I will bet you that I can read your mind…even via a blog post. Quick, think of a country (English name only) that starts with the letter “D.” Now take the last letter of that country and think of an animal that starts with that letter. Ok, now take the last letter of that animal, and think of a fruit that starts with that letter. Are you thinking of an…
Interestingly, on every adult that I tested this out on, they had the same answer. And I appeared to be a mind reader! This is just one trick that is in a Klutz book that I have been spending some time with called “The Encyclopedia of Immaturity.”
The word “immaturity” is core here. Just look at the stamp on the cover! “How to Never Grow Up!” This is a book after my heart. It’s something that I’ve been accused of many times. When you are told you are immature, that is usually somewhat negative. However, I like to view it as a positive. As we grow older (and hopefully wiser), we tend to lose sight of that inner child. You know that child…the one that likes to pull pranks on our friends, family or co-workers. (Have you ever switched monitor cables on your co-worker so that their screens are in the wrong order?) Or, it’s that inner child that ensures that magic stays alive and well with your children. For me, it’s tied with laughter and fun.
As adults, we frequently get wrapped up the hardships of our lives and smiling and laughing occur less often. This loss of our youthful attitude actually makes us grow older more quickly. You need to smile and to laugh, especially when it is pure and comes from the heart. The best way to recapture some of the magic of pure joy and happiness is to live like a child. I’m not saying that we need to do this all of the time, but I do feel that it is important to be childish occasionally.
Over 35 years ago (right around when I was a child), the Klutz brand was born. In fact, it started in Palo Alto, CA by three friends from Stanford (where I grew up). And I remember the first Klutz book on juggling. Since then, the Klutz brand has grown into a bit of a powerhouse with hundreds of different book and toy best sellers. A few years ago, I tried my hand at stop animation and did it with my kids.
Here’s a video I did back in 2010 using Klutz as a guide:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/quxzZg-DfGk[/youtube]
Working on that project brought out the kid in me, especially since I worked with my kids in the process.
And this is exactly my point. You need to do fun things with children to make you feel young again. We lose our ability to see the joy in simple things as we grow older. There is a big difference between the 11 o’clock news and Saturday morning cartoons. Perhaps we all should take a lesson or two from how kids act, play and laugh.
The nice thing about many of the Klutz books is that they bring out creativity, another activity that is rapidly disappearing. Nowadays, more and more things are done for us, call it convenience or blame it on technology. Watching TV dulls the mind’s eye while reading a book opens it up. Klutz is all about reawakening that creative child within us all and while many of their books are about crafts, a few relate to humor.
For the next few months, I’m going to be writing more about some of the Klutz books as a Klutz Ambassador. I chose a few books that both interested me as a parent but also some that got my daughters’ attention. While I probably won’t be painting my fingernails or decorating unicorns, I will be making paper airplanes, memorizing some of the tricks and pranks in the Encyclopedia of Immaturity, making some “Gotcha Gadgets” and helping my daughters make some crafts for the holidays for friends and family.
A few more items from the Encyclopedia of Immaturity that can help you lose those gray hairs, at least those psychological ones…
“Is This the World’s Lamest Trick” – this is pretty much a groaner. However, if you architect it right, an adult could pull this off in a bar for a free beer!
“The Dead Finger” – I remember as a child actually doing this. And, the funny thing is, I did it again just a year or so ago to freak out my kids!
“Handmade Bubbles” – I caught my youngest daughter doing this just the other day while washing her hands in the bathroom. It was pretty amazing!
“How to Read a Shoe” – be sure to read the last line of this, especially if you DO indeed do this.
While most of the book is geared for kids, adults can definitely have some fun with many of the tricks and concepts in this “Encyclopedia.” In fact, I might get my kids to help prank my wife one day! Regardless, this Encyclopedia is a perfect example of Klutz in action – creativity married with humor.
Disclosure Text : I have a material connection because I received compensation as well as a gift or sample of a Klutz product for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was/am not expected to return this item or gift after my review period. All opinions within this article are my own and not subject to editorial review by Klutz. More information can be found in my About page as well as here.
HTD says: Sometimes being a Klutz is actually a good thing!
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