes us human, and understanding why babies laugh is key to understanding ourselves.