Kids Get Hocus-Pocus With a Recycling Focus

With a blue wig and newspaper hats as props, magician Jeff Corveau used sleight of hand Thursday to teach Brookhaven Elementary School students a lesson on recycling.

Corveau was hired by the Placentia-Yorba Linda School District to put on a series of shows for primary-grade students at eight schools this week. The city of Placentia is sponsoring the educational project.

“It’s a good message,” said John Fraser, administrative coordinator for the city. “This is a great age to get kids involved because they’re really enthusiastic. A lot of times the kids go home and teach their parents about recycling too.”

Students stared wide-eyed as the magician made a red handkerchief and a glass bottle disappear. Then he explained that it takes more than magic to make bottles disappear in real life.

The youngsters listened intently as Corveau raised the possibility of building entire houses from recycled plastic and told them how many pounds of paper a typical family uses each month.

And the audience of about 150 erupted with cheers and laughter when classmates took the stage as the magician’s apprentices.

“I don’t know how to do magic tricks very well,” said Joe Donoghue, 7, who was in a skit about landfills. “But I know how to take out the trash now.”

Other students learned the importance of not littering.

“When I see something on the ground, like a jar or bottle, I’ll clean it and keep it for jewelry or bows,” Lauren Gaedzinski, 6, said.

First-grade teacher Peggy Faure said the magic show inspired her to put a recycling bin in her classroom.

“We don’t really recycle, but we will now, that’s for sure,” she said. “After this, I think we should.”