Thought it might be fun to share some neat places in and around Montgomery Township PA from interesting viewpoints.
This is puzzle #1 and it’s somewhere in Montgomery Township.
Snoopy Themed Birthday Parties
I came across this site https://www.thespruce.com/host-a-snoopy-party-3129330 which has a great walkthrough of how to put together a Snoopy and Peanuts themed children’s birthday party. It is interesting in it’s own right as a themed birthday plan, but also as a case study in how to take a theme and apply it to every part of your birthday celebration plan.
I’ve always loved Snoopy and the peanuts gang and this is a particularly neat theme to include a magic show. After all, in the comics and TV specials, Snoopy himself was a skilled and famous magician https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Magic,_Charlie_Brown
I love this classic ad in TV guide for the TV special featuring Smoopy as the Master Magician
This special is notable as it includes the first time Charlie Brown succeeds in kicking the football Lucy is holding. The whole plot revolves around Snoopy checking a magic book out of the library and being inspired to perform his magic and illusions for the local community and children.
Google Photos creates magical Animated GIFs Automatically
After a great magical birthday party in Lansdale PA (at the Boys and Girls Club, which is a fantastic location for kid’s birthday party magic), Android messaged me that it had created an animated GIF from party photos. It turned out pretty well considering that Google just chooses to do this on it’s own. How do you think the GIF turned out?
What do you think of this Pirate Magic Party Invitation Template?
This is just a quickie Invitation I put together that might work for a Pirate party theme. It took under 5 minutes. I’m going to be doing a series of #Under5MinuteBirthdayPartyIdeas.
Simple Magic to make at Home
Here are a bunch of easy magic tricks that can be made at home. Bookmark this link for a rainy day. Magic is empowering and encourages creative thinking and acting skills for children
.http://magic.about.com/od/Easy-Magic-Tricks-for-Kids/tp/Easy-Magic-Tricks-Kids-Crafts.htm
Smart Parents use these Tips for Birthday Party Invitations
On average, birthday parties range anywhere from 10 to 20 kids. You want to have a good turnout for your child’s party, but you probably don’t want a huge number of rambunctious kids tearing up your home or rented facility either.
A good gauge is to expect 65-75% of the kids invited to attend the party. In other words, if you invite 20 children, on average, around 15 will show up. Make sure everyone RSVP’s. The sooner you get the invitations out the more likely you are to have a good showing
You can purchase all sorts of invitations locally, online or you can make your own customized invitations.
Evite.com is a great online service that will allow you to design your own invitations. It’s quick, easy and very efficient.
To encourage promptness, use the suggestions in the guide “How to Get Your Guests to Arrive on Time!” found at the end of this e-book.
Do not send out your invitations until you have confirmed a date with DZ Magic. Sometimes he will be working another party within a short distance of your home and could take care of you if you could change your hour. This is easier to do if the invitations have not yet been sent.
Ask for a definite response to the invitation (RSVP) and check the list with your birthday child. A written invitation is better than a phone call, because the guests have the day, the time, the place, etc. before them to avoid errors.
Make the invitation very specific as to what time the party begins and ENDS.
The invitation can specify, “The party will be over, and your child will be ready to be picked up at 4:00pm” Then, if the parent does not come for them by 4:15pm, you can safely call to find out why. Most people will get the idea and be there.
5 Common Birthday Party Planning Traps
We all make mistakes – we’re human!
But throwing an super fun party for your child can be a breeze – once you know which stress-inducing mistakes to avoid.
Read this quick post to discover 5 common birthday party planning pitfalls (and how to easily avoid them!)
- Scheduling food and activities for the same time slot
Nothing derails a birthday party faster than a spilled drink or plate of food that (inevitably) gets stepped on. Avoid disaster by scheduling games and entertainment separately from the time when kids eat. - Trying to plan the entire party by yourself
Sure you can do everything yourself, but it’s harder and more stressful than you think. Recruit enough help before the party so that you have a chance to relax and enjoy your child’s special day, too. - Choosing a date before finding out if the best friend is free
It’s deceptively easy to just invite everyone and hope for the best, but a pro-tip is to check-in with the parents of your child’s best friend before choosing a date is a guaranteed win for everyone. - Planning an outdoor party without a backup plan
Avoid huge disappointment by making sure you have a plan for inclement weather that’s better than just “hoping for the best” . As they say in show business, “The party must go on!” - Waiting until the last minute to start planning
The sooner you start planning, the more choices you’ll have.
Let my experience performing for hundreds of parties guide you and avoid falling into these 5 common birthday party planning traps
– you’ll be happy you did!
5 Simple Rules for Norristown PA Birthday Parties — Most parents forget #3!
If the thought of having a birthday party for kids in your Norristown house or apartment makes your blood pressure spike, then you’re not alone…
Many parents envision children running around, wrecking the furniture and messing up the carpet.
There’s hope – it doesn’t have to be that way. You can plan a safe, entertaining and inclusive birthday in even the most intimate of apartments.
How? Simply follow these 5 Simple Rules:
- Keep it simple. A never-miss birthday party formulaincludes party games, entertainment, pizza, cake, presents and good-byes. If you stay with this tried and true formula, then you’ll see fun, laughter and joy on the faces of kids and adults alike.
- Keep it active. Time flies when you’re having fun! Give yourself the ability to set the pace of the party by planning more activities than you think you’ll need.
- A good rule of thumb is to have an activity handy for every 10-15 minute block of time.
- After about 30-45 minutes of games, treat the kids to an appearance by a professional birthday party entertainer.
- Relax and enjoy the show, and before you know it, it’ll be time for the kids to go home.
- Keep it structured. Before the party, set expectations and go over the guidlines with your son or daughter.
- Close doors to rooms where guests should not go.
- Hang balloons and decorations to define the party area
- Keep it short.
- If you have a toddler or preschooler, then a party that runs between 60 to 90 minutes is ideal.
- If your child is older, then aim for a party that runs between 2 to 3 hours.
- Keep it manageable. I understand the pressure you may feel to invite the entire class or splurge on a bigger birthday party. But here’s the truth…
- You don’t need to.
- Only plan a party that you know you can manage. That way, you’ll have a chance to relax and enjoy the day, too.
- So, in between the greeting, the supervising, the food serving and cake cutting, find a chance to soak up all the fun, laughter and joy.
- Why? Because you deserve it.
If you follow these 5 Simple Rules, then you can be assured that many of your worries and fears will disappear, well, like magic!
Top 5 Magic Birthday Party Venues in Greater Philly
One of the first considerations when you plan your magic party is where to have it. From my experience as a performer, I’ll share my thoughts on how to find the best venues for your children’s events.
- The easiest and most common choice is your own home – when you host at your home you’ll have the luxury of having the party come to you. I’d say that 90% of my work is done in people’s homes and that usually works out great. But what if you don’t want to hold it there?
- A really good option if you have one is the neighborhood community center. If your residential area has a party room you should try it as a possibility. They are usually very well-maintained and the fee to rent is nominal. Keep in mind that you probably should make your reservation early as they have a tendency to book up quickly; especially on Saturday afternoons. To play it safe, you should make your booking arrangement as soon as two months in advance for these venues.
- Another good option are recreation centers in the parks department. Most townships in the Philly area have their own parks department and they often allow residents to rent out their buildings for events. You should try to make early reservations for these places as well.
- You might also look into karate, dance, gymnastic schools and similar places, especially if your son or daughter attends one on a regular basis. Even if they don’t advertise the fact, they might let you hold a party on a weekend afternoon as way to add a little revenue. They have parking, an open area for the show, rest rooms which are all perfect to accommodate a party and you might even get it for free (if your child attends the school).
- Firehouses are also a good option. They normally have a large hall and rent the space for a reasonable price. Some of my favorite magical parties have been held in firehouse halls.
- Last on my list are restaurants and that’s because they are the most problematic. Often you have to share your space with other people and that takes away from making your son or daughter’s event a special experience. They are also somewhat expensive. The best of the family style restaurants that host parties are pizza places or ice cream/frozen yogurt shops. Make sure you visit ahead of time to see the spaces they have available before booking.
Easy Science Project for Kids
This is a very easy project for kids to do and would work well at school or at a science magic party.
Stuff you need
- A plastic bottle
- A sheet of paper
How do I do it?
STEP 1
Tear off a little piece of paper (like a post it note) and crunch it up into a ball so that it fits in the mouth of your bottle!
STEP 2
Hold the bottle sideways and put the crunched up paper ball into the mouth of the bottle, as shown!
STEP 3
Now for the fun part of this experiment! Challenge a friend to blow the piece of paper into the bottle. Try it - the piece of paper will come flying out!
What's going on here?
This happened because of Bernoulli's principle.
Bernoulli realized that air has a lower pressure when it's moving more quickly.
As someone blows into the mouth of the bottle the air is moving fastest - so is at the lowest pressure.
Inside the bottle the air is moving more slowly - so a higher pressure. As the pressure is higher inside the bottle than in the mouth this pushes the paper out!
Bonus
Here's a bonus experiment with a surprising result that also use and demonstrates Bernoulli Principle.
Try either or both of these at your next science magic party!
