What you need: a pencil • two hands

Shutterstock.com (Child); Marybeth Rivera (Hands); Sarah Leighton (nosey)
The Mystery of the Floating Pencil
How can you make a pencil float? Learn this magic trick
From the October/November 2025 Issue
Step 1:
Hold a pencil in one hand like this.
Step 2:
Grab your wrist with the other hand. Put your pointer finger out.
Step 3:
Hold the pencil with the pointer finger.
Open your hand.
Step 4:
Show people this side of your hand!
Tip: Say you are squeezing your wrist to make this work. Squeeze and groan. Have fun!
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