Let's design a home made magic kit for kids from 7-10 age group. To keep it simple limit it to "Ten Good Magic Tricks"

The tricks should be "fairly" easy to do and contain no store bought items like the Adam's "Ball and Vase". No "Close-Up magic" or "Card Tricks" Exceptions: Cards can be used but not "pick a card, lose that card, find the card" type. An Ultimate Close-up Magic Kit would include cards but that’s another topic.

The tricks should be "Good Magic Tricks" where you and I would consider using them in a show and cost effective. Try to keep the cost of the item down or at least within a reasonable range. (A hundred feet of rope could be used for several kits.)

Items should be able to be purchase at Wal-Mart, Home-Depot, Craft Store, Office Supply Store or similar known store. When learned, the child should be able to perform a stand up show for a group of ten people.

It's not necessary to name ten, only suggest what you think should be in that box.

Comments as to "pro and cons" of items would be helpful to eventually pick the Ultimate 10.

Example: Rope to perform, "Professor's Nightmare", "Rope through Body", and "Cut and Restored Rope"

Professor's Nightmare
Excellent trick but may be to difficult for a 7-year old to perform.

Rope through Body
Excellent trick and it uses assistants.

Cut and Restored Rope
Excellent trick and it could use an assistant. Do we want to add a pair of scissors to the box? Do we want to put a pair of scissors in a 7-year old child's hand?

Rope tricks should come with a warning or within the routine a safety tip about the dangers of rope. Rope through neck is out! To dangerous for kids.

I would look to the old "Boy Scout Magic book"
One of the first ones I checked out form the library (*&% years ago!), along with the big Golden Book of Magic.
There are some very basic effects, some more complex, using everyday items.
a basic (not much final load) cups and balls with paper cups and some napkin balls is popular.
k

For kids that age, I use a deck of character Uno cards - so far, the favorite is Rug Rats. If the child picks a card, they are more likely to remember the character than the pips of a regular deck.

Also include some blank index cards, a jumbo-size pencil, and a woman's silk kerchief.

Tricks to do:

(1) With the Uno cards and a simple cross-cut force, a simple one-ahead mind-reading routine: spread the cards and pick any number, then pick any color, then finally "cut to a card". This could actually involve the whole room of spectators shouting out responses to the first two, and a single volunteer to pick the last card. Use the pencil and write the responses on the index cards.

(2) With the Uno cards, the Piano odd-even trick. Easy and uses a volunteer.

(3) Borrow a quarter and use the jumbo pencil to vanish the quarter by sticking the pencil over the ear (I don't know the actual name of that one). Easy and can be a good fooler.

(4) Use the kerchief for the broken/restored match/toothpick. Easy and uses a volunteer.

(5) There's also the "appearing knot" using the kerchief.

Ed

Cups and Balls with styrofoam cups and pom pom balls from the craft store. Basic penetraton sequence with all 3 balls penetrating the cups one at a time.

Vanish and production of a ball using a super-bounce ball from the dollar store.

Two in the Hand, One in the Pocket using super-bounce balls from the dollar store.

Torn and Restored tissue paper using the travel packets of tissue paper you can buy at the dollar store. The two ply versions work very well since you can split one sheet into two.

Jumping Rubber Bands - you can do the simple version and the more advanced version with a second rubber band intetwined at the finger tips.

Coin Production - using two small index cards (If I was to include card tricks in this package, I would use two playing cards instead of the index cards) and a bingo/poker chip all obtainable from the dollar store.

Coin Vanish - using a handkerchief, a bingo/poker chip and a stooge. This is the same version that was taught on television during season 1 of Worlds Greatest Magic.

Paper Clip Transpostion - using the basic 10 count.

Cutting a Sealed Banana - using nothing more than a banana and a pin. (My only hesitation is including a pin in the kit. I would prefer that the child ask a parent for the pin and then include a warning that adult supervision is recommended for the set-up).

Popsicle Stick Prediction - using different colored popsicle sticks from the dollar store and a magician's choice. This can become a very strong bit of mentalism that even fools adults.


HEY, THAT'S 10 TRICKS! Put it in a box, write up some instructions and get the infomercial ready Wait a minute, I already have the written instructions for all of this - these are the effects I teach in my Masters Magic Class. My instructions also include advice and guidance on practice, patter, routining and presentaton.

Kent

I still have my hard back cover "Boy Scout Magic Book"

Ring off rope/ribbon. Cords of Fantasia (incl. magic wand made from dowell rod). Take a look in yard goods stores for magical looking cords, beads etc. and you'll come up with several ideas based on what's in their clearance bins.

Julie

Is the idea a magic kit, or a book? If it's a kit, kids will probably want some magic props, not just a few styrofoam cups and some string. There are already hundreds of books available with the kind of tricks being suggested here. I see these books come and go in the bookshops - I don't think there's enough interest to sell that many copies. A good magic kit would include props that a kid couldn't easily improvise. Remember that many kids will have seen magicians with all kinds of magic boxes and stuff. It takes quite a lot of enthusiasm before a child will actually read the details of a trick such as cups and balls, and learn it. Then, if they're practising using styrofoam cups, they will most likely give up after two minutes, as cups and balls with styrofoam cups is significantly harder to perform than when using heavy, purpose made cups.
There are already magic kits which offer a selection of easy "professional" magic, I gave one to my nephew, and it includes Golden Key, Haunted Key, Casino Chips, Match Block Penetration, Wizard Deck, and several more items. Retails at around £50, and is guaranteed to have a keen child performing miracles within minutes.
The bottom line is, how badly does a child want to be a magician? If there's enough enthusiasm, pretty much any magic book will contain something useful. If it's just a passing fancy, you can give a kid all the self-working magic tricks in the World, and they'll still toss it aside after five minutes and head for the Playstation.
BTW, I was performing Professor's Nightmare by the time I was six.

1) glass through table

2) restoring piece of string (the one where you have to untwirl the middle to create two ends)

3) string in straw trick (string running through straw - straw is cut in half and string is restorded again)

4) Burmuda papers? ( I think it is called like that. it's the trick where you have a folded paper in a folded paper in a folded paper. you can make a coin disappear)

5)self bending nail (you bend a nail - you hold it up and by turning the fingers it looks like it bends)

6) prediction effect (3 object - spec. picks one - eneveloppe opend to show prediction is correct.

The dollar store has real cups which are much bettter than styrofaom, however, is this good enough for a stand up stage trick or a must have in an Ultimate Close-up Kit?

Below are five classic item I like.

I too like the Professor's Nightmare, and Rope through Body which did it when I was 8.

A simple Miser's Dream with poker/casino chips or quarters would do nicely. A Coffee Can or a simple cup from the Dollar Store as a bucket would work.

A 20th Century Silk routine from scarfs found at a dollar store and a gimmicked scarf would be a good trick.

How about an Egg Bag using a simple folded cloth bag?

As for a book, there should be an instructional book with patter or even a complete routine. Remember this is a starter kit to get them to perform. After they get a feel for it and like, it the finer details get filled in.

Magic wand from a dowel is a prop and it should be included in the kit but not counted as a trick, even though it can be used as a trick. These could be purchased in bulk cheaper than a painted dowel.

Blake could come up with the "ULTIMATE MENTALISM KIT" using mentalism and prediction tricks. This is a different style or category and not one of my choices for a MAGIC KIT. (Is the Character a Magician or a Mentalist?) Ideally try to keep withing the MAgician Character from a child's perspective.

What is your feelings about a thumb tip production?

Great info guys, please keep it flowing. I have been purchasing a few tricks and also getting some idea's for my 6yr old from some of my books (including the Cub Scout magic book). Cards from what I have seen so far are very difficult to handle for small hands. And shuffling is nearly impossible. It drives me nuts when I see a magic kit with 5 out of the 10 tricks being card tricks and then it says for ages 5-7.

How about the color changing scarf or bandana.

Good question.
What age do people feel that kids have to be before exposing the thumb tip to kids who are genuinely interested in magic?

I believe that first they should be capable of demonstrating the “Never tell anyone how its done” principle, before a thumb tip can be taught. So perhaps its not an age issue at all ?

Warren

Thumb tips are out, need something showy. Five others Anyone?

Object to Nest of Boxes, or to ball of yarn, could be one possible stage routine. Several methods possible.

Another possibility is the Buddah Mystery Papers, with a bill (or special message) appearing (or vanishing). Could be used for either stage or close-up. (Robert Blake already suggested this).

Even though you said cards are out, you could make a home-made electric deck, with a stapler and some cards.

What about sucker torn and restored napkin (or facial tissue)? Tear one up, crumple it into your hand as a ball, switch and open up the ball to restore it, another bundle accidently falls to the ground from your hand (which audience thinks is the bundle of torn pieces)... pick it up and restore it, too.

- Donald