Friday, January 13

Posted by Laurel Garver on Friday, January 13, 2012 16 comments
My daughter sadly has a summer birthday. Sadly because it's in the WORST part of summer--August, when everyone is on vacation. We've had a few very unsuccessful attempts at birthday parties in her short 9 years (where 2-3 of the dozen kids invited actually come), so this year we're going to throw her a half-birthday party in February.

Her theme? Harry Potter, of course. We have loads of ideas for invitations and decorations and food. We're a bit shorter on ideas for games and activities.

Can you help a mom out here? What Hogwarts-themed crafts and games can you think of, appropriate for ages 8-10?

16 comments:

  1. My friend's son went to a HP themed b-day party and they did potions class. They wrote in white on a sheet of paper and painted over the writing with grape kool-aid to reveal their secret messages.
    Each kid got a folder to keep all the Hogwarts class work in.
    You might be able to organize a Quidditch game if it isn't too cold/snowy out.

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    1. I like the idea of doing classes! I'm thinking we'll sort into houses then send the smaller groups around to different classes. Potions, maybe Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures... You've got my gears grinding. Thanks!

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  2. A half-year party! That's a great idea. I don't know of any crafts or games though.

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    1. We did a Valentine's themed half birthday at 5.5 and it was well attended. We're hopeful the HP theme will be a draw.

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  3. This is good if you are going to celebrate a Half-year party. You must make a lot of fun with her in these vacations.
    Clowns in Broward

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    1. Gotta make it up to her somehow. Late summer birthdays can be tough.

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  4. Um, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I haven't read Harry Potter books. How sad is that? Anyway, I have an August birthday and I feel your daughter's pain. I think it's great you are having it in February this year.

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    1. I'm not much of a fantasy reader myself, but I did really enjoy these. Rowling mixes in so many genres--the humor is very Roald Dahl, there's a mystery plot in most of the books, they're also Dickens-like coming of age stories, boarding school stories and follow a traditional hero-plot with call to action, descent to the underworld, death and resurrection.

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  5. zerg. I hate to admit I've only seen the movies of HP... I know, I know. No need to dogpile. Maybe something with the spells? Obviously the characters, but I know Rowling had all those unique like tools and stuff. Can you do anything with that? Sounds like fun! :o)

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    1. I appreciate you chiming in even if you're not a Potter fan. I don't know that I would've picked up the books if it weren't for a reading tutor friend in Book Club who raved about them and insisted the Club read at least one. She was in her late 50s at the time (when the second book had just come out in a US edition). Ginny got my husband and me hooked. He has read the entire series aloud to me.

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  6. Maybe you can "raise" blast-ended skrewts (sans real flames, I think). You'd want to hunt down a way to make bugs out of pipe cleaners, tissue paper, etc. I LOVE the idea of a potions class. They could use lemon juice and heat to write "secret messages," too. Or there are sticks and raffia to make bowtruckles. I've got the question out to my sister-in-law and a cousin, one of whom is a chemist and both of whom are very crafty. I'll let you know if they come up with anything else.

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    1. I think we can definitely do a potions class of some sort. I like the Care of Magical Creatures idea too. One site online suggested a hunt for rubber unicorns and dragons and such. That might be a little babyish for this crowd--I'll have to put a little more thought into it. Do let me know what your family suggests!

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  7. One fun way to grow "magical creatures" if you can find these is the animals that grow when you put them in water. My sister-in-law should really go into crafting parties. She went to such a wide variety of places for ideas, I'm going to email you the rest. LOL

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  8. Good luck with that! I have neither a young daughter, nor do I read HP. I'm sure whatever you do, she and her friends will have a grand time!!

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  9. Sorry to take so long to reply (just catching up on a month's worth of reading!). I keep thinking of the Wingardium leviosa scene with Hermione getting a feather to float off her desk. You could give each child a feather and a straw and they have to blow to keep the feather up in the air.
    You could also have a create-a-Snitch craft -- cut out wings from gold paper, paint a foam ball gold, put glitter glue and gold designs on them...
    I'm the education coordinator at Joann's Fabric and Crafts here in San Antonio and run our kids parties and classes, so if you need more ideas, let me know and I'll see what I can come up with!

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