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Josho Special user Albany, New York 758 Posts |
I've been asked to come into my 3-year-old's class at a Montessori summer camp tomorrow morning and do a little magic! (My wife told the head of their summer program that I do magic. Thanks, Laura.)
I don't do kids' shows. I do mentalism for some audiences and close-up for others. So I'm a little flummoxed. I DO have an old Hippity Hop Rabbits outfit I'm prepared to use (brushed up on the patter earlier tonight). I have a couple of oddball bits I can do, like Looy Simonoff's "False Count." And I can still do some very nice balloon animals. But here's the thing. I have a HUGE sack of chocolate coins (and they're pretty authentic-looking, too -- they look like "state quarters"), and I'd love to do some sort of "Miser's Dream" effect with the kids, ending up with a whole lot of chocolate coins in a bucket or bag for the kids. Not sure how to do this impromptu, though. I don't have a Miser's Dream bucket and these chocolate coins are too thick and slippery to keep many of them in my palm. I won't be wearing a jacket and don't have a dropper. Any suggestions for an easy routine that might fill the bill? I have tonight and tomorrow morning to rehearse! Josh |
magicbern Inner circle Hong Kong, China 1220 Posts |
Why don't you just do the continuous coins production from Mark Wilson Course or Ammar's Easy to MAster Money Miracles (cant remember which volume!). The coins can be in your pocket and you can produce as many as you want.
A very easy but effective routine comes from Bill Severn's Big Book of Magic (if you have a copy). Good luck in the show tomorrow! |
Regan Inner circle U.S.A. 5726 Posts |
Josh, a dove pan would be an easy way to produce the coins.
Mister Mystery
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sleightly Elite user New Hampshire 500 Posts |
Candy at a summer camp... Not a good idea! [Speaking from personal experience...]
Some may be allergic to chocolate, some allergic to milk and some parents are psycho about not wanting candy plied to their child by a stranger... YMMV. ajp |
Josho Special user Albany, New York 758 Posts |
Many thanks! Magicbern, I've looked up your suggestions...not sure which I'll do, but I'd better decide pretty quickly. But I'm also going to take Sleightly's suggestion -- I'm going to talk to the counselors first and see if there are issues. If there are any, I'll skip that one. (Regan, that would be a great solution if I had a dove pan. Maybe I'd better invest in one for future such emergencies...)
Thanks again, Josh |
harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Mosquito whistle and or squeakers are fun for this age.
Having a fly buzz around...or make noise as you touch things. 2 mosquito whistles (in opposite orientation) make wonderful noises.
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
Brian Lehr Inner circle Edmonton, Canada 1605 Posts |
Three year olds don't care about magic, they just want to have fun (sung to the tune of Cindy Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun").
Other than a Dove Pan, the candy will also work well in a Change Bag. Or you can get a brown paper bag, add two false sides into it, show the bag empty, have the kids wiggle their fingers and say a silly magic word, and produce the candy from the bag (do it twice, once for each false side). Can you get a Silver Scepter or Egg Vase from a nearby friend? Do you have a Dollar Store nearby where you can by a cheap plastic Egg Vase (most Dollar Stores sell little plastic magic tricks). These things will literally crack the kids up with laughter. Get a flashlight, and have some fun using a Blooming Bouquet idea. I do this with my Halloween shows, with a pumpkin flashlight. Set it up so the connection to the batteries is barely touching, so that when you click the light, it doesn't come on. Talk about how your flashlight is broken, then put it under your arm as you pretend to go get something on your table (new battery perhaps?). With your back turned to the kids, and the light section of the flashlight facing the kids, complete the connection secretly (I just slightly twist the bottom of my flashlight so the batteries inside become properly connected). When the kids scream out that the light is on, quickly unscrew the bottom connection to the batteries, turn around very excitedly, look at the light (now gone out), and say, "Hey, you guys are tricking me! There's no light here! It's broken!" Do this several times before you actually leave the light on, and then praise the kids for making the light work. I probably didn't explain the trick (or game) very good above, so I hope you get the idea. Please PM me if you need more clarification. Kids love this little game, and to them, it's magic! Regarding your chocolate coins, try palming one, and making it appear in different places. Can you get some small sponge balls, or buy a kitchen sponge at the Dollar Store and cut out little sponge bunnies? When you make a balloon animal, do some silly slapstick with the balloon (pretend to flick yourself several times, while telling the kids to stop laughing -- this will cause them to laugh more!). After blowing the balloon up, break it in half and give both halves to a child, asking him to hold them. When he does, all the air comes out. Act surprised. Ham it up a bit, and let your "childlike" nature shine through the manly exterior. And above all, have fun. Remember, "Kids Just Wanna Have Fun"! Brian |
Josho Special user Albany, New York 758 Posts |
Thanks to Brian and Harris and everyone!
The show's over, and it went very well (especially considering I've never performed for kids, other than for my daughter or for friends' kids stopping by). I skipped the chocolate coins for the reasons Sleightly mentioned in combination with the fact that I really wasn't comfortable using a method I hadn't had time to rehearse sufficiently. It was a group of about 25 kids, and a lot of teachers. I ended up doing False Count, vanishing and reappearing sequins (using a TT), Hippity Hop Rabbits, and a couple of very silly things like making one foot vanish behind a sheet, and having the kids try it. I did balloon animals, about 30 of them, 'til my cheeks gave out and I truly could not blow up a single balloon more. Got very silly, doing the kinds of things Brian suggested (I remember a lot of the bits from my first balloon book, "One Balloon Zoo"). So given that my daughter's going to be going to this school in the fall, I have a feeling I'll be asked to do some more shows. Along those lines, if anyone has any suggestions for one great book on doing children's shows, I guess I'd better start learning. Josh |
Jeff Haas Special user 929 Posts |
Josh - Start with these two books:
Performing Magic for Children http://www.isawthat.com/en/store/pmfc.html Seriously Silly http://www.sillymagic.com/printedMaterial.htm They should be more than enough to get you started. Jeff |
Josho Special user Albany, New York 758 Posts |
Hey, Jeff. Good to see you again.
Thank you for the suggestions. I'll get these. Do you do kids' shows? Josh |
magicbern Inner circle Hong Kong, China 1220 Posts |
Glad things went fine at the show Josh. I think it was prudent to stick to what you find comfortable. The most important thing is that it sounds like the kids had fun and enjoyed your performance.
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Brian Lehr Inner circle Edmonton, Canada 1605 Posts |
Great job Josh!
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Purchase Kimmo's and Chris Capehart's DVD. Those two DVD's will tell you everything.
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John Breeds Veteran user England 336 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-14 12:00, Brian Lehr wrote: Brian I couldn't have expressed this so well as you - a really excellent post. Thank you. You are obviously a seasoned pro! John |
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