Magician’s tricks may baffle the eye and the brain, but they usually rely on one or more fundamental principles of magic: misdirection, sleight of hand, a secret chamber and a willing accomplice (in this case a rabbit!). Misdirection allows a magician to lead the eye of the audience away from any activity they do not want to be seen. For example, if you are told to look at the magician’s beautiful assistant, you probably wouldn’t notice the magician quickly cramming doves under their cloak. Of course, misdirection can be more subtle than that. When a magician pulls a rabbit out of the hat, take a good look at the hat… Does it have a broad band of coloured material running round the black fabric? Brightly coloured objects lead the eye away from the more boring bits of a magician’s props. But the boring bits are often where the ‘magic’ happens. Part of the key to successfully pulling a rabbit from a hat is getting a compliant animal. Rabbits are great for the job, they sit still, they tend not to fight back and they don't make much noise. How many times have you seen a magician pull a cat or a dog from a hat? Only the best magicians work with tigers!

	Magic Tricks
	Trick 1
	Stick pins in a balloon without it going BANG! A balloon bursts when the rubber is weakened and tears, allowing the air to escape really quickly. Place a piece of sticky tape on the balloon. This supports the rubber. If you now pierce the balloon through the tape, the rubber does not split and the balloon does not burst. The balloon will deflate slowly, though, so remove the evidence before your audience sees.
	Trick 2
	The self-slicing banana. Convince your more gullible friends that you own new genetically engineered bananas which are grown already sliced. To do this, take a banana and a needle. Carefully pierce the banana on one of its edges and wiggle the needle back and forth, cutting through the flesh, but leave the skin intact. Move the needle down and repeat until the banana is sliced at regular intervals. When you now peel the banana, the fruit will fall out in slices. You may like to practise with a couple first before showing your friends and be careful not to pierce yourself.