A busy library show, an early-morning summer camp performance, dinosaurs, and a trip to the ballet—our family covered quite a bit of ground in MagicLife Vlog #313!
In “Dinosaurs and The Ballet,” Natalie and I share a week of performances and family activities, including a visit to the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville and an outing to see Sleeping Beauty.
Traveling for magic shows is part of our everyday life. These outings give you a look at what happens around those performances, when we’re also finding ways to keep the kids entertained and spend time together.
Skateboarding Without Leaving the House
We couldn’t make it to the skate park, so we found another option: a Wii skateboarding game at home.
Sometimes parenting involves changing the plan and working with what you have available. In this case, the kids could still enjoy a skateboarding activity without us going anywhere.
For other busy families, a familiar game or simple activity can be a useful backup when an outing doesn’t work out. Every family activity doesn’t have to involve getting everyone into the car!
Library Magic and an Early Start in Martinsville
Our performance schedule included a show at Madison County Library that brought out a large crowd, along with an early-morning summer camp show in Martinsville, Virginia.
That combination gives you a glimpse into the variety of a professional magician’s schedule. One booking might be a community library program, while another means getting ready to entertain campers early in the day.
The time onstage is only one part of that work. Traveling, preparing the equipment, setting up, and being ready when the audience arrives all belong on the schedule, too.
For anyone interested in performing professionally, that’s a practical part of the business to understand: your preparation has to fit the venue’s timetable.
Visiting the Virginia Museum of Natural History
Our family also visited the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville, where the dinosaur exhibits and live animals were especially interesting to the kids.
A museum visit adds something different to a week of performances. It gives us a chance to explore together, and it gives the children something to investigate beyond the places we visit for work.
For families looking to turn an outing into a learning opportunity, a few simple questions can help:
What caught your attention first?
Which exhibit would you like to learn more about?
What would you tell someone who hasn’t visited?
Those questions give children room to notice different things. They also offer an easy starting point for a follow-up book, drawing, or conversation at home.
If you’re considering your own visit, check the Virginia Museum of Natural History website for current exhibits and visitor information.
Taking the Family to See Sleeping Beauty
Another outing took us to a ballet performance of Sleeping Beauty.
The children enjoyed parts of the show, while other moments didn’t hold their attention as well. That’s an honest part of taking kids to live theater: everyone can experience the same performance differently.
As a family involved in entertainment, we spend plenty of time around performances. Ballet offers a different way to think about storytelling, with movement, music, expression, and timing carrying the action.
For parents introducing children to a longer production, explaining the basic story beforehand can give them something to follow. Afterward, asking about one memorable moment can be more useful than expecting them to have enjoyed every minute.
Close-Up Magic at Massanutten Resort
The episode also includes an update on my close-up magic work at Massanutten Resort.
Close-up performances bring the magic right to the people watching. They offer a different experience from a stage show, where the audience sees everything from their seats.
Between library programs, camp performances, resort magic, and family outings, this episode captures several sides of our MagicLife.
Watch MagicLife Vlog #313: “Dinosaurs and The Ballet” here.
For more about our performances and booking a show, visit WesIseli.com.
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