Tag Archives: Magic

Birthday Party Magic

Magic for a Children’s Party

Magician Ron Wood

Magician and Children’s Entertainer

Children love magic and so hiring a magician for a Birthday Party is a great way to entertain them.

Once a parent would pick up the Yellow Pages and  look up the Children’s Entertainers section where there would be a long list of kids entertainers and magicians offering their services. Today the first port of call is likely to be Google.

Of course children today are very sophisticated and they see such amazing things on TV and You Tube. If you type Magician into Google ( at the time of writing )  you will find a list of articles about the amazing Dynamo whose tag line is “Magician Impossible”. How does he do those incredible illusions?  This  got me thinking about the expectations of parents and children regarding Birthday Party Magic.

If you type “Magician, North Yorkshire”, or “Magician, Catterick Garrison” or “Magician, Richmond”, the chances are you will probably end up on my Birthday Party Magic Show page and be looking at me Ron Wood aka “Mr Jolly” rather than the famous Dynamo.

Expectations

So what do people expect when they book a Magician / Kid’s Entertainer for a Birthday Party?

Mostly parents want the children to have a great time. They want to hire someone who is good with the kids, who is professional, organized, reliable and experienced. They are not too concerned about the actual content of the show and what tricks will be performed. They may ask if you include balloon modelling or party games. They may even request a particular routine that their child saw you perform at another party or event. They are certainly not expecting disappearing ladies, tigers jumping through hoops or famous people being levitated four feet off the ground.

Children’s Magic

Performing for children is an art in itself. Children like funny stuff. They love it when things go wrong. They like tricks which

Jubilee Magic Show

Jubilee Magic Show (Photo credit: ronwooduk)

have a story attached to them and they love to join in.

A good children’s magic trick should:

  • be straightforward and easy to follow
  • use colorful props
  • have some humor
  • be part of a story
  • include audience participation
  • have a magical ending

Most important of all is the skill of the performer.  An experienced children’s magician can engage and mezmerize an audience using the simplest of props.

Variety is the key

Children have fairly short attention spans and need to be kept interested.  An endless string of magic tricks will not work. Variety is the key. A good children’s magic show includes other activities such as balloons, games, storytelling, puppets etc.

The ability to entertain and delight  a group of children for sixty minutes is magic in itself.

Birthday Party Magic to me is not about individual tricks, its about  being able to create a magical experience of excitement, fun and laughter. Bringing happiness and making happy memories which parents and children will look back on enjoy long after I have gone!

To Enquire about booking  a Magic Show for your Children’s Party ask for a free quotation.

 Related articles

Enhanced by Zemanta

Holiday Club Ideas | Magic Day

Magical Fun For Holiday Clubs

Children's Magic Show

Why Hiring A Magic Workshop Is A Great Idea!

Hire a Magic Workshop for your organization over school holidays, the kids will love it!

Keeping a group of children occupied over the holidays is quite a challenge. Anyone who runs a Holiday Club or Out Of School Club knows how difficult it can be to come up with new ideas. If your Holiday Club is boring the children won’t want to come or if they do come then they are more likely to get up to mischief if they don’t have plenty of fun stuff to do.

Setting up a workshop day, planning the activities, gathering together all the necessary resources takes time and effort which you could be putting into something else. That’s why hiring in a ready-made workshop day is such a good idea.

Although hiring outside help is expensive the cost can be well worth it. The children have a great time, they will learn some great magic and have tricks they have made to take home with them. They will remember the day for a long time, it will be a talking point and might encourage other kids to join the club. The parents will be happy and you will have further enhanced your reputation as the best kids club in town!

How To Make The Most Of The Magic Workshop

Although the Magic Workshoptakes place on one day you can easily spread the fun over an entire week. There are lots of things you can do to keep the magic working before and after the actual workshop day.  Here are a few ideas:

Banana Trouble

Banana Trouble (Photo credit: ronwooduk)

  • Have the children draw pictures and make cut outs to decorate the room.
  • Have a dressing up day with a magic theme.
  • Read stories about wizards and magicians ie Harry Potter.
  • Build a magic den.
  • Adapt games to suit a magic theme.
  • Practice the tricks from the Magic Workshop Day
  • Put together a Magic Show
  • Rehearse the Magic Show
  • Make a stage for the Magic Show
  • Audition acts for the Magic Show.
  • Give everyone a job if they are not performing.
  • Choose music for each act.
  • Make posters to advertize the Magic Show.
  • Make tricks and props from the workshop day using the notes provided.
  • Make a Magic Video with all the children taking part. Send a copy home with each child as a keep sake.
  • Have competitions for making the best wizard’s hat or for making the best Top Hat and a white rabbit out of card.

With a little bit of imagination it’s easy to turn a one day Magic Workshop into a fantastic Magic Week.

More Ideas For Holiday Clubs

Are you looking for other ideas for your Holiday Club or Out Of School Club? Jolly Good Productions do other special activity days. See the Holiday Club page on our web site.

 Related articles

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Related Images:

Close Up Magic Or Acting?

Magician Or Actor?

Harry Houdini, full-length portrait, standing,...

Legendary magician Harry Houdini is reputed to have said that  “A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician”.

I remember when I first started playing around with magic tricks,  a very experienced and highly respected magician said to me “It’s not what you do it’s the way that you do it”.  He said he preferred simple easy tricks which don’t rely on too much concentration to get right. That way you can concentrate on the storytelling and the performance.  At the end of the day spectators want to be entertained. Of course everyone appreciates an amazing display of dexterity and sleight of hand but too much can be boring and make it look like you are showing off. I know one really good magician who only uses about six tricks but that’s all he needs because his performance is so good.

Entertain your audience!

Everyone wants to know how the magic works. People are fascinated with the secrets of magic. It is very tempting for a magician to get carried away with learning the most complicated of routines or creating the most complex illusions. World Champion Magician Lance Burton gave the following advice:

Remember your true goal is to entertain your audience. Your audience can be your family, friends, coworkers, or a theater full of strangers. The goal is the same, to amaze, yes, but primarily to entertain.

Weaving the magic

In addition to learning the skills of sleight of hand a magician also needs to be a good storyteller. It’s really the story that is woven round the trick which makes the performance entertaining and memorable. In the magic business the words that go with the trick are known as the “patter”.

Conclusion?

A good magician needs to know his stuff but the patter, personality and acting ability are equally important, if not more important for the entertainment and enjoyment of the audience.

To hire a Magician go to Close Up Magic For adults

Related articles

Enhanced by Zemanta

It’s Magic! Coins and Cards by Ron Wood

Close Up Magic!

This is a really nice trick with coins and cards which I love performing.

The magician shuffles the cards and places four, face down, on the table. A coin magically appears under each one. The coins then jump from beneath each card until all four arrive together under the last card.

Hope you like it!

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM5ZS7rBVds]

Prescot Shopping Centre

image

Prescot Shopping Centre in Merseyside is running an exciting programme of children’s entertainment over the summer holidays. Jolly Good Productions will be there on several of the event days. There will be lots of variety with magic, pupets, circus and face Painting too. Full details can be found on the Prescot Shoping Centre web site.

Related Images:

Magic Show For Magic Family

There was Magic in the air yesterday when a family in Barnsley gathered at the Golf Club to celebrate a 90th Birthday Party. There were four generations represented and Gran became the star of the Magic Show which took place after the buffet. Magician Ron Wood from Jolly Good Productions performed a series of routines involving magic wands, a banana, a mouse and a piece of cheese, a disappearing handkerchief and balloons. The highlight was when 90 year old Gran ( The Birthday Girl ) showed she had the magic touch by transforming one card into another with the wave of a magic wand to the amazement of the entire audience. All of the children got to go inside a giant bubble and won prizes too. It was a lovely afternoon.

The Birthday Girl ( 90 ) and the Magician

Birthday Girl ( 90 ) has " The Magic Touch "

Related Images:

Magic And Monkey Business At Hartlepool Rovers

The term “monkey business” means fooling around or mischief and some might say that my children’s Magic Show has lots of monkeying around in it, mainly at the expense of my good self of course.

It was a pleasure to be invited to entertain children at Hartlepool Rovers Rugby Club. The Magic Show went really well and I couldn’t help noticing various references to “monkey business” in some of the pictures and exhibits on display in the clubhouse.

There is a very well known story going back to the Napoleonic Wars when a monkey which had fallen from a passing ship was washed ashore on the beach in Hartlepool. The local people were convinced that the monkey was a French spy and it was summarily hanged.

The story of the monkey has become a long standing joke and Hartlepool folk are sometimes  referred to as “monkey hangers” just as those from Redcar are called “sand scratchers” and those from Skelton or Brotton might be called ” Wolleybacks”

I like the story about the monkey. I’m sure it’s pure fiction and if I lived in Hartlepool I’d probably make the most of it. I’m sure it would earn me a pint or two in my travels.

There is a great tradition of rugby in Hartlepool and I am told there are currently five rugby clubs although I only know the names of three of them. Can anyone give me the full list?

As an ex rugby player myself I found it interesting looking at the clubs trophies and memorobilia.

I am looking forward to my next visit to Hartlepool. If you know any one looking for children’s entertainment with plenty of monkey business give me a call:

Go to the web site Jolly Good Productions, or call me by telephone : Tel 01748 821621

Hartlepool Rovers Trophies

Hartlepool Rovers Memorabilia

Hartlepol Rovers Trophies

Hartlepol Rovers Caps

Hartlepool Rovers Memorabilia

Hartlepool Rovers Display

The Hartlepool Rovers Club House

Hartlepool Rovers Club House

The pitch

The Pitch

Magician’s Lemon Cheescake Recipe Is Magic

Well it’s true, I do know a few magic tricks and some people call me a magician but a chef I am not. On the other hand I do know a good cheesecake when I taste one. The recipe I am sharing with you here is magic so give your taste buds a treat and try it.

How to make lemon cheesecake

Ingredients

Base :

6 oz digestive biscuits

3 oz butter

1 1/2oz demerara sugar

Filling :

397 gms condensed milk

1/2 pint double cream, whipped

2 lemons – juice and zest

Method

Base :

Line a dish with foil

Spread the biscuit mixture, place in fridge to set

Remove foil

Filling :

Bring to the boil slowly

When cool place on biscuit base

Yum Yum, we’re done !

Suitable for freezing

Hope you agree this would make great party food.

Do you like cheesecake?  What’s your favourite?  Have you tried this one?