I have been a close up magician for a while now and i just starting to get into kids magic. its seems like a lot of fun for me. My birthday is in 2 weeks and i was planning on getting a few things such as:

The Hippity Hop Rabbits (Small) 39.95
Change Bag with Zipper 19.95
The Giant Magic Coloring Book (X-Large for Stage) 9.95
Kidding Around (2 DVD Set) by Chris Capehart - DVD 36.96
Water of India (Lota Bowl) 14.40
Chick Pan Single Load 26.74
Patriotic Ropes Deluxe Uday 4.00
12'' Silk (White) (WHITE) 2.55
6'' Silk (Black) 0.80
9" Silk (Orange) 1.99
Rabbit Silk 18 4.80
Mouth Coil 25 Ft Cresey (rainbow) (RAIN)
And hopefully i will also get the magic drawing board from axtell.


I have already (That i think would be good for stage): a TT and sponge balls.

Please tell me what you think of this and any changes you think shoould be made. Thanks.


Ben

Well that's enough for a four hour show.

ok, do u have any suggestion, take something off, add something instead of something?

Sounds good. I didn't know Chris Kapehearts DVD was that cheap here!

I can't write your show for you. But I will say that a kid's show should run about 30 minutes and have 3, maybe 4 effects. That's all just 4 things that you do REALLY WELL!

I am going to do a kid's show this morning and am taking some rope, some silks, a TT, and a pair of scissors. The show will run anywhere between 25 and 35 minutes depending on the attention span of the kids. I will garauntee you trhat I get at least 3 parents asking me about doing thier parties and will book 2 of them.

That's how I rate how well I did the show, if someone comes to me while I am packing and asks about doing another show for them. If that doesn't happen, I've screwed up.

That's actually a good order. It's like a kid show starter kit. Work with that stuff and watch the videos. Put the effects in an order and stick to it. Jazz magic does not work well in a kids party but some can do it. Make sure you get lots of bits of business and study the important warm-up. There are are lots of great kids suggestions out there. I am going to add one you may not have heard of...Tim Hannig. I caught his lecture at Magifest this year and he is something else. He does mostly school shows and is very good at it but a lot of the same stuff could be applied.

You do not need to buy more than what you have. I would agree with Paddy that you have more than you need. It is important though that you put things together that work for you, work for your character, you can do well and keep the children's interest. So having more than you need is a good thing as you put things together in a fashion that makes sense for you.

PS a good warm up is important.

From what I read around here, the consensus seems to be that you should keep flash paper effects out of kid's shows. Otherwise the little people may try that at home and set the curtains on fire or something.


Sean

Very true. If you are planning on using all of that order on one show, its just wayyy too long. You really only need about 5 effects tops.

It seems that you have invested every dime on effects but nothing to teach you about doing kid shows. There are numerous material out there that will give you everything you need to know about kid shows...invest a lot in them. It will do more for you than coming on here and asking questions on how to do a kids show.
If you really want to succeed in this field you will need to put in lots of hours of studying.

Heres my 45 minute routine for kid shows i have been performing for 4 years now...

Peanut Butter & Jelly
Appearing Cane
Spongeballs
Toilet paper gag with mouth coil
Hippity Hop Rabbits
Square Circle Deception

6 Tricks 45 minutes.... I also make balloon sculptures at the end. Makes the program I offer about an hour.

Obviously I have changed all these tricks into what works for me. The most important thing is to create a show that fits you. Do not duplicate somebody else's idea. Only about 5% of magicians can successfully duplicate somebody else's work and that is not what is going to get you shows. Don't order these tricks expecting to have a show together the next day. It will take time (lots of it). Like the other members said, focus on the material that will teach you how to do a kids show. I have seen performers that put on an EXCELLENT kids show and all the tricks they do can be found in a wal-mart magic kit. Focus on the content of the show rather than props and you will be successful.

Seriously if I was you Id do a little something like this.
Open up with the Hippity Hoppy Rabbits, Good effect and it shows the kids some magic.
Then I would use the spongeballs for a quick little gag, balls between the hands a bunch of cool things to do, get a vibrant color and maybe a 9 in silk and incooperate your TT.
Patriotic Ropes would be fun with a volunteer.
Then I would use the magic coloring book and have a kid with a wand come up.
Then I would use the mouth coil but not from the mouth, Cresey did this thing called a money bag, its great!
Then I would close with a cool little Chickpan routine in which I would appear some large sponge. DOnt make candy appear it takes away from the magic it just makes the kids hyper and it you appear balloons it makes kids just scratch their heads.
Good Luck Man.

Feels wierd to post on here I dont even do magic anymore.

-thank you
ween

My dear, that is a lot of coin to assemble for a beginner. My biggest tip is to borrow From Sluggo(a vent in disguise); Fallingblood, and Paddy. They really are right..read..read..read.
Why don't you keep saving your money? Then ask the Three Magicteers to suggest a number one and a number two book to buy to learn magic properly. You might decide which type of magic you now prefer.In fact, I bet some other magicians will jump in and suggest 101 books.
My lesson came from Max who suggested Thirteen Steps. I had it in my hands a few days ago, but I want to thoroughly complete two books on rope magic first. Max, I'll get it eventually.
ron0

The guys are being up front and honest with you. You can't go wrong building a library. We love magic books. Perhaps you can even borrow out-of-print books from other magicians, just be very careful with them! A friend of ours just lent us two illusion books. I haven't had a chance to open them up yet, but I'm looking forward to some down time so I can really go through them.

Not only can they teach you the fundamentals, they also get your brain working in a different way-- at least for me. For me it helps to open my mind up to new ideas. The more you learn, the more you will be able to invision new routines. I'm always coming up with ideas at the strangest times. Keep a journal or notebook to help keep track of these ideas. You never know when you might need to go back and reference something.

On a separate note, my daughter premiered her new 30 minute show today at a private party event. It went really well. We were pleased. She had about 16 kids. The majority being 3-4 year olds-- a tough age, with about 4 or 5 8-12 year olds. She kept their attention the entire time and the adults were pleased as well. Can't ask for much more than that.

Just to give you an idea of how long it took her to premiere this new show--- she's been working on it since last Summer. It can be a long process formulating a show, rehearsing it, seeing what works, and what doesn't, and modifying it until you have something you think is appropriate to premiere. Sometimes it can morph into something entirely different than what you planned in the beginning.

Don't get frustrated by the work involved, or the time it takes. You can do it! Just focus on your goals and you will get there.

Kristenel. I always learn from your posts. On the same tack, last night on CBC TV a new program called What Do You Do With a Girl Called Maria? The Sound of Music is to be staged in Toronto by Andrew Lloyd Weber. Yesterday(I didn't watch soccer all evening too!) the reality show started about with about 30 hopefuls. They are being taught by a most handsome, young British actor; a drama coach; a dance coach and the total boss...the Musical Director. He knows what he wants(Over the top demanding!) but so talented.
He and the drama coach show the girls what they want..precisely..don't do this..what are you thinking of as you do this? Now, a lot of these young women are triple threats(sing,act&dance) but most are not ready to perform at such a high, level. I am not an actor but I learned so much about pro stage techniques by watching this show. It's to continue for a good stretch. I hope you and your daughter can catch it on TV or on computer.ron0-

Rono,

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll see if I can catch it on the net.