Find a plastic drinking cup that is solid and that you can't see through. Cut a piece of sponge so it fits tightly into the bottom of the cup. Push it in and check that it won't fall out even when wet.
Perform your trick by pouring water from a jug into the special cup in front of your audience. Tell them you will make your drink disappear. Wave a magic wand over the cup and say some magic words; then turn the cup upside down. No water will come out. The water has magically disappeared. Be careful not to pour in more water than your sponge can absorb.
Choose a friend who will help you perform this trick by pretending to be a member of the audience. Tell him what he will need to do.
Show your audience a coin. Then cover the coin with a handkerchief. Invite two or three members of the audience to come and feel under the handkerchief, to check that the coin is still there.
Invite your friend to come and feel the coin too. Let him carefully sneak the coin into hs hand and then go and sit back down.
Say some magic words, and lift up the handkerchief. The coin has disappeared. Only you and your friend know what really happened.
Draw two fairies onto sticky labels and cut them out. Make each one about one inch high.
Tell your audience that you are going to show them some magic fairies. Stick the pictures of fairies to your pointer fingers, one on each fingernail. Extend your pointer finger on each hand and set it on the tabletop. Hide the rest of your fingers underneath the table.
Ask your audience to shout, "Fairies fair, disappear!" Lift both your hands up in the air next to your head and bring them back down to the table. Again, lift both your hands up in the air next to your head and bring them back down to the table. This time, stick out your middle fingers and hide your pointer fingers under the table. Your audience won't be able to tell you've changed fingers and will think the fairies have disappeared.
Tell the audience to shout, "Fairies fair, reappear!"
Lift your hands up in the air again and bring them back down, this time sticking your pointer fingers out again as in Step 1. The fairies have come back.
Now you've learned the basic tricks, you can start to make them more personal to you.
Try switching props to see what else you can make disappear using these techniques -- a toy dinosaur, your Mom's necklace, your brother's soda.
Think about your costume and magic wand. The more distracting your appearance is, the less likely your audience is to notice the details that give the trick away.
Practice in front of a mirror until all of your tricks are seamless and smooth. Remember, magic is all about mystery and surprise, so don't reveal your secrets by mistake.