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krowboom Loyal user Chicago area 233 Posts |
Any ideas for the best tricks to make kids smile that don't feel well? I do shows at a hospital where there may only be 3 or 4 kids and some or not all may not feel well and don't feel too much like smiling no matter what. Any ideas that seem to work no matter what? Thanks.
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Ron Vergilio Special user Murrieta, CA 835 Posts |
Obviously colorful, visual and on the cute/funny side tricks. If it includes puppies or kittens should play well also. Anything in your arsenal like that?
-Ron |
Mr. Pitts Inner circle David Pitts 1058 Posts |
I see you have puppets. I find those to be pretty sure-fire.
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magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
The same effects that make them laugh and smile the most normally that's what I have used in the past. No point listing them as they won't be the same ones that work for you.
Good luck. I'm sure you'll brighten their day. |
Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
I have a friend that says Rocky Raccoon is great but I'd suggest getting the version that doesn't use real animal fur. I believe it is called Roxanne.
Mine is less supple than the fur one so start the finger exercises. -Mary Mowder |
krowboom Loyal user Chicago area 233 Posts |
My puppets are great and almost always bring smiles and laughs. What I'm looking for are magic tricks that seem to get smiles no matter how bad they might feel. What are your best ones that get the best reaction? I know they may or may not work for me but who knows, maybe they might. Thanks for your help.
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Bob1Dog Inner circle Wife: It's me or this houseful of 1159 Posts |
Jumping rubber bands, then show them how to do it!
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
My neighbor rang my doorbell at 2:30 a.m. this morning, can you believe that, 2:30 a.m.!? Lucky for him I was still up playing my drums. |
jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
Your best trick is to make then laugh. I've volunteered in a cancer ward, several times, for kids and didn't do anything different then usual.
The difference is that it's difficult for the performer to see children being rolled in the room who are missing arms and legs- but then - in 10 minutes they forget all their problems and are having a great time. Then it's difficult again to see them rolled out of the room because they have to go back to their lives. The irony is that I have no right complaining about how difficult it is to watch them come and go. It's my humble pleasure to entertain them and for a brief moment take away their troubles allowing them to be kids. There aren't any miracle tricks you need to go buy. There isn't anything different you need to do. You just need to do your job and make them smile. Yours is a bitter-sweet endeavour that makes you appreciate life. How the nurses handle that job is beyond me. I couldn't do it on a daily basis. Just do what already works.
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
Wes Holly Special user Cincinnati, OH, USA 644 Posts |
A real exercise in "assuming the reaction". That's what I got when strolling in the kids ward. The parents and nurses were quick to not let me pass a kid by or cut the interaction short because I wasn't getting any outward reaction. "She's really enjoying it", they would say. It was hard for me but I kept on entertaining and pushing through my comfort zone of needing that immediate, positive reaction.
When we start out learning how to entertain, we feed off of, and need, that outward reaction. Learning how to "assume the reaction" is a very helpful skill to learn. |
Mr. Woolery Inner circle Fairbanks, AK 2149 Posts |
Look at your participation routines that you already have. Eliminate or modify any that will ask the kids to do anything that might be strenuous. For example, if doing something like Chico the Mindreader, standing next to you for 10 minutes could well be very taxing for a kid who is in the hospital. Ditto for Whit Haydn's linking ring routine. Stellar routine, but it asks for someone to stand up for 8 minutes and hold these metal rings the whole time. Easy when healthy, but assume all of these tasks will be hard. Think in terms of what they could be a part of without having to put much in physically.
So, instead of the high-physicality participation, have kids wave their fingers to make the magic happen. But try to have them make it happen just so they are participating. It makes a more lasting memory. Couple of ideas, though I don't vouch for their quality: -mouth coil from a puppet's mouth - have a child hold the end as you are backing away and being amazed at the production -Mark Wilson's T&R napkin - give all the kids the paper napkins they need to follow along with you, but for the sucker ending have them wave their fingers at your napkin to make it go together (it takes a room full of smiles to make the magic work) Above all, let the kids see that you honestly care. I remember a banjo player talking about being in the hospital and filling his day by wandering from room to room with his banjo, playing about as well as you'd expect from a guy who had just experienced his first epileptic siezure and been hospitalized for the results. He wasn't making very good music, but everyone who he greeted treated him like family because he cared enough to stop by and visit and share some music. You go share some magic and the kids will see that you care. That will brighten their day more than fancy magic or special routines. -Patrick |
esther_scheffer Veteran user the netherlands 316 Posts |
Wes Holly that is a really good post!
Not laughing out loud doesn't mean they do not enjoy. Look for the small signs. And even that might be too much if the kid is very very sick. Even if they are not able to show it, they might enjoy your tricks and your attention very very much and maybe you take their mind of being sick for a few seconds. |
krowboom Loyal user Chicago area 233 Posts |
Thanks for the responses. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing which is puppets and a lot of interactive stuff. I sometimes forget that it can be hard to laugh when you don't feel so good.
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BtheDreamer Loyal user 246 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-06-17 09:39, Wes Holly wrote: GREAT Comment. well put. B
Teach By Magic - Lessons with a magical twist
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Now what makes the kids smile? What makes them laugh or feel good even when they are not? Well the quick answer is you being genuine to them. Be yourself and do not feel sorry for them or show it inside. You need to be peppy and lively and full of good spirit. Kids can read you and they can see if you are worried or nervous. Just go in and have a smile on your face. A smile and a feeling of joy is contagious.
A lot of tricks that play well at your kid show will also play well for them also. Children are children regardless of where they are. I have found that humor is really a strong key though. If you can make them laugh, they will then ultimately smile. It goes hand in hand. So a lot of what I do is aimed at laughter. I can do physical humor to me or have a wand break in my hands. I can grab a wand and not realize it is a rubber chicken. Things of this type can make children laugh. I also have found power in puppets. They work great. Kids love puppets and they can relate to them more when not feeling well. You do not have to be great at it to get results. Sometimes just a puppet the child can relate to and they do not see you as an adult they do not know. They gear more to the puppet and the laughs and smiles soon follow. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
esther_scheffer Veteran user the netherlands 316 Posts |
Also consider you are most of the time not palying for a big audience but only a few kids at a time and often one-to-one. Pick tricks and routines that are suitable for this. And (as mentioned above sometimes you will hardly gat a visible reaction) also the ones that are playable both with and without interaction.
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