Abra-ca…More Magic!

You will need three crayons of different colours, but all around the same size.  Make sure they are not so old they hardly colour anymore, this means they are too hard for the trick.

Place the crayons flat on a table. Ask an audience member to choose a crayon and hand it to you while you close your eyes  With your eyes closed, pretend to really feel the crayon, or try to get a “vibe” off it.

Secretly, run a fingernail into the crayon bottom so you have a small bit of it stuck under your nail. It is very helpful if you use your non-regular hand. So if you are right handed, try to use a fingernail on your left hand.

Still with your eyes closed, announce you have the colour in mind and hold it out to the person to replace on the table. Tell them to mix up the crayons so there is no way to know which one it was.  Open your eyes.

Pick up all three crayons, being sure to keep the tell-tale fingernail hidden. Now go through a whole act about examining all three crayons or place them up on your forehead to get the same feel while you secretly look at the colour in your fingernail.  Now you can magically announce which crayon they picked!

** If the colour is not obvious on your fingernail, you can claim that the sensations coming from the crayons are all mixed up and do it all again! **

Invisible String

You will need a thin piece of card or a stiff piece of paper, a magnet and a metal paperclip.

Prepare beforehand to have the paperclip on top of the paper, attached through the paper to the magnet, which is underneath.  Lay the whole set-up flat on a table.

Go and get someone to do the trick with you.  Carefully pull the paper towards you without revealing the magnet.  Hold the card with paperclip showing in one hand. 

Explain that there is an invisible string on the paperclip, and you want the person to pick up the string and pull it away from the paperclip while they take a small step backwards.  When they begin to do this, take your other hand and place it under the paper on the magnet. While they walk back, move the magnet forward – this makes it look like they are pulling the invisible string!

Be sure not to go so far that they either see the magnet or the paperclip falls off the edge of the paper.