Haifa, Israel (Special) -- Children like to feel smarter than adults--in any country, and in any language. That's the key to the balloon humor of "Sandi," a native of San Diego, who now is performing her antics in Israel. 

As she did at a recent school assembly held here for Purim, Sandi, 25, likes to start her "kiddy" show by asking the young children to identify the object in her hand. "A balloon," they reply in unison. "What?" asks Sandi. The kids yell the answer louder and louder, until Sandi starts pulling balloons out of her ears. "I couldn't hear you," she says. "If these don't go into your ears, where do they go?" "Your mouth," the tykes instruct Sandi, who puts a balloon into her mouth and begins to chew it. "Like this?" she asks. "No! blow it!" the children answer. She does, but from the wrong direction. By now the children are in stitches -- how silly can an "adult" be? But eventually Sandi gets to show the children something they don't know -- that balloons can be twisted into any variety of animals and shapes, which she does on stage to their amazement.

Sandi at Purim bash

Sandi, who has an elementary school teaching degree from California, has given balloon and magic performances in the United States, Japan, Thailand, and now Israel, where she is making aliyah (immigrating to Israel). She is quick to pick up new languages but also can do
much of her show in the universal language of mime. 

HERITAGE editor Donald H. Harrison and his wife, Nancy, caught Sandi's act twice in Haifa recently. On one day she performed spontaneously at an after-school program for at-risk children operated by the Haifa Foundation. The next day she gave a scheduled peformance at the Purim assembly at Bet Sefer DiNur, an elementary school, where she served as a warm-up act for Israeli television entertainer Guy Meroz.

The Harrisons couldn't resist watching the energetic American performer. To them, Sandi the Clown is better known as Sandi Harrison, their daughter.