DIY Life

If there is one circus skill I'd love to master, it's walking on stilts. Being hopelessly clumsy and a bit of a coward, I'm not sure it's in the cards for me, but if you're looking for a fun construction project and a new skill, try out these DIY stilts.

The wooden stilts are adjustable, increasing your height by one to three feet. Here's what you need to construct them:

• Wooden 2×4, 15.5" long
• 4 3/8" wing nuts
• 4 3/8" ID flat washers
• 4 3/8" x 4" carriage bolts
• 2 Wooden poles, 8′x1.5"x1.5"
• Table saw
• Drill

The instructions don't seem too complicated, but considering that you'll trust the final product to support you in the air, you'll want to follow them carefully, paying particular attention to the safety tips. I'm guessing that the moderate danger rating has more to do with the difficulty you'll have learning to walk safely on stilts than it does with the actual safety of the stilts.

Even if you're not looking for a new career as a busker, you'll love showing off your new skills and your homemade stilts.

I love watching street performers. In the summer, my favorite days are spent wandering the shops on Granville Island in Vancouver and watching buskers. Our children have loads of fun and enjoy the entertainment too. There is something about their exceptionally odd talents and their fearless performance style that I find appealing. I probably like it so much because it is so far from anything I could ever pull off. Or so I thought until now.

How to make money busking (street performing) teaches exactly that. You'll learn what separates the good shows from the great shows or what might leave passers by to mistake you for a beggar rather than busker. You'll learn why it's not a good idea to set up next to a pretty girl and why seeding your hat with tips works so well. Play to the children and their parents will follow. Plan a good show with a clear beginning, middle and end to draw and keep a crowd.

Do your research, track your success and sell merchandise. If you think of yourself as a professional and treat your show that way, others will too, and you'll be more successful for it. There are loads of great tips. Even if you're not really considering abandoning your job for busking, maybe you'll take a challenge and try it just once.

My husband lived with a juggler in college. While they were roommates, Jason picked up some pretty good juggling skills. He's tried teaching me, but I have proven to be a slow learner in this realm. I think this video is just what I needed. If you're looking to add another cool skill to your party trick repertoire I'd suggest learning juggling with the Snap method. This video is teaches a simple way to learn the traditional three ball juggle.

Learn to juggle in 8 steps:

1. Toss one ball head height. Start in your dominant hand and catch with your non-dominant hand. You can do it!
   
   
2. Continue tossing the ball as you did in step one, but this time snap your other hand before catching it. Think of a metronome as you try to keep rhythm. Relax!
   
   
3. Repeat step 2 with your non-dominant hand. Don't give up!
   
   
4. Cycle the ball through each hand. Keep it continuous. Snap each hand between catches. Focus!
   
   
5. Add in a second ball. Toss them head height, keeping a single snap. Master each step!
   
   
6. Repeat step 5. Make it continuous. Think: snap, catch, catch. Breath!
   
   
7. Add in your third ball in place of the snap. Master this step by stopping at three throws and catches. Don't forget to count it out. Finish strong!
   
   
8. Once you've got the hang of it, keep going. Enjoy, teach and show off!