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ADVENTURES

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The Craft of Magic

Now You See It, Now You Don’t

Illusions and sleights of hand are two other extremely popular forms of magic. Some master magicians perform these tricks on a really large scale, like when David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear or when David Blaine levitated on TV. But these tricks can be just as impressive when they involve smaller, simpler items like coins, cups, balls, and pens. Today, you get to explore the magic of making things disappear (or at least making it look that way!).

DAY 3

what you’ll need

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FOR PARENTS

Ask About Today

If you could make anything disappear, like a building or a statue, what would you make disappear and why?

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Unfortunately, online videos often start with short advertisements. Remind your campers to click the "Skip" button as soon as they can to move ahead to the video.

explore

60-75 minutes

01

Where Did the Statue of Liberty Go?

Over 30 years ago, David Copperfield pulled off one of the biggest illusion acts of all time. He made the Statue of Liberty disappear! In 2017, he finally revealed how he did the legendary trick that kept folks scratching their heads for almost four decades. In this article, you can watch the video of him performing the trick and also read about how he managed to pull it off.

02

Visit a Museum of Illusions

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Did you know there are whole museums dedicated to brain teasing and optical illusions in cities all over the world? One of those museums is in Chicago! In this video, the Alvarado family experience firsthand how perspective, angles, and mirrors contribute to the magic of illusion.

Remember: Online videos often start with advertisements. Click "Skip" as soon as you can.

03

Practice Some Coin Magic

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Feel like you’re not quite ready to make the Statue of Liberty or any other statue in your hometown disappear? Fair enough. How about starting by making a quarter disappear/reappear or shift from hand to hand? Here are 10 seemingly impossible coin tricks that are sure to impress your friends and family.

04

These Tricks are INKredible

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Whether at home or at school, you probably are within reaching distance to a pen, pencil, or marker. These items don’t seem special at first glance, but they can be! Maybe you’ve been on the bus on the way home from school and felt bored because you didn’t have anything to do. Those days are long gone because you’re about to learn some dazzling tricks involving basic school supplies that you can break out anywhere you’re at!

create

45-60 minutes

01

Learn the Second Oldest Magic Trick Ever

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The cup and balls magic trick is often regarded as one of the oldest magic tricks in existence. You can totally recreate it at home with cups, some bouncy balls, baseballs, cotton balls, or even crumpled up paper. Ready to try?

02

DIY Optical Illusion

Did you know you can create your very own optical illusion with just a piece of paper and some coloring supplies? You’re mind isn’t just playing tricks on you, this really is going to be a fun activity!

move

15-20 minutes

01

Learn the Trick to the Cup Song

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Earlier, you learned about and recreated one of the oldest magic tricks in the books involving cups. Now, you’re going to use at least one of those cups to learn a fun musical routine that involves a lot of clapping, rhythm, determination, and multi-tasking. If you have siblings or friends at home, be sure to grab them for this and learn it together!

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