Magic Camps

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• Camps that specialize in magic
• Camps offering magic as an activity

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Harry Potter and shows like America's Got Talent help to perpetuate our belief in magic and the power of illusion, but developing an interest in magic can have other unexpected benefits for kids. Kids learn to perform in front of an audience, for example, a strength they can come back to later in education or business careers.

The real draw of camps like this is magic, though. A number of specialized magic camps in the GTA and other major cities specialize in teaching kids the art of illusion, and helping them on their way to becoming the next David Blaine or Criss Angel.

Camps can teach kids the following kinds of magic:

• Close-up magic like card tricks, coin tricks or cup and ball tricks
• Parlour magic techniques, including prestidigitation and misdirection
• Stage magic including disappearing acts, levitation and the ever-popular sawing someone in half

Harry Potter camps and related activities

Many camps – including those that do not necessarily focus on magic – offer activities inspired by the Harry Potter series of books and movies. Camps play off the popularity of the series by adding Harry Potter activities such as real life Quidditch. Fans of the movies will love the feel of attending a Hogwarts-like getaway.

Camp benefits

Magic is a very unique interest, and getting a child into this type of camp can introduce him or her to other kids in the city who share the same interest. At camp, kids grow in self-confidence as they meet other kids from outside their comfort circle. Of course, camp gets kids out of the house during the summer and extends the stimulation of learning into the summer months.

Read more about the benefits of camp for kids.

Magic might seem like an idle pastime to some parents but attending a kids' magic camp has practical applications that come in handy later in life. Performing in front of an audience has many obvious effects beyond just the boost in confidence that kids get. Kids learn inadvertent lessons about what makes people tick, and about confronting fears. As Rick Mercer has noted, getting up on stage when you're a kid is "a dangerous thing… For some kids, things are never the same again. But summer camp is rife with danger. You do things you never thought you would ever do, like swamp that canoe or stay up all night staring at the stars.