“Laugh and Learn”, in general terms, refers to a technique for increasing your vocabulary, and learning about English and other subjects, through context and incidental learning.
According to proponents of the technique, humor can help learners pay attention and make information more memorable.
For example, “Laugh and Learn” is the motto for a new and hugely popular book called Funny English Errors and Insights: Illustrated. Funny English Errors is a collection of 301 accidentally humorous uses and misuses of written English, illustrated with humorous pictures from the collections of the National Library of Australia.
The main purpose of Funny
English Errors is to entertain. But the book also has an educational function. That is, in order to understand the humor in the 301 examples of malapropisms, student bloopers, humorous misprints, and silly signs, the reader must have a good working knowledge of English and good general knowledge.
Thus the book provides an incentive for the reader to improve their English, learn new words, and improve their general knowledge.
For example, in order to understand the humor in the child’s statement that “the members of the choir have a 2-octane range”, the reader must know, or learn, the meaning of the word “octave” and “octane”.
“Laugh and Learn” may also refer to a book by that title by Doni Tamblyn, who discusses 95 ways to use humor for effective teaching and training. There are also educational websites, CDs, and DVDs, that use the name “Laugh and Learn”.
Probably the most popular laugh and learn product is the Laugh and Learn series of educational toys by Fisher Price Toys Company. Laugh and Learn is a product line that focuses on infants as its main consumer market. The products are for ages 6–36 months and are reasonably priced. They can be safely used by children since they have parts that cannot be detached or swallowed. Each toy is modeled so that it is easily accessible for all children.
The colors are bright and stimulate the attention of the child. In some cases, use of light signals may be found so that the toy may capture the attention of the child. But what makes Laugh and Learn Toys from Fisher Price special is that they try to enhance the vocabulary of children and try to teach them the basic meanings of words.
As the product line states, these toys are for learning while playing and laughing. All toys have melodies that symbolize the action the child has just done or it is correlated with the picture that has just appeared on the toy.
Toys for upper ages concentrate on language learning, English mainly, as it is a product of an English speaking country.
For example, in Laugh and Learn Learning Farm, when you open the barn door, it says “Open”, indicating the state of the door; when you push on the chick on the top of the barn, the alphabet begins to be said with a singing voice; when you feed the cow, it says “I’m a moo cow”; when you flip the little piglet from unclean to clean, the piglet says “Oink, oink, I’m squeaky clean”; and the blue ribbon goes “You’re number one.”
If you want to encourage your infant to discover the world and learn English while laughing and playing, then Laugh and Learn Toys from Fisher Price Toys Company are a good solution for you to stimulate your infant’s growth and intelligence.