I'm working these illusions with kids: Balloon Box, The Farmer and Witch, Hot Air Suspension, Giant Square Circle, and a Doll House.

What other illusions can I work with kids?

I used to perform a little illusion for the kids.

The effect: a (teeter-totter) is seen on stage. It is basically a sawhorse with a small diameter PVC pipe as the cross beam and a long board resting across it. A child is sat on one end and the magician pulls down the other and sits upon it his/her self. A brief and comical attempt at seesawing is made. However because the magician is so heavy the child never comes back down on her side. The magician slowly gets off and holds the board so that it is parallel to the floor. The magician slowly lets go his/her end and the board remains parallel to the floor. The child is suspended.

The magician pulls the sawhorse back and the board is seen floating with the child sitting at one end. The magician takes a hoop and runs it along the board starting at the empty end and moving down, over the child, and off the board.

Finally, the magician pulls the sawhorse back and the child’s end is lowered to the floor where the child gets off and takes a bow.

That’s it! I built this for a series of elementary school shows in the late 80’s. It played well.

Yes, you know that it is the old Super-X dressed in a different robe. That is all. The fulcrum of the seesaw has a simple lock that keeps the board in place at the horizontal. The whole thing was more presentation than anything. Oh, my hoop? I had an aluminum hoop made like a linking ring key. I cut a hula-hoop and slid the colorful plastic over the aluminum ring. The aluminum ring made the hula-hoop keep its shape.

By the way, I often gave the child helium filled balloon to provide motivation for the “float”.

It was a very low-Tec illusion and very simple illusion. I am almost embarrassed to mention it.

Harry, I have to say, that is a wonderful, great, well thought out idea. I would never have thought of that from a simple super-x. All I can say is wow, wow, wow. Great thinking man!

I have done a similar thing with a yogano stool, Basically find a little girl who wishes to be a princess,Have stool decorated very sparkly & Pink, stand girl on stool then with some dress up, add sparkly long skirt fastened with velcro extra long with feather boa train, sparkly waistcoat, not forgetting Tiara and long staff fairy wand,add patter about floating to fairy land etc and away you go! Excellent photo opportunity.

With kids, just remember that hooting and hollering is just as fun as being amazed.

Sucker effects are big with kids, like the die box, Rabbit gag, etc. If you keep the dynamic playful and entertaining, they seem to provide the entertainment value all by themselves.

Just make sure you are communicating on their level, don't ever try to make them see magic as you do unless you can relate it to where they are.

Harry,
I think that was very creative.

Isn't that what it's all about?

Isn't that "See-Saw Suspension" from Chris Carey's "Do the Stuff That's You?"

0pus

The "See-Saw Suspension" is in Chris Cary's "Do the Stuff That's You" on page 30. It is in the first book by Chris Carey. It has an excellent write up on it with a drawing so one could build it from that drawing. It is a modifed Super-X type of suspension. Cool!

Harry, you should still be performing that! What a wonderful presentation! And I didn't even need to see it to know! Salute!

Here's a few I have beside the Balloon Box.

• Flying Carpet
  
• Chair Suspension
  
• Super-X
  
• Visable Sawing-In-Half