School Supplies from Diagon Alley

Wizarding Money from Gringotts Bank I just filled small jewelry pouches with gold play money from a party store.  The pouches I ordered online from a wholesaler, they were a bit cheaper per pouch.  If budget is tight, just use small cellophane or paper bags.

Cauldron from Apothecary I bought black gift bags from Michaels, a local craft store, they were on sale 2/$1.  The handles were white, so I sprayed them with a little black paint.  Name tags for each child were stickered onto each bag.  These became our "cauldrons" and also our party favor bags for taking home all the party goodies.

Also stapled to each bag:  a coupon good for one visit to Honeydukes Candy Shop.

Crystal Phials from Apothecary Crystal Phials are just small plastic cups with lids.  I got mine from the party store, but Smart and Final also sells stuff like this.

Spellbook from Flourish and Blotts I printed out a 5 1/2 by 8 inch spell booklet using Microsoft Word.  I downloaded free fonts and several magic themed coloring pages from the Internet.  The booklet contained a list of many spells and incantations used in the Harry Potter books and movies, with the coloring pages interspersed.   At the end of the book were some blank pages for the kids to make up their own spells, which they actually used to my amazement! Go to the Standard Book of Spells for more detail.

Wands from Ollivanders Every wizard needs a good wand.  I bought a pack of cheap wood chopsticks and stained them a glossy dark brown with some leftover stain we had in the garage. At the wand shop station, I also put out a small cup of glue and a small cup of glitter for dipping and decorating the wand tips with "Lumos".

Wizards Robes from Madame Malkin's I sewed two cords to capes made of inexpensive black nylon lining fabric to make a robe that tied around the child's neck.  The cape was approximately 18 in x 20 in , the cords about 8 in long.  Six-year olds aren't that big!  Lining fabric ravels at the edges, so I zigzag-hemmed them with a sewing machine, but you could also use liquid fray check or stitch witchery to iron up the edges. A pic of the "robe"

Next Stop: Standard Book of Spells

Potions Class

"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death..."

Professor Snape, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Potions is Harry Potter's least favorite class at Hogwart's School, thanks to a very unpleasant Professor Snape.  Cruel and sarcastic, Snape has it in for Harry due his intense dislike of James Potter, Harry's father.

A kitchen counter or table is the best place to have Potions lessons.  Potions is basically chemistry class for the magically inclined.  I took a recipe for goop and simply changed the names of the components to magical ingredients.

Materials:
Prepare these materials in advance.  I printed labels to cover up the bottles and box of baking soda. 

• Gillywater:  Vinegar solution - mix 1 cup household vinegar with 1 cup water, or just use straight from the bottle. 
• Black plastic spoons:  add a couple drops of food color to the spoons and let dry.  The food coloring will be invisible on the black spoons.
• Powdered bicorn horn:  Baking Soda
• Dragon Scales:  Glitter or small sequins
• Essence of Murtlap:  Solution of 1 cup white school glue mixed with 1 cup water
• Phoenix Tears:  Borax solution - dissolve 2-3 tsp borax in 1 cup water.  I heated it slightly in a saucepan to help it dissolve.  Borax is in the laundry detergent section of stores.
• Wiggentree Bark:  small twigs or craft sticks for stirring.
• Large 8-12 oz clear plastic cups - these must be clear to see the color change and fizzing
  
• Small plastic cups with lids - these are the "crystal phials" from the Apothecary

Tears of Phoenix Label

"Crystal Phial"

Potions Lesson - post these instructions up near the potions area for reference

• Measure 1/4 cup of gillywater and pour into the large plastic cup.
• Stir well with the black plastic spoon provided. (When the spoon hits the vinegar it will turn color)
• Add 1-2 spoonfuls of bicorn horn. (Baking soda will fizz and neutralize the acidic vinegar)
• Add dragon scales - for decoration
• Add about 2-3 tablespoons essence of murtlap (glue solution)
• Add 1-2 tablespoons phoenix tears (borax solution)
• Stir with the wiggentree bark stick (solution will coagulate and form a goopy mass)
• Scoop out the goop into the small plastic cup.  Cap tightly and mark with names.

I did a test run of the potions lesson before the party to make sure it worked.  Assist the kids to follow the steps and mix the solution in the right order.  The result will be a slimy substance we called flobberworm mucus. Use the crystal phials to contain the slime and let the kids keep it in their black cauldron bags as party favors.

If you have an adult helper that can act nasty like Professor Snape it makes it even more fun!


Next Stop: Herbology Class or
Transfiguration Class or
Outdoor Activities

Herbology Class

" The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it."

Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Herbology class at Hogwarts is conducted out at the greenhouses by Professor Sprout.  A small outdoor area -- patio, garden, or yard -- will be a good spot for the Herbology activities at your party.

Flesh eating slug repellent
Oi!  Flesh eating slugs are destroying the school cabbages, flowers and plants!  The kids' assignment is to sprinkle some Flesh eating slug repellent onto the flowers, bushes, grass, garden or whatever plant life you have at your house.  I used a couple of baby powder canisters and Crystal Light canisters (holes punched in the tops), covering up the labels with my own Slug Repellent labels.  Any kind of non-toxic material (try flour or cornstarch) will do. Save and print the Slug Repellent image here to use as labels.

Mandrake roots
One of the funniest scenes in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the one where Harry and his classmates are repotting mandrake roots.  They yank them out of the soil by the tops, and the mandrakes scream horrendously.  Ear protection is required to prevent injury or death.

Materials:

• A couple of earmuffs or headphones
• Potting soil
• Big bucket or other container to hold the potting soil (I used an old sandbox)
  
• Small garden shovels or sand shovels
• Ginger roots, one for each party guest (find in produce section of grocery stores)
• Black permanent marker

I drew funny faces on each ginger root, filled a sandbox with potting soil and buried the ginger roots in it.  The kids put on ear protection, dug through the soil with a shovel until they found a Mandrake root.  They keep the root in their cauldron (black party bag) as a party favor.

Gillyweed
The kids had the chance to taste gillyweed, which is the plant that Harry uses in The Goblet of Fire to help him grow gills and breathe underwater.  For gillyweed, I used pieces of dried seaweed, also called nori, which is sold in the Asian food section of supermarkets.  It's the seaweed used for sushi.  Many kids will think the gillyweed disgusting, so have a trash can handy so they can spit it out.  On the other hand, all the Asian kids at our party were used to eating this stuff and gobbled it up.

Planting Pumpkin Seeds
Materials:

• small clay pots
• pumpkin seeds
• potting soil
• plastic wrap

Each of the kids in Herbology also got to plant a couple of pumpkin seeds in a small clay pot.   I reserved a bit of potting soil from the Mandrake activity and put in a bucket labeled "Dragon Dung Compost."  Use this soil, add a bit of water, then wrap the pot tightly in plastic wrap to prevent the soil from spilling out.  The pots are kept in the kids' black party bags as party favors.

Next Stop: Transfiguration Class or
Potions Class or
Outdoor Activities

Transfiguration Class

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Transfiguration class with Professor McGonagall is the first class scene that appears in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In Transfiguration, wizarding students learn how to change one object into another object.  Their first assignment was to turn a match into a needle.  In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, they have advanced to turning rats into water goblets, using the incantantion, "Ferroverto."  Ron, working with a broken wand, has some trouble with his spell and his goblet ends up with a fur and a tail!

In our Transfiguration class, our party guests transformed a lollipop into a spider.  Here's how:

Materials
Tootsie Pops
Black chenille stems - 4 per spider
Black pom pom
Googly eyes - 2 per spider
Craft glue (I prefer Alene's Tacky Glue)

Directions
Twist each chenille stem around the lollipop stick at the base of the candy, forming 2 legs with each stem.  You'll make 8 legs, 4 on each side.  Glue the black pom pom onto the twisted chenille stems at the base of the lollipop.  Glue two googly eyes onto the pom pom.  Bend the spider legs to make it more spidery looking.

We placed each spider onto a piece of paper marked with the child's name on it and set them aside in a safe place to dry.  I put ours right in the Honeydukes Candy Shop area so I wouldn't forget to put them into the kids' goodie bags before they went home.

Next Stop: Herbology Class or
Potions Class or
Outdoor Activities

Sorting Hat Ceremony

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat my self if you can find
A smarter hat than me."

The Sorting Hat, from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

After getting their supplies from shops in Diagon Alley, the kids gathered together for the important Sorting Hat Ceremony.  This was so much fun for them!  Especially if you've got someone that can ham it up as the voice of the Sorting Hat trying to make up its mind!

To Make the Sorting Hat:
Carefully turn a brown paper grocery bag inside out so no printed store logo is visible.  Remove any handles.  Crumple and uncrumple the bag to soften the paper up and give it an aged look.  Then turn up the edges of the bag and roll them up a few times to form a brim.  Crumple and form the top part of the hat into a cone shape with your hands.  This should make a Sorting Hat that fits loosely over your guests' heads during the Sorting Hat Ceremony.

To Make the House Badges:
I printed out the House Badges with a color printer, 12 per page.  I laminated them, then cut them out and hot-glued them to pin backs purchased at a craft store (try the jewelry section).  Another option would be to print them out on labels as stickers to place on the kids' clothes.

Gryffindor	Hufflepuff	Ravenclaw	Slytherin

The Sorting Hat Ceremony:
Before the party, we divided up our guest list into three Hogwarts Houses:  Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw.  With younger kids, we did not plan on putting anyone in Slytherin as we thought that might be cause for tears.  Older kids might not mind it. There should be roughly the same number of kids in each group, and it's likely that the birthday boy or girl will want to be a Gryffindor like Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione.

In a hidden nook in the room, I placed the listening end of a baby monitor (the unit the parent listens to for the baby's crying). The other unit (the one usually in the baby's room) went in another room, where the kids couldn't see it.  My husband hid in there and announced the Sorting Hat's choice for each child via the monitor.  Make sure your helper has a prepared list of the guests and their assigned Houses, and use a pre-arranged order as well, since the hidden adult may have trouble hearing what's going on in the other room.

Other technology that you might try if you don't have a baby monitor:  walkie-talkie set, intercom phone, cell phone with speaker on; Facetime if you have iPhones; remote microphone, tape recorded or digitally recorded announcements (with someone hitting the play button at the right time).

Call each child's full name and have them come up front and sit in a chair.  Place the Sorting Hat on their heads.  Have the Hat announce his decision, then everyone applauds just as they do in the story.  It's fun if the Sorting Hat is undecided and has to debate over his decision for some of the children. Pin or sticker a House Crest to each child's robes before they sit back down.

After the Sorting Hat Ceremony, the kids moved onto their classes.  Since there were 3 House groups, I worked out a rotation schedule for three activities:  Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology.

A Sample Class Rotation
Gryffindor:  Transfiguration 1st, Potions 2nd, Herbology 3rd
Hufflepuff:  Potions 1st, Herbology 2nd, Transfiguration 3rd
Ravenclaw:  Herbology 1st, Transfiguration 2nd, Potions 3rd

Next Stops:  Transfiguration Class  or
Potions Class  or
Herbology Class

Indoor Party Activities

"Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they've messed up your schedule. Look -- they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."

excerpt from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

This section describes the different indoor party activities.

Diagon Alley
The first stop for arriving party guests.  Here they will obtain the school supplies needed for their Hogwarts "classes."

Sorting Hat Ceremony
A reenactment of the famous scene from the books and movies.  the party guests are sorted into their Houses, dividing them up into manageable numbers for the class activities.

Transfiguration Class
A craft activity where the kids transform a lollipop into a spider.  "Aranea Verto!"   (I made that one up, it's not from the books)

Potions Class
A simple chemistry lesson in goop-making.  Fun!

Herbology Class (even though it's done outside, I've included as part of the 3 class rotations)
Easy-going activities involving digging in dirt (what kid doesn't like that?), planting, and gardening.


Next Stop: Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley

"There's only one place to get all this -- Diagon Alley."

Mrs. Weasley in the movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The first stop for kids attending the party was Diagon Alley, the place where young witches and wizards obtain all the required school supplies.  As the kids arrived, they received a list of school supplies that they needed to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  The list, which was a shortened version of Harry's actual list, can be printed and copied onto parchment style paper.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

List of required items

UNIFORM
First-year students will require a plain work robe (black)

COURSE BOOK
All students should have a copy of The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

After getting their list, the kids were escorted to a room in the house designated as Diagon Alley.  We used our den/office space.  The room was divided into different areas representing the shops of Diagon Alley.  I set up the room for guests to move from station to station in a sequence, and had 1-2 adults/helpers to supervise.  I printed out signs for each "shop" and taped them over each area.  This was the sequence:

Diagon Alley Shops

1. Gringotts Bank:  first stop to get gold for shopping
2. Apothecary:  for a cauldron and crystal phials
3. Ollivanders:  magic wand
4. Flourish and Blotts:  bookstore to obtain spellbook
   
5. Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasions:  where the kids were fitted for robes

As you know, kids don't all arrive at the same time, so I had some activities to fill time until all the expected guests arrived.  Some suggestions:

• At Ollivander's - make the "Lumos" spell with your wand.  Dip the tip of the wand in some glue, then in some glitter.
• At Flourish & Blotts - coloring pages are included in the Book of Spells.  Just provide crayons.
• At The Leaky Cauldron - guests can sit at a table and enjoy a small cup of water, punch or butterbeer.

Next Stop: School Supplies from Diagon Alley