• Print copies of the fill-in-the-blank PERSONAL AD to pass out.
• If you decide to do a group writing activity, you will need a large chalkboard, wipe-off board, or flip chart.
• Just for laughs, print a copy of the PICTURES on this page to show the group.

• Young farmer with 100 acres would be pleased to hear from young lady with tractor. Please send photograph of tractor.

• SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good-looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work. Call (xxx) xxx-xxxx and ask for Daisy.

  Note: Did you get it? The ad above turned out to be an adoption offer for an 8-week-old, female black Labrador Retriever from the Atlanta Humane Society. It had 15,000 calls from men all over the country!

• Knight Seeks His Queen. Male seeking female, 28 years old, 6’ 4” tall. This Knight in shining armor is seeking an audience with the Queen. If you enjoy having a man make you dinner, a man who will sweep you off your feet, treat you to the world of never ending respect, with adventure, humor, kindness, relaxation, and love mixed in for a solid foundation, then perhaps you are the Queen for me. The Knight requests a Queen who will dress to impress. I will bow at your feet. If I sound interesting or you have a wish to find the man of your dreams, look no further, your Knight in shining armor has arrived.

• When I was 30, my dates had to be young, tall, handsome, rich, intelligent. Now I'm 64, they only have to know how to read and use the telephone!

• Minimalist seeks woman.

• There is a little place in the jumbled sock drawer of my heart where you match up all the pairs, throw out the ones with holes in them, and buy me some of those neat dressy ones with the weird black and red geometrical designs on them.

• Experienced alert mature woman. Will cook, clean house, help in the yard but will not iron or do windows. You must be willing to endure my rambling, removing my teeth when they hurt, grunting when getting up, taking my time making decisions. Will not answer calls before 10 A.M. or after 9 P.M.

• 1955 pick up. A real workhorse. Hard to start on cold mornings and requires long warm up. Not as fast as it once was. Some body damage, mostly cosmetic. Tires fair, don't kick them. Has gas leaks. Seat needs work. A real classic that needs TLC and new paint. Paint has faded gray. Still has a few good miles left. Still quiet but will make some noise if you run it too hard. Last owner was younger and messed up some things that require immediate attention. NO TRADES. Bring cash, no payments.

• I like driving around with my two cats, especially on the freeway. I make them wear little hats so that I can use the carpool lane. Way too much time on your hands, too? Call me. SWF, 42, 5'10", brown hair/blue eyes.

• The usual hyperbole infuses this ad with a whiff of playful narcissism and Falstaffian bathos. But scratch below the surface and you'll soon find that I really am the greatest man ever to have lived. Truly great man, 37. Better than Elvis and Gandhi. You'll never be a genuinely worthy partner, but try anyway. Include a full list of qualifications and your aspirations.

  Note: Falstaffian is a reference to Falstaff, a fat, convivial, roguish character in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV.

• The toughest decision I ever had to make was choosing between soup and fish in a Brighton café in 1987. (I went for the fish, though later regretted my decision when I discovered the cod had been over-seasoned). Now, however, I'll have to pick one of you delicious women. The selection procedure will involve a four-part interview, along with an aptitude test and multiple-choice questionnaire. Apply now for full details to stupid man, 45.

• God appeared to me in a dream last night and spoke your name in my ear. He gave me the winning lottery numbers, too, though, so you can understand where my priorities lay when I raced to grab a notebook and pen. Man, 37, living on hope and the next seven weeks' bonus balls seeks woman whose first name begins with S, or maybe F, and rhymes with chicken, and has a surname that's either a place in Shropshire or the title of a 1979 Earth, Wind and Fire track. Shicken Boogiewonderland, I know you're reading this.

• The celebrity I resemble the most is Potsie from Happy Days. What feels so right can't be wrong. Man, 46.

• Single male seeks woman with money to support me. Must love dogs, and know when to leave me alone. Must allow me to have control of the remote, and not try to start a conversation during the game. Must be a good cook, have an excellent libido, and be willing to move out 1 week a month. Who cares what I look like, because any woman desperate enough to answer this ad won't care.

• A 40's sort of guy. Fishing and other outdoor activities keep me occupied when I am not enjoying a good barbecue and cold bottle of barleypop. Woman must be strong (to lift motor off boat at end of season). Woman must own fishing boat with motor.

• Thick glasses, HP calculator, SAT 99th percentile, knows pi to 16 digits. Great job, big house, pool. SWM, 33, 6'0", 144 lbs. Better looking than Bill Gates.

• Looking for a partner who doesn't mind traipsing around town with a pink haired chick and likes to have fun and hang out. Also helps if you have memory problems, as I will likely do something stupid that will require you never bring it up!

More August Humor!

See our Daily Chronicles for some examples of "Humor of the Day." Also, Nell and Truman, our Front Porch Travelers, always include a little humor in their travels.

The Little Big Book of Laughter

If laughter is the best medicine than look no further to cure whatever ails you. This side-splitting collection of humor for adults (some PG-13 humor) delivers a mega-dose of the sillies and is guaranteed to tickle your funny bone.

Chock full of all the best jokes, puns, humor essays, comic verse, one-liners, pranks, gags, riddles, and much more, The Little Big Book of Laughter offers something for everyone. (352 pages)

Learning about Humor Programming

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of humor programming and how to develop a program, check out our new sister site - Activity Teacher. Here you will find a course titled:

Humor - Jest for the Health of It.

Take the class for CE hours or just to learn more about the topic.

Course description: Humor is good for you, no matter your age. However, as Activity Directors, we often shy away from humor – thinking it is too silly, not “adult appropriate,” or that it might offend. Perhaps we feel uncomfortable presenting humor because (even though we wear many hats) being a comedian is not a comfortable role. With this course, we are giving you the green light to use humor, showing you ways to incorporate humor into your activity programming, and having a little fun along the way.