About Today: How to Learn Magic Tricks 1/26/11

From Jen Hubley, your About Today Editor When I was a kid, I was pretty sure that my dad was a wizard. This was partly because I thought he'd made up several words in the English language. (No else used the word "irony" in 1978.) But mostly, it was because he was great at magic tricks.

How to Learn Magic Tricks  Our favorite was the one where he made his thumb disappear. I understand this is more of an illusion than a trick, but trust me, it was very impressive when we were kids. Fire Magic Tricks The 5 Best Magic Tricks for Kids See More About:  practicing and learning magic  magic for beginners

28 Easy Magic Tricks  Another good one: He'd ask us to pick a card. Then he's shuffle the deck, pick a card at random, and then ask us if that was our card. When we said it wasn't, he'd say, "Wrong!" The 5 Best Magic Tricks for Serious Beginners Easy Mind Reading & Prediction Tricks See More About:  easy magic tricks  magic for beginners  close-up magic

The 5 Biggest Mistakes Made by Beginner Magicians  So, OK, pretty basic stuff. Still, he knew his audience, and that's maybe the most important thing for any performer. Water Magic Tricks Beginner's Trick: Color-Changing Handkerchiefs See More About:  performing magic  practicing and learning magic

How to Make Balloon Animals  Also, he could make balloon animals. Mostly dogs and horses, because that's what we were interested in. But I think, once the 1980s hit, we might've had a unicorn in there too. Like I say: know your audience. How to Make a Dog Balloon Animal How to Make an Elephant Balloon Animal