Jack of All Treats

Total Time Needed:: 1 Hour

Have your kid pick a card, any card, from an entire deck. Now bet him (odds are in your favor) that with a little help, he can become this card trick on Halloween.

Materials

2 21- by 34-inch foam core sheets
pencil
craft knife
enlarged color photocopy of your child's face
tape
permanent markers (red, blue, flesh-tone, yellow, and black)

red duct tape
2 30-inch-long pieces of ribbon
black pants
shirt
shoes

Instructions

To make the front of the card, mark a face opening, about 3 inches below the top of one of the sheets of foam core. Cut out the opening with the craft knife (parents only).
Next, invert the color photocopy of your child's face (bring a school photo to a copy shop) and tape it 3 inches above the bottom of the card. Pencil a jack of hearts design around the two face shapes (use our photo or a card from your deck as a guide). Color in the picture with the permanent markers. Outline the card with the red duct tape.
Decorate the second piece of foam core to look like the back of the card. To do this, apply the red duct tape in a cross-hatching pattern, then outline the edges.
To assemble the sandwich board, tape 2 ribbon suspenders on the insides of the boards as shown at right. For a comfortable fit, the suspenders should be taped 6 inches below the face opening and at least 5 inches apart. You should also leave 10 to 12 inches of ribbon between the boards. Adjust the suspenders to fit your child.
Have your child put on the black pants, shirt, and shoes, and wear the sandwich board -- and watch him win a full hand of sweets.

Variations:: If I had a sandwich board, I could also be ... a Stop sign, a box of cereal, a self-portrait painting, a television set, a clock face, or a FamilyFun magazine cover.

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