Here is some magic history. Plus some tricks for kids and parents to learn together...
Magic is a performing art that entertains an audience by creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats, using purely natural means. These feats are called magic tricks, effects, or illusions.
One who performs such illusions is called a magician or an illusionist. Some performers may also be refferred to by names reflecting the type of magical effects they present, such as conjurors, mentalists, or escape artists.
(Left... The Conjuror, 1475-1480, by Hieronymus Bosch)
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Trick #1 The Upside-Down Glass
Effect: The magician fills a glass with water and turns it upside-down without spilling a drop.
Materials:A glass, an index card
Secret: It's just science.
1. Fill the glass to the brim with water. Place the index card over the top of the glass.
2. Spread your hand over the index card. and press it against the top of the glass. Now slowly turn the glass upside-down.
3. Carefully move your hand away. The index card will stay where it is and so will the water!
IMPORTANT: Perform this trick over the sink just to be safe.!
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The first known performance of a magic trick happened in 2700 BC in Ancient Egypt. It was performed by the magician Dedi.
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Trick #2 The Coin Dish
Effect:
A spectator counts several coins into a dish, which you pour back into his hand. When he opens his hand he finds more coins then he origionally counted.
Materials:
A dish, thick cardboard, scissors, glue, several coins
Secret:
The dish is built to secretly introduce a number of coins into the spectator's hand.
Here's how to build the dish...
1. Cut out two pieces of cardboard. (A rectangular piece and a similar sized rectangular piece with a groove that will allow coins to fit inside of it.)
2. Glue the piece with the groove onto the underside of the dish. Make sure the groove's open end is near the edge of the dish.
3. Glue the remaining rectangle of cardboard on top of the grooved cardboard. You have created a secret receptacle in the dish that can hold a number of coins.
Here's how to perform the trick...
1. Before you perform the trick, secretly load a number of coins into the groove.
2. Have a spectator count 4 or five coins into the dish. Be careful that you don't allow him to see the cardboard under the dish.
3. As you dump the coins from the dish into the spectator's hand, the coins will secretly fall out of the groove and add themselves to the other coins. Put the dish out of sight. When the spectator counts the coins in his hand, he will discover additional coins!
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Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin is known as "The Father of Modern Magic." He performed throughout Eupore in the 1840's and 50's. He was one of the first magicians to perform for the public in theaters, as opposed to at county fairs, on street corners, or in the marketplace.
In the early 1900's an Hungarian teenager and aspiring magician named Ehrich Weiss changed his name to Harry Houdini in honor of Houdin.
More on Harry Houdini later...
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Trick #3 The Magnetic Pencil
Effect:
Here's a classic easy magic trick. You grab your wrist with one hand and a pencil appears to stick to your other hand. When you let go the pencil drops. At the end your spectators can examine the pencil.
Materials:
A pencil.
Secret:
It's all in how you hold your wrist.
1. Rest the pencil on a table. Grab your wrist with one hand. Place your other hand, palm down over the pencil.
2. Secretly shove your first finger underneath the pencil and hold it against your hand, as shown in the picture below.
3. To finish, bring your hand down onto the table and as you come down slip your first finger out from under the pencil and then wrap it around your wrist along with the other fingers. Do this quickly and smoothly.
(This is the exposed view that the spectators will not see. You can now lift your hand and the pencil will appear to stick to your hand.)
4. With the pencil on the table, you can lift your hand slowly to show that there is seemingly nothing that caused the pencil to stick to your hand.
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Harry Houdini is probably the most famous magician of all time. He was also a stunt performer, actor, and film producer. But he is best known for being a daring escape artist. One of his most famous escapes was from the "Chinese Water Torture Cell" pictured above.
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Trick #4 Math Magic
Effect:
A spectator punches any number into a calculator. You then give him a set of simple calculations and he ends up with the number 7 every time.
Materials:
A calculator.
Secret:
It's just math. Follow the steps and it will work every time.
1. Ask a spectator to enter a number into the calculator without telling you what it is. It musn't fill the screen.
2. Tell him to follow these simple steps. Multiply the number by 2. Add 17. Subtract 3. Divide by 2. Now subtract the origional number. The answer will be 7 every time!
Trick #5 Math Magic (Part 2)
Effect: 
This is the same trick as #5 but with a different set of calculations which will make the final answer 4.
Secret:
1. Ask a spectator to enter a number into a calculator without telling you what it is. It musn't fill the screen.
2. Tell him to follow these simple steps. Multiply the number by 2. Add 10. Subtract 4. Add 2. Divide by 2. Subtract the origional number. The answer will be 4 every time!
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