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This past weekend I went to my fourth annual Congress of Jugglers, my local juggling festival.

What? You didn't know that jugglers had festivals?

Yes, indeed we do!

This year's festival was great! There were plenty of jugglers, ranging in age from 6 to 76. In fact, the kids were better jugglers than many of the adults, including me.

Seeing the kids having so much fun got me thinking about how great juggling is for kids. Besides the thrill of it, juggling improves hand-eye coordination, instills a sense of rhythm, and is great upper-body exercise. Juggling fosters creativity, as kids learn new ways of throwing things around, and cooperation, as they learn to work with other jugglers.

"Okay, but how does someone go about learning to juggle?" I hear you cry. The best way to learn is to find a teacher. There are lots of juggling clubs throughout the country - search here to see if there's one where you live. Newcomers are always welcome!

If you can't find a live teacher, pick up one of the many juggling books available. I recommend Juggling for the Complete Klutz, which comes with three beanbags that are perfect for beginners.

Or, try the web! My favorite tutorial site is the Wildcat Juggling Tutorials, because of the great videos in both regular speed and slow-motion.

I'd give you more advice, but right now I have to go practice. Come on, throw some stuff around with me!