Battle at Sea (Perfect for ages 4-7)

Things you'll need:

• Two really big cardboard boxes, they need to hold several party guests at once (Try the local appliance store, refrigerator boxes work best.)
• 25-30 small soft balls (ping pong balls, or foam balls would work well... the party store sells foam balls)
• Craft knife or scissors
• Paint, markers for decorating the boxes

Before the guests arrive:

1. Make two ships out of the boxes, by cutting off one of the long, wide sides.
2. Decorate the box to look like a ship. Let the guest of honor help decorate before the party. This is a great way to connect with your child and involve him in the planning.

When the guests arrive:

1. Put the boxes about 10'-15' apart; older kids farther apart, younger kids closer.
2. Split the guests into two even crews.  Make four crews if your boxes aren't big enough to hold half the party guests and have the winners of the first rounds play in a playoff. Have the crews get into their ships.
3. Important: Battles start one crew at a time. Give the "missiles" (the balls) to one crew, so they can attack the other ship.
4. When you yell 'FIRE!' the crew with the missiles starts hurling them at the other guests.  They get a hit if a ball lands inside the other crew's ship.  The crew that is being pelted can try and deflect the balls or catch them and toss them aside, but they can't remove balls that have landed in their ship and throw them back out.
5. When the crew doing the attacking is out of missiles, tally up the number that made it into the opposing teams ship.
6. Switch roles.  When the second team runs out of missiles, tally up the number again.  The team that scored the most hits wins.

Instructions

Needed:

• Quarter
• Pen, Pencil or crayon 

Performance:

• Display the quarter in your left hand. Hold the pen in your right hand. 
• Tell spectator that you will vanish the quarter.
• Position yourself so that no one can see your right ear.
• Count ONE, and hit the coin with the pen.
• Bring your hand and the pen up next to your right ear to prepare yourself to count and strike TWO.
• Count TWO, and hit the coin with a pen.
• Bring your hand and pen up next to your right ear as if to prepare yourself to count and strike THREE but deposit the pen behind your right ear.
• Bring your hand down as if pen is still in your hand to strike the coin and count THREE.
• Realize the pen is missing.
• Notice and point out the pen behind your ear.
• Turn slightly to the left as you retrieve the pen. At the same time deposit the quarter into your left pants pocket.
• Bring your now empty left hand back to starting position but this time in a closed fist.
• Pretending your hand is holding the coin, wave the pen over your empty fist.
• Open hand to show the coin has vanished.