OK - so I have a school job.

80 7 to 11 years olds for 3/4 hour.

I'm just interested in what routines you would do to ensure maximum entertainment for the entire range.

And remember, there's 80 of the little darlings!!

This is the best age group and elsewhere in this section are list of tricks magicians do for entertaining children. Most of them are great.

Options:

• Drawing Board
  
• Fradiy Cat Rabbit
  
• Hippity Hop Rabbits
  
• Twenty Century Silks
  
• Milk Picture and Funnel
  
• Miser's Dream
  
• Rainbow Ropes
  
• Professor's Nightmare
  
• Breakaway Wand
  
• Breakaway Fan
  
• Appearing Cane
  
• Disappearing Cane
  
• Rabbit from Hat
  
• Any Live Rabbit Trick
  
• Temple Screen
  
• Zombie
  
• Square Circle
  

Really this list is unlimited. The key is to keep them involved and that will control them.

Do a bunch of card tricks then go into an appearing tiger. I heard they love kids (for lunch) Ha, Ha, Just kidding.

Start with something fun like Billiard balls or colorful thimble. Then do a cut and restore rope trick. Then maybe something with a change bag like having the silk change colors and then turn into something like a dove is really good. From there a run rabbit run or Hippity Hop rabbit always gets them going. Then do a rabbit production. Balloon to rabbit or turn the dove into a rabbit with Dove to Rabbit.

if you routine some of this stuff you can get around 45 mins out of it and use it in both of your shows.

Hope this helps you

Shawn

Dennis' post pretty well covers what to do (hmmm, in fact, it sounds a lot like my act)
The age group is one of the best suited for magic and the time is right (okay, maybe a teeny bit long).
Keep each routine short and to the point and keep the show moving briskly.
And have fun. If you have fun, they'll have fun.
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

Keeping the show moving briskly is a good point but keeping the routine short and to the point is not what I do.

If possible I add comedy to it, large glasses so they can see the trick, squirting nose, snake can somewhere, rubber pig or chicken, etc. Have fun outweighs the secret of the trick. It all comes out in the end.

I don't do all of the above listed tricks, because it would really exceed the 45 minute limitation.