Okay, from my other post, I will be performing my first kids b-day party next month.

I'm going to use D-Lites & a candle, where I 'steal' lights from the candle, place them into a change bag, and produce a jumbo candle at the end. Question: Is fire/candles a good idea for kids (these kids are ages 7-9)? I am going to give a little safety talk regarding fire/matches before I do it. Which leads me to my next question:

Question 2: I anticipate saying something like, "Always ask your mom or dad for help when using matches," (okay, I'll say not to touch them, but there are multitudes of other examples that this would occur) and I can see a child saying, "But I don't have a dad," or "What if I have 2 Moms?"

Umm, what's the politically correct term when referring to parental figures?

You are going to get a wide variety of replies to this one.

There are those who feel that fire in any form should never be used in front of children, while others contend that it is acceptable to do so. In the end, you must come to your own conclusion after weighing all of the pros and cons.

Myself, I feel that it is perfectly acceptable to use fire in front of children where it erupts spontaneously, such as in a fire book or fire palm. If one refrains from using matches or lighters to start the conflagration, I feel that a child would be less likely to attempt to reproduce your actions. It also looks a lot more magical to have something just burst into flames. After all, we are magicians. Why would we need to use conventional methods to start a fire?

As for the warning, I would drop it from the act. If questioned by a child at the end of the performance whether the fire was real, you can then tell then that it was and that fire is very dangerous and that they should never play with it.

Also, refer to them as Parents. Nearly everyone has a parent. Mom and Dad usually works as well as an equal number has one of each, they just might not be living in the same house. You're usually safe with parents though.

Yeah, you're probably right regarding the number of differing replies.

My opinion at the moment is that the end will justify the means. The delight (pun intended) of the kids will outweigh the risk of using a candle. I considered using a flashlight, but then I would lose the jumbo production ending (unless they make a jumbo appearing flashlight).

I've already checked with the mother and she has said it would be okay to use a candle in my routine. And as I said, I'm prepared to give a little safety talk anyway.

I personally don't think something like 'candle through balloon' or 'Chinese candle clock' does any great harm. I just tend to steer clear these days, not so much because of the fire safety aspect but because of the potential damage that can be caused by dropped wax, especially at houseparties. But there again we always light the birthday cake from our table (we cover full parties only) so this is using matches or lighters isn't it?

Many, many years ago, close to where we trade in Northwest England, there was a house burned down by not extinguishing 'magic' re-lighting candles properly (not one of our parties glad to say!)

I personally subscribe to the belief that fire in a kids show is OK if it is magical and cannot be easily duplicated, such as the fire book, or flash paper, or a giant match in a fire safety show.

If the candle lights magically (no matches or lighters) then it meets my personal requirement. Always talk about safety and fire, especially with candles, because:


Also, most of the fire related deaths with children are related to playing with matches. Candles also lead the field in the open flame area for destruction of homes.

As for saying Mom and Dad, it is a tough call. I remember being Santa in a Department Store and I used that phrase and the boy said, "Santa, you know my Dad died in an car crash." Caught me off guard, so I refer to a parent or adult. In this instance, I would say, "If you ever find matches or a lighter immediately turn them over to an adult. They will know what to do with them. Do not try this at anytime because you could easily get burnt."

They will in some future time know when it is OK, but right now, it's a definite "Do NOT TOUCH" item.

As a Cub Scout Leader (7-11 year olds), matches are not allowed and only when they become Boy Scouts (12+) and have been properly trained are they even allowed to start a camp fire.

Thanks, Dennis. Good advice. I've read articles that candle fires are on the rise, and I believe that stems from all the 'scented candles' that are available. (Heck, even I own a couple scented candles in my house & I don't even have a wife!) Also, I know a lot of female friends of mine that attend 'candle parties', so I can see why candle fires are on the rise--simply because they are more popular nowadays.