To my family And everyone who laughs with us In loving memory of Skylar Nicole Baney
Foreword Laughter is the shortest distance between two people Victor Borge straight line may be the shortest distance between two points but laughter is surely the shortest distance between people Nobody seems to understand this truth better than Lisa Bany Winters Having thoroughly enjoyed her first two books Show Time and On Stage how wise that the judges at the Parent's Choice Association were to confer their Approval Seal for Excellence on her delightful On Stage Theater Games and Activities for Kids I was eagerly awaiting her workshop at a professional con ference in the fall of 2001 The room was filled with teachers directors librarians social workers actors recreation leaders good hearted people one and all hoping to make a difference in the lives of children But the atmosphere in the room before the workshop started was hushed and well awkward Participants sat stiffly in their chairs The room was polite and quiet and reserved Then Lisa Bany Winters
Everything changed In moments the room was filled with laughter We were up and on our feet and Lisa was guiding us through an exercise and everyone was laughing The workshop flew by with participants commenting I can't remember when I ve laughed so hard while learning so much It was clear to all of us that we were in the presence of a very gifted teacher who loves what she is doing When I complimented her afterward on the exceptional work she said sim ply I had a good time too My husband teases that I do this work so I will always have someone to play with me If I had a magic wand I would love to make it possible for everybody who wants to bring light into the lives of children to take a class with Lisa But she has given us something better than a magic wand Lisa has given us a wonderful resource in the form of Funny Bones Comedy Games and Activities for Kids Neil Postman warned us of the consequences for a society that compels its children to grow up too quickly in his groundbreaking work The Disappearance of Childhood I can't think of a better way to help chil dren stay children than by giving them the gift of laughter As British poet Margaret Slackville once wrote Laughter is ever young In Funny Bones Lisa has assembled a marvelous array of exercises games songs and scenes designed to keep us all forever young How can you take yourself too seriously when singing Waddily Achaº What better remedy for the
