Abracadabra

Kids, like adults, love magic. That's why hiring or playing a magician has special appeal.

A magician can wander around performing small feats of magic for individuals—making prizes and party favors appear out of thin air, for example. Or your magician can perform a show that is the highlight of the get-together.

Magicians can be found under Magicians or Entertainers in the Yellow Pages. If your budget doesn't permit hiring one, work a little magic of your own with these simple tricks:

The Disappearing Coin

Display a clear drinking glass sitting, mouth down, on a piece of paper. A coin is on the paper, next to the glass. Cover the glass with a cloth and then cover the coin with the covered glass. Remove the cloth to reveal that—Presto!—the coin has vanished from under the glass.

How is it done? You'll need two pieces of paper that are the same color, a cloth, a clear glass and a coin. Put the mouth of the glass on one of the pieces of paper and cut a circle that's the same size as the mouth of the glass. Glue or tape the circle of paper onto the mouth of the glass. When the glass is covered by the cloth, place it over the coin. Then remove the cloth and the coin will appear to vanish.

That Ol' Black Magic

Tell your audience that you are a mind reader. Then leave as your "assistant" picks someone in the audience and asks them to point to any object in the area. Return and tell your audience which object was picked by the audience member.

The secret? Your assistant will point to various objects, one at a time, and ask you if it is the one picked. Your answer each time will be "No." As suspense builds, your assistant will point to a black object. That's your signal that the next object will be the one selected.

If audience members claim that your assistant is giving you some kind of visual signal, offer to perform the trick blindfolded. Tell your assistant beforehand to pick signaling objects that you both know are black. Changing the color of the signaling object during the performance adds to the bafflement of the audience.

For other amusements, see Hiring Entertainment.