MAGIC CRAFTS AND ACTIVITIES

 

Magic Show

Make an envelope by folding a piece of paper as shown. Seal the front and back, but not the opening on top, with tape or pins. Roll another piece of paper into a pipe, tape it together and insert one end in the opening of the envelope.  Now cut up about 50 snips of different colored paper and pour them through the pipe into the envelope.  Shake well, hold it toward a bright light and look into the pipe. What interesting shapes and colored patterns you see! this is sometimes called a kaleidoscope.

Magic String & Straw

You'll need a couple of ordinary drinking straws, some string and a scissors.  Start off by holding up a straw and announcing you can turn one straw into two.  Bend the straw in the middle and cut it in half with the scissors.  (audience will groan)  Now tell your audience you'll make it a little tougher this time.  Hold up the other straw. Thread the string through the straw and keep it in place so the audience can see the string on both ends of the straw.  Now bend the straw in the middle, snip it in half, and grab one end of the string, slowly pulling it out.  It's still in one piece!  The secret: The second straw is secretly prepared ahead of time.  Have an adult use a razor blade to cut a thin slice mid-length.  Then when you bend it in half, make sure the slit is on the inside of the bend.  Pull both ends of the string so the middle of the string comes out through the slit.  Cut only the straw, not the string!

Magic Postcards

Show the audience three ordinary, but different postcards.  Ask a volunteer from the audience to hand one of them to you while your back is turned.  Without looking, you can tell which postcard it is.  The secret: Each postcard should be addressed and have a message written on it.  They should also have a stamp.  The trick is to completely seal the stamp on one postcard, glue down only the top half of the stamp on another postcard, and glue down only one side of the stamp on the third postcard.  You'll be able to tell which postcard is which by the stamp!

 

Magic Potion

First make a cauldron.  Paint a short can and three wood beads a dark grey, brown or black.  When dry, glue the wood beads onto the bottom of the can.  Place the cauldron inside an aluminum pan.  Pour in two tablespoons of water and one tablespoon of baking soda until it is well dissolved.  Measure two tablespoons of vinegar in a separate cup.   Pour the vinegar all at once into the cauldron and watch the potion bubble up!  The bubbles are filled with carbon dioxide which forms when the vinegar (acid) mixes with the baking soda (base).  This is what makes cakes rise when you bake them too.

 

Edible Wands

Materials:  pretzel rods, white frosting in a tub, knife or spatula, edible sprinkles, wax paper

Scoop out a small amount of frosting and put in in a small bowl.  Dip the pretzel in the frosting, twist and pull pretzel out.  Sprinkle with sprinkles.  Place on wax paper and put in refrigerator to set.

 

Magic Broom

Materials:  yellow or natural wood-colored pencils, double stick tape, raffia, scissors, gold star garland, wire cutters

  1. Cut some raffia about 3 1/2 inches long.

  2. Cut off a piece of double stick tape long enough to wrap around the metal part of the pencil eraser and wrap around.

  3. Lay ends of raffia around the pencil, adhering to the tape, with ends sticking up over the eraser.

  4. Cut off another piece long enough to wrap around and adhere to the top of the raffia directly above the other piece of tape.

  5. Lay ends of raffia, around the pencil, adhering to the take, with ends sticking above the eraser.

  6. Cut off 2 pieces of tape, long enough to wrap around, and adhere one piece to the top of the raffia directly above the other piece of tape.  Adhere the other piece of tape directly below the other piece of tape.

  7. Take garland and start wrapping around the pencil, pressing as you wrap to adhere to the tape.  When you reach the end, cut the wire and tuck inside under the previously placed garland.

 

Magic Wand 1

Materials:  sticks, leaves, string, tape or glue

Have each boy search for a perfect stick.  Attached dried leaves and long grass to the stick with tightly wound string.

 

Magic Wand 2

Materials:  1/2" clear unflexible aquarium tubing, modeling clay, pipe cleaners, sequins or glitter, colored plastic tape.

Cut the plastic tubing in to 1 foot lengths.  Seal one end with a small piece of clay.  Shape pipe cleaners to look like worms and stuff them into the tubing.  Add sequins or glitter.  Then seal the other end with clay.  Tape the ends of the tube to hide the clay.

 

Wizard Hat

Materials:  newspaper, glossy gift wrap, tape, bright colored contact paper

For each hat, lay a sheet of newspaper on a flat surface.  Sandwich the newspaper between 2 pieces of gift wrap.  Treating the stack as if it were a single sheet, shape it into a cone and tape the overlapping edges.  Make sure the opening is large enough to fit on the boy's head.  Roll up the lower edge of the cone to create a brow band.  Cut out stars and moons with the contact paper to decorate the hat.

 

Floating Eggs

Measure 1/4 tablespoon of salt into a dish and set it aside.  Tell the audience that it's "Inner Tube Powder" which will make an egg float.  Half fill a glass with water.  Place an egg in it.  The egg will sink.  Remove the egg and stir the "inner tube powder" into the water.  Place the egg in it again and the egg will float.

 

Bouncing Buttons

Stir a teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of water.  Drop in some plastic buttons of different sizes. Pour in as much vinegar as it takes to make the buttons bounce to the top.  The bubbles of carbon dioxide, which are lighter than water, life the buttons.  When they reach the surface, the carbon dioxide keeps going and the buttons drop back to the bottom and collect more.  They will bounce up and down for a while.  Add more vinegar to keep them from slowing down.

 

Haunted Paper Clips

Materials:  2 paper clips and a dollar bill

Fold a dollar bill into thirds (S Shape) and hold it in that position with two paper clips placed over each end at the center.  Now pull the ends of the dollar bill in opposite directions quickly.  The paper clips will jump into the air and hook together!

 

Balanced Coin

Fold a dollar bill in half lengthwise, and place it on the table with the fold up.  Challenge your friend to balance a half-dollar coin on top of  the fold.  Fold the bill again into a V-shape, and place the coin as shown.  Pull slowly and gently on the ends of the bill to straighten it out, and the coin will remain balanced on the crease.