A backyard carnival isn't complete without at least one good show. Show off your talent and charge tickets for admission.

Here are some ideas of different kinds of entertainment.

Guest Disc Jockey: Music makes any event more fun. You'll need a CD or cassette player with plenty of music on hand so your carnival will have a real party atmosphere. Take song requests for a ticket apiece.

Magic Show: Dress up as a magician and either put on a show or walk around the carnival doing some of your favorite magic tricks. The neighborhood or school library is sure to have a book of magic tricks. Decide how many tickets to charge to see the show or just one trick.

Balloon Sculptures: Dress up as a clown and walk around the carnival making balloon sculptures. Charge a ticket or two for each one. For speed and safety, use a balloon pump to inflate the balloons.

Puppet Show: Make a puppet stage out of a large appliance box or table covered with a sheet. Use puppets you have or make them out of socks, dolls, stuffed animals or other materials. Make up your own story or act out a fairy tale or other short story. Decide how many tickets to charge to see the show.

Talent Show: Have kids from your family or neighborhood show off their special talents - play a musical instrument, sing, dance, juggle, tell jokes, do magic tricks or read a poem, to name just a few. This can be a show or a competition, whichever you want. You decide how many tickets to charge to see the show.