Kidsmagic

Over the past few hundred years, magicians have floated almost everything, from a crystal ball to a young lady. Here's a simple example of the laws of physics being contradicted. A match is placed on the back of a playing card. The magician causes the match to float above the card, proving it to be really suspended. The match is then lowered down to the card once again, and both items can be examined.

Don't you just love a magic trick that happens right in front of your eyes, with no logical answer? If so, I think you'll enjoy the video presented here. A pack of playing cards is displayed, and one card drawn from the pack. The magician explains that to take out all the cards is too much like hard work. Bringing both hands together, he/she ‘melts’ the pack away, leaving only the cards to be spread across the table. The card magic may then proceed. This is an ideal method of introducing a deck of cards, ready for more card magic to come.

Houdini has endured throughout the years as the world's optimum escapologist for many reasons, not the least of which was his amazing ability to withstand extremes. He devoted much of his time to acclimatizing himself to tolerate and expand limitations which the rest of us accept as normal. However, to today's demonstration. Just as Houdini was able to extricate himself from seemingly impossible situations, a similar feat is duplicated, this time with a chosen playing card. A free choice is made by an audience member, and the card is lost in the deck by shuffling. The whole deck is then tightly wrapped in a hankerchief. By jiggling the package up and down, the magician causes the chosen card to pass through the hankerchief. The remainder of the deck is then removed from the hankerchief and all items are handed out for inspection. The cards and the hankerchief may all be borrowed.

Here's an exhibition that will appeal to those intrigued by the world of spirit phenomena. If not, then simply attempt to solve the riddle it poses. A member of the audience is given a free choice in their selection of a playing card. The magician then introduces another card, this time depicting a small writing slate. By simply holding this card against the side of a tea-cup, the value and suit of the chosen card mysteriously appears on the slate. Just as strangely, the message fades from view, leaving the slate empty once again. Was it an illusion?

Siblings often find themselves distanced from one another because of varying interests and peer friendships. How nice it is to find that in many cases, when they mature their differences tend to melt away. This scenario is represented in the card trick depicted in today's video. Three playing cards are shown, two of them being Queens and the centre one a spot card. The cards are turned and placed one by one on the table. The bottom card is placed face up - it is a Queen. Next is the top card - also a Queen. The remaining card, which was the spot card, is now turned over to reveal that it has changed to a third Queen, suggesting that all three siblings are equal. Any-one who was brought up as a middle child may very well relate to this situation. Thankfully, all's well in the end.

If I hear of one more fake magician bending spoons and making dead watches spring to life, I think I'll scream. For heaven's sake, let's be honest - it's a trick. Here's a video of me pretending to be a bozo with powers of the mind. A pencil is placed inside a glass tumbler, and by 'brain power' alone, the pencil is seen to rise and lower within the glass. The demonstration is followed by an explanation of how this is achieved (if you haven't guessed already). Spoon bending is also available - what a great skill to possess. Who doesn't need their spoons bent at some point in their lives?

I guess at some stage, we've all had to have a key duplicated. Here's a unique method of duplicating a key without the use of a key-cutting machine. The magician has a key examined by the audience. He now introduces a key-blank which can also be examined. With just his finger, he traces the outline of the key onto the blank. The blank now has the same contours of the original key, both of which can be examined yet again.

We're all too familiar with the changing nature of traffic lights. Here, I've provided a video of a miniature traffic light going through its motions. A miniature version displays the three colours of a regular traffic light - red, amber and green. At the magician's command, the lights change colour a number of times before it finally reverts to its original state. This is a clever updated version of a standard effect that's been around for well over 80 years. There are adaptations of the original still in existence today, which illustrates the resilience of this effect.

How many times are we enticed to try the newest get-rich-quick scheme? And how many times do we recognize yet another plan to relieve us of our hard-earned dollars? This is a light-hearted look at how a coin can more than double in value in a heartbeat. In it, the magician shows a playing card and a coin of certain value. Simply by making a shallow tent with the card, the coin is flicked through the tent and immediately emerges as a larger coin with its value increased. Both the card and the coin may be examined by the audience. By following the explanation, you too can illustrate your money-making skills.

Have you ever felt trapped in a situation that you'd like to avoid? Then maybe you'll relate to this video in a minor fashion. A hankerchief, representing the forlorn captive, is placed in a glass tumbler. This is covered by a cloth and sealed with a rubber band, thus securing the hapless prisoner. The magician, being sympathetic to its plight, reaches under the cover and plucks the victim from its confinement. In order to prove its identity, the rubber band and cover are removed to show that the tumbler is indeed devoid of its contents. This simple trick, easy to learn, is disclosed in the video for your satisfaction.

This is a nice close-up magic trick that will baffle your audience. A coin is wrapped in a small folded piece of paper. Without any tricky sleight-of-hand or awkward movements, the paper is immediately opened again to reveal that the coin has disappeared. Just as easily, the coin can be made to re-appear and of course the coin may be inspected for trickery. The disclosure of this neat riddle can be found in the second half of the video. After construction of the paper wallet, the presentation can be handled by the youngest of magicians.

By nature, a magic demonstration involves the unexpected. This is the element that causes the 'OMG' reaction. But every now and then, a magician will tell you what is about to happen. But beware. If a magician tells you what to look for, he/she is probably fooling you. The scenario depicted here is just such a case. The magician directs the attention of the audience to a coin, which is covered with an inverted glass tumbler. This in turn is encased in a paper napkin or serviette. The audience is told that the coin is about to disappear. When this fails to occur, the magician (not wanting to disappoint) causes the glass tumbler to vanish instead. This is a very simple trick that any-one can perform at their next gathering. Full instructions are provided in the video.

Poker chips have become a popular item with present-day magicians. Here is just one of many magic tricks that can be performed with these versatile accessories. Two poker chips, orange on either side, are placed under a canopy of like colour. Two more chips, this time green on either side, are placed under a green cover. After a time, the magician discloses that there is a chip of each colour, orange and green, under either cover. One chip from each cover has crossed over.

Reminiscent of France's dreaded guillotine, the video opposite shows a miniature portrayal, with thankfully a rosier outcome. Four cards have a hole in the centre of each. A finger is placed through three of the cards, while the fourth card is seen to pass easily through the finger, to join its peers impaled on the finger.

A magic trick can be made to look all the more convincing if everyday items are used to create the mystery. A magician places a pencil into a metal tube, and seals it with a cap. The tube is then held by a spectator while the magician makes a magic pass. The spectator can then remove the cap and examine the contents. Strangely, the pencil has vanished, and in its place is a trail of star-dust.

In magic, the thrusting of one solid object through another is often baffling and teasing. Here is a fine example. A metal rod is seen to pass through a smaller hole in a solid metal plate. On inspection, it is shown to be impossible for the rod to pass through the hole.

This is an intriguing display showing how a painted arrow can be made to move up and down a bar, and even multiply. A white arrow appears on a blank bar, and proceeds to jump around in a bewildering fashion. Not only does it move around, but it also splits in two. The bar can be minutely inspected by a member of the audience.

Everybody knows that magnets will only attract metal objects. But here is a demonstration of how a plastic straw can be attracted to a plastic highlighter, chosen freely by the audience. There are two straws from which to choose, and likewise two highlighters. Various combinations are tested, but it is only the chosen straw and the chosen highlighter that are attracted to one another. The secret is disclosed toward the end of the video.

Frequently during a magic act, the magician will introduce a fancy way of performing a simple task. They call it 'flair'. For example, if he/she is about to perform a trick with a ring and a piece of rope, it adds a little extra interest if the ring is threaded in an intriguing manner. The video illustrates the magician laying the rope over one hand. Placing the ring on the rope, he simply turns his hand, pulls on the ring, and the ring is instantly threaded. The magician can then continue with whatever trick he/she wishes to perform. Neither item is prepared in any way, and both may be examined.

We often see on television, a modern magician attempting to deform himself in all manner of ways - some quite gruesome to watch. Here is a watered down attempt to shock and dismay. Taking a playing card from the pack, the magician presents his bare arm and proceeds to saw into his arm with the card. The card appears to become embedded in the arm, but of course we all know that it must be an illusion. The puzzling part of this demonstration is the fact that the card is withdrawn from the arm, and is shown to be regular. It's perhaps not as curious as a chainsaw through the abdomen, but much more appropriate for a younger audience.

This presentation shows a close-up account of a confined object changing places with a free object. The magician secures a blank card onto a safety-pin, and hands it to a spectator for examination. The spectator is then requested to draw anything on a second card. The magician then causes the two cards to change places in an instant, leaving the spectator's card impaled on the closed pin. Once again the cards change places, and both are offered for inspection.

Whether you like ghost stories or escapes from bondage, I have a demonstration that might appeal to you. The magician shows three cards - two depicting a haunted house, and one of a ghost. The three cards, ghost in the centre, are attached securely to a key-chain. Magically, the ghost escapes from the key-chain, and is found elsewhere. The question would be: How can a card, any card, vanish from between two others while they remain in full view? I'll bet you can solve the riddle.

Versatility is bonus when it comes to magical apparatus. To have a piece of equipment that can perform more than one function is a definite plus. The video I've posted here gives a demonstration of one use of a very versatile item. A bag with a netting front is shown to be completely empty. The magician simply turns the bag around, and when displayed once more it is seen to contain a silver or gold coin. Another variation is to start with a coin in the bag, and have it multiply. You can even make a coin vanish with this bag. It's an asset to any young magician's collection.

Learn how to perform a magic trick that has a ball penetrate a hankerchief in full view, leaving absolutely no damage whatsoever. All you need is a ball and a hankerchief, and a little practice. The magician displays a ball and a hankerchief, which may be examined by the audience. The hankerchief is placed over the ball and twisted to hold the ball firmly in position. In view of the audience, the ball emerges upward through the hankerchief and is offered once more to the audience for final inspection.

The video is of a simple version of a well-known magic trick called the "Monkey Bar". Scaled down for the use of young magicians, it can be just as puzzling. The magician shows a bar with three ribbons attached. Two are alike in colour, and one is odd. The odd ribbon is on one end of the bar, and as a joke the magician turns the bar to make the odd ribbon appear on the other end. This is reversed, and the audience are not impressed. However, when the magician grasps all three ribbons and pulls them firmly, the odd ribbon is seen to have jumped to the centre of the bar. Everything can now be handed out for inspection.