It comes in very handy when I substitute. At the beginning of the day I introduce myself to the class and tell them 3 things about myself: I like to quilt (and show them a happy baby quilt, I love to read (and often find a spot during the day to read to them) and I juggle - at which point I whip out the hacky sacks (easier for my small hands than 'regular' juggling balls) and show them. It takes less than a minute and is a real crowd-pleaser. Naturally they always want more... which I promise to do before lunch "if we have a good morning", and in the afternoon I make the same promise, to juggle before dismissal "if we have a good afternoon". It's very effective - and the kids remember me as "the lady who juggles". Kind of a win/win situation!
I haven't gotten past the basic 3-ball juggle, but the kids (being kids) are still impressed. They enjoy counting along with me, and seeing if I can beat my last juggle. For the older grades we keep track of my score on a number of tries, then find the mean, median and mode of them.
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