Trickiness Level: 1 out of 3
Props: A small box of crayons.
Secret Steps1.
Stand with your back to your child. Put your hands behind your back and
ask her to pick a crayon out of the box and place it into your hands.
2.
Once you can feel it in your fingers, turn to face your child with your
hands concealed behind you. While you’re talking about the magic,
scrape the crayon with your right thumbnail so some wax gets stuck
between your finger and the nail.
3. Keeping the crayon behind
your back in your left hand, transfer your child’s thoughts to your own
with your right hand. Wave your fingers in front of her face, repeating,
“I’m reading your thoughts” and “I’m moving them into my mind.”
4. As you’re waving your hand in front of your eyes, sneak a glimpse of the color under your thumbnail.
5. Reveal the answer, adding a few dramatic
abracadabras for effect.
The Big RevealIn a jumble of cards, the kings, queens, jacks, and aces defy the odds to find one another!
Trickiness Level: 2 out of 3
Props: A deck of cards.
Secret Steps1. Remove all the face cards and aces from the deck—they’re the only cards you need.
2.
Place the kings in a row and say, “All the kings decided to check into a
hotel. And since they’re nice kings, they decided to bring their wives,
the queens.” Now place the queens on top of the kings, matching the
suits.
3. Then say, “The queens were such devoted mothers, they
didn’t want to leave their sons at home.” Place the jacks on top of the
queens, matching the suits.
4. Now say, “Before they all went to
bed, they decided to lock their doors.” Place the aces on top of the
jacks, matching the suits.
5. Here’s where the story gets
interesting. Say, “But in the middle of the night, they all got mixed
up.” Put all the stacks of cards together, one on top of the other. Turn
the deck facedown and ask your child to cut it three times, being sure
to put the deck back together after each cut.
6. When she’s done,
say, “But somehow, come morning, everyone was back where he or she
belonged.” Starting from the top of the pile, lay the cards out in four
stacks facedown, putting one card in each stack until you’re out of
cards. Turn the piles over: All the kings will be together, and so will
all the queens, jacks, and aces!
The Big RevealTwo plain old paper clips spring into the air and mystifyingly link themselves together!
Trickiness Level: 3 out of 3
Props: A dollar bill and two paper clips.
Secret Steps
1. Take the dollar bill and accordion-fold it into thirds so it’s shaped like an S.
2.
Attach one of the paper clips to the front of the bill from the top,
with the shorter side of the clip facing you. The clip should go over
the outer layer of the folded bill as well as the middle layer, and it
should be clipped near the edge of the bill, not the fold.
3.
Attach the other paper clip to the back of the bill from the top, with
the shorter side facing away from you. Again, the clip should go over
the outer layer of the folded bill as well as the middle layer.
4.
Take one end of the bill in each hand and give it a quick snap. The
clips will fly into the air, and when you pick them up, they’ll be
attached. How? Magic, of course.
