This is just a quick reminder that Monday 9/6/10 is Labor Day and a Federal Holiday in the USA. Because of that all magic kit orders that would normally ship out on that day will ship out the following day (Tuesday 9/7/10).
Please order your magic kit with that mind, and plan ahead!
Louie
www.amazingmagickit.com
One of the cool things abouts learning magic tricks from a magic kit or magic book is that it’s fairly inexpensive. For example, it doesn’t cost anything to practice a magic trick. Most magic books will teach your kid how to do magic tricks with things that they have around the house, like coins or a deck of cards. So unlike learning the violin the cost to get started could simply be a trip to your local library.
Another thing about magic tricks is that they grow with your kid. As your kid learns one magic trick, there is always another one that’s easier, the same difficulty or harder!
Louie
www.amazingmagickit.com
Once the school year gets fired up a great way for your kid to learn magic tricks is at school. Many schools offer after school enrichment or mentor programs where the school brings in a magician to teach a one day or multi-week magic class. I’ve taught a lot of these over the years and having a class once a week really helps kids learn the magic tricks.
In the magic classes I’ve taught the kids that learn the most are usually the ones that come into the class knowing a magic trick or two. They are mentally prepared for what it takes to learn how to do magic tricks, and it shortens their learning curve a bit. That’s where getting your kid a magic kit comes in. Exposing them to how magic has a secret and you must hide that secret before the class begins will easily make them in the top 10% of the class right off the bat.
If you school doesn’t have an after school enrichment program or if it does but doesn’t offer magic as an option talk to the school principal or PTA and ask them to include it.
Summer only has a few weeks left then school will be firing up and the Amazing Magic Kit might just be the thing your kid needs to start the school year. Learning magic tricks from a magic set will teach your children the four P’s:
Practice: When learning a magic trick, even if you can do it on the first try you still need to practice it to be good at it…or get better!
Perseverance: Some magic tricks are hard (however the ones in the Amazing Magic Kit were selected for Elementary School age kids and shouldn’t be too difficult for the average kid) and when you kid is trying to learn a magic trick that they don’t get the hang of right away, they will learn about perseverance!
Patience: When your child is working on learning tricks, they’ll have to have patience and a bit of restraint to make sure they have mastered the magic trick before they show it to anyone.
Public speaking: Obviously magic tricks are the most fun once you have mastered them and you get to show them to people. The simple act of performing a magic show or just a magic trick for some friends or family will hone your kids ability at public speaking!
Then of course if you’ve moved over the summer and your kid will be starting at a new school, knowing a magic trick or two is a great way to break the ice and make new friends!
Have a great rest of your summer!
One of the classic magic tricks is the Cups and Balls. In its most basic form you show three cups and three balls. Then one at a time the balls go through the cups bottom. In it’s basic form the trick uses physics and not sleight of hand, so that makes it a great trick for a kid magician!
One of the cool things about this magic trick is that it will grow with your kid as they learn more about magic. They can add sleight of hand and other surprises to the cups and balls magic act!
Most of the top magicians have featured the cups and balls trick in their shows at one point or another.
The cups used is this trick aren’t trick cups, however they are special cups. By special cups I mean that they have a property built into them that allows you do the trick. The Amazing Magic Kit comes with a set of disposable plastic cups and the special something extra that you’ll need to alter the cups so that they will work for the trick.
Why doesn’t the Amazing Magic Kit come with nicer cups? Well simple, if your kid loses one of the cups or the special something they are easy to replace for pennies…while if you lose a cup from the cheapest set of specially made cups it will cost you about $7-$10 to do the trick again. As the dad of a six year old I really appreciate having something that I can replace easily if my daughter loses!
Here’s a old video of Dai Vernon (a master magician) performing an advanced version of the cups and balls trick:
Today my family is going to the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire, and it hit me that pretty much all Renaissance Faire’s have a magician. So if your kid is interested in magic or already has a magic kit and is needing some inspiration, a Renaissance Faire is a great place to go! For example the Faire we’re going to today has two acts that are specifically magic, then a couple of jugglers that also do magic as part of their act.
When I kid sees a live magic show, they see how a trick can be performed. It will help them take the tricks that they learn and turn it into a show! One of the nice things about the Amazing Magic Kit is the DVD that comes with the magic set where kids teach the tricks in the context of a show, so children should have no problem translating magic tricks to a show.
This morning I dropped off a batch of Amazing Magic Kits at Market Magic Shop in Seattle’s historic Pike Place market. So if you are in the Seattle area and would like to pick up a magic kit in person, then swing by Market Magic Shop!
Louie
Here we are at the end of July and if your child is anything like mine, the novelty of summer has worn off and you are starting to hear “I’m bored”. That’s where a magic kit or magic book comes in! When they learn a magic trick from a magic kit or book, they have a goal. The goal could simply learn a trick to show to a friend or it could be doing a whole magic show for the neighborhood.
That’s the nice thing about learning a magic trick, it has a beginning and an end, unlike going outside to play. While there is nothing wrong with free play where there is no goal, kids also like to know when they have accomplished something. In my opinion that’s where a lot of the summertime “I’m bored” comments come from, lack of a goal (no matter how informal the goal is).
Obviously learning a new skill like a magic trick fills the need for an end point to an activity nicely! So consider getting a magic kit to make the summertime boredom disappear!
Louie
From July 1, 2010 to July 13, 2010 I will be out of town. All magic kit orders placed during that time will ship out on July 14th when I return. Any shipping guarantee does not apply to orders placed during that time period.
So if you need a magic kit please plan ahead and order early!
Learning magic tricks from a magic kit over the summer vacation is a lot of fun for a kid. And in September when school starts up again they will have a fun new skill to show their classmates!
Getting a magic kit over the summer can make road trips more fun for kids. For example if they learn how to do a magic trick, they can practice it in the car. Then imagine all the hotel front desk clerks or waiters that your kids can amaze!
Also there are a lot of wedding that people go to in the summer. Which let’s face it a lot of weddings aren’t a ton of fun for kids. But if your kid knew a magic trick or two they can dazzle other kids (and adults)!
So in my opinion magic kits and summer go hand in hand!