Now, I must admit that I have always been fascinated with magic, of both the occult and the "stage magic" variety. So it's never a stretch for me to play the role of Wizard or Magician. I love it. I usually do these tricks out on the playground after lunch, when everybody's feeling good and just goofing around.
Today I put an orange crayon in one open hand and hid a red crayon of the same size in my other hand, keeping it at my side. I get them to focus on the orange crayon. Then I place the other hand over the orange crayon, with the red one still hidden, and I chant a made up magic spell, glossolalia style. Then I open my hands, with the orange crayon now hidden in one hand while the red crayon is revealed in the other. I have magically changed the color of the crayon. Pretty basic stuff.
The youngest kids, 2-3 year olds, tend to be quite convinced by my magic powers. They believe fully in the magic. Most of the 4 year olds are totally willing to suspend disbelief as well, however, one can observe that something is at work in their brains. They are starting to want to try to figure out what's going on with these tricks. By the time they're 5 they usually know exactly what's going on and are more than happy to share the hidden workings of the tricks. If they're into it enough, they might even start performing their own tricks for their younger classmates, the true believers.
I'm not claiming that anything important is getting learned with this activity, but as a teacher, there's nothing I like to see more than a kid with a furrowed brow and an active brain, clearly trying to figure something out.
