Hary Potter Magic Birthday Party

Hi Folks...

Today we're going to be talking about one of my favorite topics...Harry Potter!  If you or your kids have read the books or seen the movies chances are you know how popular Harry Potter has become...It's amazing!

I myself have read the books numerous times and I'm really looking forward to the new movies coming out soon!  Plus I have some exciting news for this Halloween season!

For the first time ever, I'm offering my special Wizards School Show to the general public!  This is the same program that I performed for 1000's of Harry Potter fans at event put on by Barnes Nobel Books, Walden Books, Ponderosa Restaurants, Lakewood Mall and many others!

Here is a photo from Barnes and Nobel in Danbury

As you can see it was a huge Success! Standing room only!

Here are a few of the magical effects included in this program!

·         The Gryffindor Sword…The Gryffindor Sword appears suddenly in the Sorting Hat!  This is just like the second book and movie!


·         The Brown Bottle…Clearing the table, the magician suddenly vanishes a Brown Bottle from his table just like the third movie!


·         First Year Potions Class…In a standard #2 Caldron a member of the audience mixes a quick Polyjuice Potion that turns a stuffed animal into a live dove as in several of the books!


·         Transfiguration Class…Members of the audience change a live dove into a live rabbit using a transfiguration spell from the books!


·         Divination Class…One member of the audience reads another audience member’s mind by gazing into a crystal ball!  They won’t believe their eyes when they see this one!


·         Herbology Class…The magician is completely shocked and surprised when a magical flower disobeys his commands.  This is hysterical for the kids who see everything that is going on behind the magicians back!


·         Advanced Charms Class…In this advanced magic class the audience attempts to float one of the audience members in the air on a ancient carpet!  All I can say is that this is a very pretty piece of magic that everyone will remember.

This program will be available for private parties birthday parties and Halloween parties though the month of October!  But you must contact me by Sep. 13th to book your party!  To lock in your date simply send me a email with the date, time and place of your event and I will send you complete instructions How to bring this amazing program home!  Send your email to:   ted@bestpartymagic.com

If your going to do a Harry Potter theme you might as well go all the way with it!  That's why I've included the following article below!  It is filled with great ideas for your turning your home into Hogwarts for an evening!

Plan the Party

    *
      Two to three weeks before the party begins:
          o
            Make Wizard Maps for invitations. Round the edges of parchment paper with scissors. Write the party details to Hogwarts School (AKA your house), using invisible ink felt pens (available at the craft stores). Roll the invitation into cylinders, insert into mailing tube, along with a decoder pen, and mail to Muggles.
          o
            Begin preparing the props, costumes, and decorations (see below).

    *
      Party Set-Up - A few hours before the party:
          o
            Welcome the guests with a sign at the front door that reads "Platform 9 3/4."
          o
            Decorate your party room like the Great Hall at Hogwarts School.
          o
            Make "snitches" by spray painting Styrofoam or rubber balls gold, then glue feathers on each side, and hang them from the ceiling.
          o
            Cover the walls and ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars, moons, and lightning bolts.
          o
            Set out stuffed toy owls, broomsticks, magic wands, and potions (candy-filled bottles).
          o
            Cover the table with a paper cloth featuring stars, moons, and lightning bolts, and add matching paper products.

    *
      Party Time - Welcome the Wizards and Muggles:

          o
            Ask the guests to come dressed as a Harry Potter character from the series, such as Harry, Dudley, Hermione, Ron, Draco Malfoy, or Nearly Headless Nick.
          o
            Have costume parts ready so guests can dress up when they arrive, such as wizards, creatures, ghosts, goblins, owls, and Muggles.
          o
            Provide the guests with wizard caps, cloaks, and magic wands.
          o
            Give everyone Harry glasses and "tattoo" a lightning bolt on their foreheads with felt pen.

    *
      Join Harry Potter in some Games and Activities:

          o
            Play a version of Quidditch, Harry's favorite game, by providing the kids with a ball, some broomsticks, and a large area to play in. Divide the group into two teams, set up two goals on either side of the yard, and have the kids try to brush the ball over their own goal line.

          o
            Have a Harry Potter Trivia Contest and ask questions based on the book - or a 'Who Said What?' game based on Harry Potter quotes.

          o
            Have a Flavor Bean Tasting Contest. Buy a variety of jellybeans and place them in small paper cups covered with foil so they aren't visible. Pass one cup around at a time and have each player taste a jellybean without looking at it. Players must try to identify the flavors.

          o
            Make Potter's Magic Potion by combining 2 cups white glue and 1 1/2 cups water together. Add a few drops of food coloring. In a separate container, dissolve 2 teaspoons borax in 2/3 cup warm water and mix well. Mix the borax and glue solutions together, and let the kids watch what happens to the mixture. Pass out handfuls and let the wizards work their magic. Wear smocks for this activity - it's messy, but fun!

          o
            Let the kids create their own Wizard Capes and Magician Caps. For capes, cut length of inexpensive silky lining fabric and let the kids decorate it with felt-tip pens, glue-on glitter, and decals in the shape of stars, moons, and lightning bolts. For caps, give them lengths of felt, cut into rectangles. Fold the felt into a cone shape, staple it closed, trim off a straight edge, and decorate with glue-on sequins, glitter, puffy paints, and decals.

    *
      Serve Cauldrons of Snacks and Wash them down with Magic Potions:

          o
            Buy a plastic cauldron or use a black pot for serving the food. Fill it with soup, macaroni and cheese, or beef stew.



 Serve "magic potions" in plastic goblets. Offer multicolored drinks - red, blue, green, orange - for added fun. Called them Rum-Runners.

          o
            Offer the guests a variety of Harry Potter snacks and treats - Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (assorted jelly beans), Fizzing Whizbees Levitating Sherbet Balls (green and orange sherbet balls), Droobles Best Blowing Gum (blue gum), Creepy Chocolates (in the shape of frogs, bats, and rats), and Peppermint Humbugs (peppermint candies.)

          o
            Make Harry Potter cookies using a Harry Potter shaped cookie cutter.

          o
            Provide Harry Potter desserts, such as apple pie, trifle, jam donuts

    *
      Say Good-Byes with Hogwarts Gift Bags:

          o
            Give the kids magic wands, jellybeans, wizard caps and capes, copies of Harry Potter books or tapes, Harry glasses, and press-on tattoos.

          o
            Place them in small fabric bags tied with ribbon or velvet cords.

About the Author
Carol Selva
More free ideas, tips, party planning checklists and advice on http://www.iparty.com!

Don't forget!  The Deadline to bring the Wizard School program to your castle is Sept. 13th!  So send your owl via email to reserve your date!

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas

Last week we talked about the Five To Party Themes for Girls.  This week were going to talk about a favorite boys theme...The Fun Pirate Birthday Party!

I came across this great article by Mike Dougherty on how to have a super fun and successful Pirate Party of your own!  If you get the chance take a look at some of Mike's other ideas on his website, http://fun-kid-birthday-parties.com

Here's the article...

Thar be fun pirate birthday party ideas ahead me buckos...AAARRRH! So haul in the gang plank, trim yer sails and be watchin' for ships flyin' the Jolly Roger.

"Avast and ahoy maties, this here be yer captain speakin to ya... Captain Grandpa Mike says me."

Yer birthday child and all their guests will be havin' a swashbucklin' good time with this here adventure on the fun kid birthday parties high seas!

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas - Invitations

Yo Ho A Pirate's Treasure Map

Your party guests will really get into your Pirate theme when you send them an invitation that looks like an old Pirate Treasure map...

Cut a brown paper bag into a square.

Then, with a black marker write something like "Captain__________'s (insert your birthday child's name) treasure map"...

"Ye be invited to a swash-buckling good time matey... (then give the party date, time, length of the party and any other details) then close the invitation by saying something like...

"If you dare, you'll be findin the party by followin this here treasure map... And remember this me buckos... "X" marks the spot!"

The map is actually directions to your party location and the "X" is the actual birthday party address...

Then crumble up the paper so your map looks old and mail it to your guest... You can even be creative with the envelope.

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas - Treasure Map

Have some fun with your Pirate Party Invitation buy constructing another treasure map for a real treasure hidden somewhere at your party location.

Cut this map up into puzzle pieces (one for each child you're inviting).

Include a piece of the treasure map in the envelope and instruct your guests to bring their piece of the treasure map to the party.

When your guests arrive, have them put their puzzle pieces together, then they can all hunt for the treasure you've hidden...

Make sure you keep a copy of the map in case one of your guests doesn't show up.

For treasure, put some chocolate coins (always a big hit with our kids) in a box and hid them somewhere for your guests to find together with their map.  Here is a great source for Party Supplies.
Fun Kid Pirate Costume

Your birthday child will love wearing a special pirate costume at their party.

*A Tip From Grandpa Mike

When I was a boy, one of my favorite Halloween costumes was a pirate costume.

You can find a head bandanna at your local thrift store, a colorful old shirt and grey stripped pants.

Cut the shirt sleeves to 3/4 length and fray the edge of the sleeves so they look worn... Cut the pant legs to 3/4 length and fray the edges so they look worn and "ship wrecked".

You can make an eye patch out of a small piece of black card stock or black cloth... Attach a black string or shoe lace to the eye patch and tie it around your child's head.

A wide black belt with a large buckle (you can make a buckle) can be cut to fit around your child's waist.


Here is a great resource for pirate costumes!

Fun Pirate Make-Up

You can complete your child's pirate look by putting black smudges on their face with an eyebrow pencil. Smear it around to look like a beard on a rough pirate face.

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas - Decorations

Black, red, yellow, orange, blue and white are great pirate colors.

Use streamers and balloons to decorate your party area.

You can also pick up some pirate flags and make treasure maps and swords to put on the walls.

Fish nets, star fish and sea shells will help give yer party a sea goin' look.

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas - Pirate Pinata

Imagine the fun when one of yer ship mates breaks open a pirate treasure chest pinata aaarrrh, an all kinds ah "treasures" fill yer pirate ships cabin. You can easily find online stores that feature pinatas for just about any party theme.

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas

With these ideas to get your creative juices flowing, you'll be able to come up with lots more great ideas that will make your child's Pirate birthday party adventure a great success.

"Shiver me timbers, this be Captain Grandpa Mike sayin have a swashbucklin' fun Pirate birthday party, AAARRRH!"

Mike Dougherty has lots more fun pirate birthday party ideas waiting for you at http://fun-kid-birthday-parties.com where you'll discover just about everything you'll need for a successful fun kid birthday party.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Dougherty

Don't forget...with Pirates of the Caribean still so popular a pirate party is a great idea for your Halloween theme too.

If you'd like to add some great magic and entertainment for your party click here to see all of the great kids magic programs that are available to you!

See ya next week when I'll be talking about one of my favorite party themes...Harry Potter!

Top 5 Girl Birthday Party Ideas!

Hi Friends...
 

It has been a Hot and crazy summer!  I hope you have been getting out with your family and enjoying the sun!

Tracy and I just got back from taking the kids to see Tom Petty in concert in Hartford!

It was the boys first big concert.  And Tracy has been waiting 20 years to see them so it was really special for all of us!

Have lots to share with you this month so lets jump in!

Here are the Top 5 Girl Birthday Party Ideas!

If you want to throw a wonderful birthday party for your little girl but don't seem to have the perfect fit, this article will give you plenty of options for you to choose from.

1- Make the party an outing.

Instead of having a party at home, why not take the kids where they can have lots of fun? You can make it a day at the zoo, an amusement park or a picnic at a lake. The great advantage of having a party this way is that you won't have to clean or decorate the house. Ask your little girl which of these options she would enjoy the most and then plan for it. If there will be many kids you definitely want to have a few adults help you out. Kids love boats so if you're going to a lake, you might want to find one that offers boat rides.

2- Have a princess party.

What little girl doesn't want to be a princess? If so, this kind of party will be quite the ticket. It's best to make it an all girl party since boys will probably not enjoy this theme too much. However if you want to have boys come, each one can dress up as a prince. Have your guests wear princess costumes or fancy dresses to the party. Hire a "princess" to come to the party and tell her princess stories. The girls can learn a princess dance and wave. They will be in awe with the real life "princess".

3- Have a pony party.

Almost universally, girls love ponies. If you don't have a ranch near by, it might be possible to rent a pony to come to your house or apartment. Everyone gets a ride and parents get a good photo opportunity.

4- A luau party is a great idea - especially if it's warm outside.

Get your birthday girl a grass skirt to wear over her swimsuit. Have some for the guests and their parents. Play seaside games, such as limbo or a ring toss. If you don't have a pool, a fun idea is to get two or three blow-up pools they can splash around in. If you do decide on contests, make sure there is a prize for every participant. Five year olds will cry if someone else wins and they don't get a prize..

5- Have a spa party.

With a smaller group you are able to do something extra special. A spa party is usually well received. The little girls get manicures and pedicures, a mud mask and flip flops to spare their freshly painted toenails. You can do all the work yourself and with other mommies, or hire someone to come in. Contact the beauty school, or if you know a manicurist or a beauty consultant, ask her to plan the activities.

Bonus Idea-Have a Magic Princess Party complete with a interactive magic show!  You know who to contact!

If you would like to have more ideas for kids birthday parties you will love these finding nemo birthday and backyardigans party supplies articles that are filled with resources and pictures.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ginger_Myers

See ya soon!

P.S.  I will be performing on the Green in Prospect CT on Aug. 24 at 11:30 pm...Bring the family and enjoy the show!!!

P.P.S.   Are you ready for Halloween???

Best Ideas For A Successful Scooby Doo Party

Hi Friends...

Do your kids love Scooby-Doo as much as my nieces and nephews!  It is so cool because when I was a kid Scooby-Doo was my favorite cartoon and now I get to experience that love again with them!  Scooby- Doo is a great theme for kids Birthday and Halloween Parties!

Here are 5 of the best ideas you can do for your Scooby Doo party:

1. Set the Theme for Your Party!  You can do this really easily by picking up a few Party Supplies!  One of the best ways to really get the party started are by using brilliant Scooby Doo party supplies. With the use of the Internet you can now have everything delivered for your convenience, straight to your door after you have comfortably and easily chosen everything for your party from you favorite arm chair.  Just Use This Link!

You can order everything from balloons, tablecovers, invitations, piñatas and everything in between. You can even have a cake artfully designed to imitate the beloved dog’s face.  You could also play some spookie Halloween music to further set the mood!  Here's the Link Again!

2. Consider a Costume Party or Play Dress Up. Scooby Doo is part of a gang, including his loyal owner Shaggy. You can ask all your guests to dress up as their favorite character. You might want to think about designating characters to make sure everyone does not come dressed as Scooby.

Then you can prepare a special presentation where you will call all the “casts” and have them act out their favorite Scooby Doo memory.

3. Go for a Marathon. Are you a bit strapped for cash at the moment or is your venue on the small side? A good way to still keep up with the theme is to obtain some DVD's and schedule a movie marathon with the kids.

You have a huge choice to pick from as there are lots of movies and endless cartoons for you to choose from. Don’t stress too much about your choice, as long as the kids see Scooby Doo you will be fine.

Get It From Amazon!

4. Invite Scooby Doo To The Party. Try contacting your local entertainment agency and see if they could send a costume character along to the party. You could even get them to perform a song or being extra treats for the party guests.

You may want to look into getting a children's entertainer such as a magician, facepainter or balloon artist to do a live show at your party!  Kids love magic!  And the show will keep the kids entertained and occupied for an hour or so giving you a chance to relax and spend some time with your child on their special day!

For a great magic show contact Ted, Connecticut's Favorite Magician here!




5. Make A Photo Wall. I can’t think of a better way to ensure your child really remembers their Scooby Doo party than starting a photo wall. They can pose with a cardboard version of Scooby Doo for as long as they want to.

That's it for now!  I hope you have a Fantastic Party!  I'll see you again next week!

Ted Peterson
Connecticut's Favorite Kids Magician

Best Party Magic
ted@bestpartymagic.com

P.S.  I had some emails last week asking if I could share the "Learn Easy Magic" program link again!  This is one of the best ways for you or your child to learn some of the most amazing magic and mind reading take a look at the Easy To Learn Magic Ebooks!

Here's the link again: http://dld.bz/k7eC

How People Choose Unique Birthday Party Plans For Kids!

Hi Friends...

Hope your having a Terrific Summer...The last few weeks have been pretty busy for me performing at a number of preschools in Connecticut including Kindercare and others...It's been a lot of fun!  And I still have a number of these shows over the next few weeks...If this type of program interest you, you can find more info at New Preschool Magic...So be sure to check that out or share it with your daycare, preschool or early learning center!

There is still time to save some money with our special Rush Discount Contest!  You can see all the details on that in my previous post below!

I came across the following article on, "Choosing A Unique Birthday Party Plans For Kids" and it is filled with Great ideas!  Here is a short excerpt...

"If you would like to get out of the house for the birthday, there are lots of different places where you can throw a birthday party for groups huge and little. You can bring the whole gang bowling, to an indoor playground, or have a football birthday party any time of the year at an indoor facility with instructors to lead the children thru activities, cake and pizza and the rest."

You can read the whole article by clicking here How People Choose Unique Birthday Party Plans For Kids!

I hope you enjoy the article and have a Great Birthday Party!

See ya soon!

Ted & Best Party Magic

RUSH Discount Contest!

That's Right!  Tonight Tracy and I are going to see the Greatest Band ever!  RUSH!  I can't wait!  Even though I've seen them 16 times over the past 25 years!  I just can't get enough of them...Every show is different!

It has been my dream for many years to open for one of their shows!  You know come out and do some really kick ass magic...Birds appearing!  Floating someone from the audience in the air!  Maybe some fire!  And then RUSH explodes out of no where!  Sweet!

I may never get the chance to open for Rush but that doesn't mean we can't still have alot of Fun!  I still have a few dates left in July and some more in Aug.  So here is what were going to do...

Post your favorite RUSH song in the comments below and you will SAVE $50 off your booking in July or August!  Just for the record mine is Cygnus X-1!

So don't forget to check out all of my great Birthday program at Best Party Magic!  Enter your favorite Rush song in the comments below, and you'll Save $50 on your program in July or August!  Deadline to Save is July 30!

See ya soon!

Ted Peterson
RUSH Fanatic!
http://bestpartymagic.com

P.S.  Want to learn some Kool Magic Tricks and be the life of your next Party?

          Then Click Here!

Explosive 4th of July Issue!

Unbelievable as this may sound, there are still some folks in Connecticut who are not getting our free monthly Newsletter!  SO I thought I would re-post this months issue here on our blog just to give you a free taste of what your missing!

I hope you enjoy and leave me a comment as to what you think!

Thanks for visiting!

Explosive 4th of July Issue!

Hi...CT's Favorite Family Magician here!  I hope you had a Fantastic 4th of July!  Tracy and I went to Uncle Bill's for a family barbarque!  The food was terrific...The weather was hot!  And the company was blown away with Kent's music and of  course some of my mind-numbing magic and mind-reading!  It was a wonderful day to celebrate the birth of our nation!

I have alot of things to share with you in this explosive 4th of July issue so let's dive right in!

As many of you know, my partner of 17 years, "General" the magic bunny pasted away a while back...Tracy and I have been looking for a suitable replacement but as you know Magic Bunnies are not easy to come by!  The search has been very frustrating to say the least.  We decided to try open additions to help find our new star but that turned out tlike a bad version of America's Got Talent!

We had to tun down a very sad looking snake, a dancing poodle, the Trix bunny who over turned a breakfast table as he hopped off stage and Larry the cable guy!  They were not all bad though!  We met a very talent chimp who was a cleaver mind-reader that I plan to colaborate with in the near future!  But still no Magic Bunny!

Then while out celebrating our fourth Anniversary, Tracy and I stopped at a new pet shop that had opened at the Brass Mall!  It was like fate was lending us a hand!  There we soon discovered not one but two very magical Bunnies!  Sisters in fact and we knew that our searching was over!

You can see them here below!

Samantha is still a little shy and is very happy just being cute and adorable!  While Claudia is a born performer and can't wait to get out of her cage and start working on our show!  In fact she is helping to create not 1 but 2 new programs coming the end of Auguest first part of September!  For  more details and sneak previews follow our blog!

Ever made a really Big Mistake?  I made a HUGE mistake back in March!  One that may have effected you!  Let me explain...

Back in March I added yet another website to my existing hosting account but I forgot one crucial tiny step!  That tiny step changed my core website, BestPartyMagic.com  ...As some of you are aware I accidentally overwrote the main folder on my hosting account!

Due to this mistake, many new clients and some of my long term clients ran into problems getting to our Magic website!  Many of your referrals were sent to a completely different site!

I want to apologize if you have had any problems accessing the site recently!

I'm happy to report that the problem is now fixed and BestPartyMagic.com is back up and running smoothly now!

It's Just in time too...As Claudia, Samantha and I are planning a complete over-haul on not just the website but each of our Magic Birthday Shows!  Keep reading new issues of this newsletter for sneak previews and some really cool Free Gifts coming soon!

Wow!  I just realized its already July and half the year has blown by like a hurricane!  The last 2 months of have been a blur for me.

Our eldest son, Stuart, graduated from Warren High School!  My brother Trevor, a 20 year vetran of the army just under went major surgery again from the injuries he sustained Apr 2009.  One of my favorite Aunts passed away.  Tracy and I celebrated our Forth Anniversary!  And this list keeps going and going!

I'm going to have to really hurry because I have alot planned for the coming months and the rest of the year!  Here's what we have coming very soon!

1)  New Magic Video's  I have been promising these for a while now but they are coming!  Check out our site, blog, Facebook or Youtube Channel!

2)  New Birthday Party Website including 2 new Magic Programs!  The kids will love it!

3)   New Walk-Around Magic Package!  Cool intimate magic and mind reading that's perfect for after dinner parties and corporate or formal banquets!

4)  Which Bunny Contest and Free Gifts!

In honor of the 4th of July here's an Explosive Special Offer just for our Newsletter Readers and Back Stage Members!  For a very limited time  (7-23-10) you can get the Super Fun Magic Program for $50 off regular fee!  This offer is limited to the first 10 people who respond by email!  If you are currently not in the market for some Fantastic Birthday Party Entertainment you may forward this crazy offer to a friend or business associate who might be looking for Connecticut's Favorite Kids Magician!

Email:  ted@BestPartyMagic.com  to Save Some Real Money!

"Jackson had a blast!  You put on a great show!  I'm giving out your cards to the elementary school and preschool!  Thanks Again!"

Heather Rodgers