Saying 'Hey presto!' and making a coin disappear into thin air is something that most children will jump at the chance to learn. And a few adults too, no doubt! In this article I'll give you some ideas for materials and tricks of the trade that a performing magician can use, as well as some magic words. You can pass these directly on to the children, and they can read the feature themselves too, if they wish.
THE ESSENTIAL MAGICIAN'S OUTFIT
Every self-respecting magician needs a top hat, cloak, black jacket or ornate waistcoat (with secret pockets), magic wand andmagic box.
A black top hat is easy to make and you can include a secret flap inside for hiding things.
Magic wand - use a length of wooden dowel - about 30cm - for this. Paint it black first of all and when dry, paint an inch of white at each end.
Magic box - a brightly coloured and glittery magic box is essential to hide your tricks in.
Small table - you'll need this to carry out your tricks.
MATERIALS NEEDED
These materials will enable you to carry out many simple tricks: a pack of cards, some coloured ribbon, plastic cups, carbon paper, silk hankies, coins, chocolate money, rubber bands, paper napkins, pieces of card, large envelopes, paper bags, a length of soft rope, wooden dowel, balloons, shiny decorative stickers, paint (particularly black), glue and scissors, empty cartons, tubes and boxes, a craft knife, ruler, marker pen, matchbox, sticky tape and sweet wrappers.
MAGIC WORDS TO USE
Abracadabra - Alacazam - Hocus Pocus - Izzy, wizzy, wand get busy
Effect - what the audience sees
Gag - a joke or funny story
Fake - a secret prop
Illusion - when something seems to happen but doesn't
Palming - keeping something hidden in your hand
Patter - the talk that goes with the trick
Props - the things you use for your tricks
Routine - a series of tricks
Shuffle - to mix a pack of cards up
Sleeving - hiding something up your sleeve to make it vanish or appear later
Steal - to move something from its place secretly
Vanish - to make an object disappear.
SLICK PERFORMANCE
How did he do that? When showing your tricks you must be convincing, so think of yourself as putting on a show. Practise your 'patter', stand up straight and use lots of arm movements. Try to be natural, as if the trick is the most simple thing in the world - this will convince your audience that you are a top magician! Remember that practice makes perfect and will make you feel more confident.
Here are some more tips: *Don't be tempted to repeat your trick. Always leave your audience wanting more. Repeating the trick too quickly will lead them to discovering how you do it.
*Hide tricks away in your magic box when they are not in use.
*Misdirect your audience by getting them to look where you want them to.
They will look where you look and where you have placed your hands.
MYSTIFYING BAG.
Cut out three pieces of fabric the same size - about 24 x 20 cm. Sew three sides together and decorate the front by gluing on pieces of fabric or paper. You now have a very clever bag with two pockets not one!
To play the trick:
Knot together a set of brightly coloured handkerchiefs and place in one of the pockets. Open out the bag and show the audience the empty pocket making them believe that the bag is empty. They can even feel inside it if you wish. Now with a swish of your wand draw out the trail of handkerchiefs.
THE NON-POP BALLOON TRICK
You will need:
*Some balloons *Clear sticky tape *Long cocktail sticks, decorated at one end *Scissors How it works:
Blow up your balloon and stick some sticky tape on to the surface.
Decorate one end of each stick so the audience can see them more easily.
Now, in front of everyone, proceed to stick the other end of the cocktail stick into the balloon. You can do this with three or four sticks one after the other -your audience will be astounded as they will be expecting the balloon to burst.
MAKING A HANKIE DISAPPEAR
This simple trick takes only a little preparation but is very effective.
You will need:
*A small strip of pale coloured card *Flesh coloured paint *A black or brown felt tip pen *One piece of kitchen paper *Glue *A fine silk handkerchief To make:
First, you'll need to make a dummy thumb. Roll the strip of card round your thumb and tape it into a cylinder shape - it should slide easily on and off. Tape another strip of card on to it so that it looks like your thumb.
Cover the card with kitchen towel, then paint it with flesh-coloured paint.
When dry, draw on a nail and a knuckle.
How the trick works:
Place the dummy thumb on your thumb. Show the audience the handkerchief, keeping your thumb hidden. Now secretly slip the thumb tip off. Carefully push and squash the hankie into the thumb tip. The audience will think that you are pushing it into your hand. Push your thumb into the tip, say some magic words and hold your hands up to the audience showing them that they are empty.
To make the hanky reappear, secretly remove the false thumb and slowly pull the silk hankie out, keeping your thumb hidden and using dramatic movements and gestures to convince your audience.
FLOATING BUTTERFLIES
Surprise your audience by balancing butterflies on the tips of pencils, straws -or even your finger.
You will need: *Thin card *Colouring pencils *Some weights that could be metal washers To do the trick:
Cut out the shape of your butterfly, making sure that both sides are the same. Colour it in and glue on the weights. Now balance the butterfly on your finger or a pencil without showing the audience the secret weights. To ensure that the audience is really confused, hand out butterflies without the weights. They will be baffled when they can't balance them!
MIND READING
You'll need the help of a glamorous assistant for mind reading tricks, someone you can trust not to give away your secrets. The trick is to work out some signals that your assistant can give you that the audience won't notice.
Some tricks to try:
*Lay out some small items in a row. They could be trinkets, charms or different coloured pencils. Ask someone in the audience to choose an object when you leave the room. When you return, carefully point to or place your hand over each object. Watch out for your assistant, who, unbeknown to the others, is in the audience, to give you the secret signal - say a hand on his chin. Then select the object chosen by the audience.
*Draw a circle and divide it into six sections using a pen. Give each slice a number and place an object on each one. Ask someone to choose one of the objects in the circle and whisper what it is to your assistant, without you overhearing. Now read your assistant's mind by touching his head and putting your hands on the sides of his face. When the assistant squeezes his back teeth, you will be able to feel it and your assistant can clench the number that the object is on!
THE MATCHBOX TRICK
This trick needs lots of practice. Ask a member of the audience for a coin and place it into a matchbox, shake it around and make it rattle. Then, making sure no one can see what you are doing, turn the box upside down, squeeze the sides, and let the coin slip out into the hand you are holding the box with. Now show the audience the empty box - they will be astonished that it has disappeared. You could also plant another coin in a member of the audience's pocket without them knowing. This means that you can now retrieve the other coin from their pocket or ask them to look in their own pocket. Hey presto, you have made the original coin disappear and returned it in someone else's pocket.
