Joy and Wonder is for parents, teachers, and youth leaders looking for ways to encourage " inquiring and discerning hearts, the courage to will and to persevere ... and the gift of joy and wonder." (from the BCP, p.308)
When working with young people, I find myself constantly using the ideas and techniques listed in the books listed below. Some of these books can be difficult to find -- some are out of print. But they are well worth taking some effort to find. You may find success at Powell's Books, a site that specializes in finding used and out of print books, or at Addall, a book search site that checks over 40 other sites for new, used and out of print books
Brain Gym , Paul Dennison, Edu-Kinesthetics, Inc, Ventura, CA, ISBN: 0-942143-02-7 The simple exercises in this book are easy to do quietly in a small space. They help “switch on” learning mechanisms in the brain and are also fun! (see a sample page on the reverse side of this sheet.)
Building Community in Youth Groups , Denny Rydberg, Group Publishing, 1985, ISBN: 0-931529-06-9. This book explains in detail the importance of building community in your classroom as a way to boost attendance and create meaningful relationships between students and teachers. Although it was developed with a slightly older student in mind, many of the games and ice-breakers from this collection can be adapted for use with older elementary students.
Everyone Wins , Sambhava and Josette Luvmour, New Society Publishers, Philadelphia, 1990, ISBN: 0-865711-90-9. This book contains cooperative games and activities for both indoors and outdoors at various levels of difficulty. Most of the games in this book are active ones.
Kids Book of Questions , Gregory Stock, ISBN: 1-87887-582-5. Use the short, thought provoking questions from this book as ice-breakers or to spark classroom discussions.
