Joel Goodman’s Work
Here is a handful of the 10 books that Joel Goodman has written along with the LAUGHING MATTERS magazine that he edited for 11 years.
Laffirmations: 1,001 Ways to Add Humor to Your Life and Work by Joel Goodman
Joel believes that “Seven days without laughter make one weak.” With this in mind, he delivers 52 weeks of ideas (more than 1,001) to strengthen and jump-start your sense of humor. Each day of the year includes a thought-provoking quote, a question, along with a practical, action-inviting humor tip designed to help you get more smileage out of your life and work. This portable, handy book also includes special guest appearances from the affable/laffable cartoon character, Ziggy®. The rich collection of quotes comes from the wit and wisdom of Lily Tomlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Carol Burnett, Charlie Chaplin, Bernie Siegel and many others. The questions are designed to help you discover where humor already exists in your life and where you need to add a dash. The humor tips are drawn from the 3,000,000+ participants in Dr. Goodman’s programs, and will help increase your Humor Quotient both in your personal life and on the job. In short, Laffirmations will help you to discover, recover, affirm, and integrate your sense of humor in everyday life and work situations. With this timeless and timely book, you will be grinning from year to year as you add more humor, joy, and laughter to your life and work. Pat Paulsen: “If elected President of the United States, one of my first acts would be to appoint Joel Goodman as Secretary of Humor. But until that time, I would highly recommend that you buy this book!” Steve Allen: “I applaud and appreciate Joel Goodman’s pioneering work on the positive power of humor. As Joel says, ‘Humor is for giving!’ Laffirmations will give you– or someone you care about– the gift of humor.”
Playfair: Everybody’s Guide to Noncompetitive Play by Matt Weinstein and Joel Goodman
This perennial best-seller has hundreds of invigorating ideas on how to build more laughter, playfulness, and cooperation into your office, home or classroom. It includes many energizers and ice-breakers that you can use when your meetings start at 7:30 sharp and end at 10:30 dull. Learn how you can create one million playful activities in ten minutes and how to discover the playful elf in yourself. Every trainer, teacher, manager, parent, and group leader should have a copy of this classic, which has sold over 50,000 copies!
Magic and the Educated Rabbit by Joel Goodman and Irv Furman
This delightful book for teachers, parents, helping professionals and public speakers contains 45 easy-to-do and powerful-in-effect magic tricks along with 360 practical ways to use them as teaching tools. Includes creative ways to apply magic in teaching the 3 R’s and important life skills (communication, problem-solving, self-concept), and in creating positive learning environments (positive discipline, attention-getters, following directions). Fun illustrations and quotes, jokes and riddles accompany the text and make this a very inviting, practical, and magical book.
LAUGHING MATTERS magazine edited by Joel Goodman
Laughing matters… it really does! You can add years to your life and life to your years by ordering the timeless back issues of LAUGHING MATTERS magazine. Thousands of people in all 50 states and 20 other countries have applauded this practical and invigorating publication for decades. Each issue includes humor articles, quotes, resources, and up-close-and-personal, insightful interviews with famous humorists, cartoonists, and comedians.
Norman Cousins: “Enthusiastic congratulations on LAUGHING MATTERS!”
Dr. Laurence Peter (creator of The Peter Principle): “LAUGHING MATTERS is clearly the best periodical on the subject of humor and its uses. If you want more humor in your life, LAUGHING MATTERS is for you.”
Humanizing Outdoor and Environmental Education by Clifford Knapp and Joel Goodman
This book is a thought-full and mindful guide to the humanistic approach to outdoor and environmental education. This volume focuses on the “why’s” for planning and implementing nature experiences for people of all ages. In addition to a chapter on curriculum and program development for schools and camps, this volume draws on the expertise, experience, and wisdom of trend-setting pioneers and practitioners like Cheryl Charles, Richard Louv, Joseph Cornell, Roger Greenaway, Jeff McKay, Matt Weinstein, and Pamela Kekich. The book includes probing, intriguing, informative, insightful, and inspiring interviews with them on the “new nature movement,” nature mindfulness and awareness, reflecting and reviewing experiential learning, cooperative play, adventure learning, humanistic camps, and creative coaching. The chapters are filled with tips and practical activities that invite active and interactive learning. The book also provides a detailed case study of the leading-edge Human Relations Youth Adventure Camp and offers an extensive chapter with over 125 annotations for books, periodicals, websites, and organizations in the humanistic, outdoor, and environmental education fields. As a bonus, this book includes thought-provoking quotes to jump-start your brain and heart about the connection between nature and human nature.
201 Nature and Human Nature Activities by Joel Goodman and Clifford Knapp
This book contains a gazillion time-tested ways (give or take a couple quadrillion) to put into practice the thought-full ideas behind the current volume. You will find oodles of engaging, enjoyable, entertaining, encouraging, enticing, educational exercises exploring the connection between nature and human nature. With a balance of outdoor and indoor invitations to connect with the natural environment and to connect with others, you will find a treasure trove of individual, small group, and large group activities along with guidelines for how participants can get the most out of these activities. You will discover practical humanistic education strategies to help people of all ages in schools, camps, youth groups, religious institutions, YMCA’s, adult education, families, and other settings to: promote mindfulness, awareness, and respect for nature and the environment; develop communication skills; build a sense of community; clarify personal, social, and environmental values; and nurture self-esteem. As icing on the cake, this book will leave you laughing… and thinking… about important environmental issues through John McPherson’s internationally-syndicated Close to Home cartoons.
Some Days You’re the Pigeon… Some Days You’re the Statue by Roger Andersen
Here’s a delightful and thoughtful view of the humorous human condition. Chapter titles include: “Speeches & Other Unnatural Acts,” “Take This Job… and Laugh It!”, “The Laughter-Learning Connection,” “Truth Is Funnier with Friction,” “A Collection of Gaffes and Laughs,” “On the Ho-Ho-Home Front: Kids (and Parents) Say the Darndest Things,” etc. We enjoyed this collection of successful platform-tested short tales and witty observations so much that this became the first book produced by The HUMOR Project.