Albany NY Magician | School Fundraiser Magic Show

An Awesome School Fundraiser is Born

As many of you may know, I am an elementary school teacher.  I have been teaching at my current school for 8 years now.  This year I am teaching fifth grade math, science, and engineering.  We have a lot of fun in my classes and the kids get to learn about a lot of exciting topics.  One of the challenges that we have faced over the years at my school is finding the money to offer engaging programs and field trips.

My second year of teaching I approached the PTA and offered my services to do a show at their annual spaghetti dinner.  The thought was that making it a dinner and a show we could charge a little more and increase attendance.  Needless to say we were overwhelmed with the response. We pre-sold tickets and they sold out a week before the event!  Up to that point, this was the largest audience I had ever performed magic for.  It was thrilling for me and the PTA made a good chunk of change to use on the kids.

Over the years we have continued to do this annual event and the crowds are still overwhelming.  For each event I have made tweaks to how it was run and what we offered with the show.  Last year I ran the entire event using what I had learned from the previous events.  I was determined to raise more money than we ever had before.  We did, and with the money we were able to send nearly 100 fifth graders on charter buses to the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey for the day at no cost to them!

Why I am telling you this...

Your school can do this too!  That's right, my show can come to your school and help your PTA raise the money it needs for your kids.  The great part is that not only is it a great fundraiser, but it also is a fun family event that kids will remember for years to come.  I have a complete package including posters, reproducable flyers, and a guide.  I even customize ticket templates and provide suggestions for other ways to raise money at the event.  I have worked hard to make this as easy and fun as possible.

Check out my page at www.AlbanyNYMagician.com/school-fundraiser for more info.

Albany NY Magician | I know how you feel...

Planning your little ones party is a pain, there is so much to remember and consider.  Having a good plan makes the event easier but nothing can prevent the exhaustion that follows.  This past weekend was my daughters birthday and we had three, yes three, parties for her.  There was family dinner on Friday at Friendlys, and the kid party and family party on Saturday.  By 9:00 that evening my wife and I were spent. When we woke on Sunday, we were still tired but our daughter was excited and best of all thankful.  She enjoyed her special day and that made it all worth it.  So whether you are planning a single event or many, keep in mind who its for and make sure they have fun.

Albany NY Magician and Face Painter | Glitter Art Coming Soon

As a family entertainer, I am always looking for ways to enhance the services I offer. I search for better products, learn new skills, and find ways to be the best value in the area. Visit my website, http://www.MagicmanAlbany.com, and you will see that I currently offer face painting and balloon twisting as add-ons to my magic show. Starting in the new year I will also begin offering Glitter Art. Glitter Art uses cosmetic glue, fun stencils, and cosmetic glitter in 30 colors to create long lasting body art. Perfect for pool parties or any event that you want to leave a lasting impression. Glitter Art is water proof and can last up to 7 - 10 days. Keep an eye out on the website for more photos and information. If you are interested in booking Glitter Art for your next event feel free to contact me today.

Albany NY Magician | Should I invite the whole class?

One of the big things that come up when planning a birthday party is whether you should send invitations to the whole class.  Schools have different policies and you should always follow their guidelines.  Personally, I would be more inclined to not invite the whole class and just invite a few key friends.  Do you really want 20 kids running around your house?  A lot of people think, "the more the merrier" but I honestly think it just gets overwhelming for everyone.  It can be especially overwhelming for the birthday child.  Having a smaller more intimate party is more relaxing for everyone.  An old rule to follow for children under 8 is their age plus 1.  If your child is turning 7, plan on having eight kids attend.  This is by no means a hard and fast rule and it definitely depends many factors.  At a minimum you need to consider budget and location.  Twelve is by far the most popular party size.  Over the years as an Albany, NY magician this is the size I see more often than not.
Being prepared and organized is your best bet no matter how many children you invite to your child's birthday party.

Albany NY Magician | Your Kids Party Agenda

The key components of most parties are activities, games, and refreshments. If you don't want kids to run around your house the whole time, you need to have a plan.  A typical two-hour party agenda might look like this: 

• 15-20 minutes - greet arrivals, free play, and unstructured activities 
• 30-45 minutes - organized games and activities or an entertainer 
• 15-20 minutes - refreshments 
• 20-30 minutes - additional organized games and activities or open presents
• 15-20 minutes - cake, free play and unstructured activities 

A three-hour party agenda would allow more time for games & activities, free play, or longer entertainment.

I hope this helps give you an idea of how you can organize your party schedule.

~Magicman

PS- Feel free to shoot me an e-mail or comment on this post and let me know what else you would like to know about parties and planning. 

Albany NY Magician - Great Theme Ideas

One of the best ways to get your child excited about their birthday party, as if they need help, is to let them pick out a theme.  It seems that most people pick a character or movie for the theme but there are lots of other ideas to choose from.  I was going to give you a few examples of great themes, but I found this website that is just chuck full of theme ideas.

http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/party_ideas.html

Each theme has many examples of ideas to incorporate the theme.  Of course, my favorite is the magic theme.  But I might be biased.  Remember, you can incorporate great entertainment into any theme.  Balloon twisting and face painting can be customized for any theme and a magic show fits real nice with lots of the theme suggestions.  Have fun planning you party!

~Magicman
www.magicmanalbany.com