Start with Hogwarts
wall decoration, mobiles to hang around the room.
Place Wizard Hats on your table for a centerpiece or for each childs
place setting. Hang black crepe streamers down from the doorways and
a few ghost balloons to add to the mood. Make sure every muggle gets
a party wizard hat and their very own Harry Potter glasses. Every
castle has treasure so let them burst this Treasure Chest Piñata
and see what they find.
Balloon Ghosts
• 11" black latex balloons
• White plastic tablecovers (1 rectangular tablecover will make
4 ghosts)
• White Curling Ribbon
Inflate a balloon. Cut the tablecover into 4 equal pieces. Drape the
tablecover over the balloon, leaving the tied end of the balloon on
top. Cut a small slit in the top of tablecover and push the tied end
through. Mark and carefully cut out eye holes. Attach to the ceiling
with curling ribbon. Your ghosts will come to life as the wind moves
them as people walk by.
Paint a lightning bolt on the foreheads of all your muggles or let
them try it on each other.
You can also get the lightning bolt fake tattoos.
Quidditch
- Play Harry's favorite game, by providing the kids with a ball, some
broomsticks, and a large area to play in. Divide the group into two
teams, set up two goals on either side of the yard, and have the kids
try to brush the ball over their own goal line.
Hogwarts Treasure
Hunt - Turn a treasure hunt into a true Harry Potter adventure
with clues written in invisible ink! Before the party, write the name
of a different household object on 8-12 individual 3x5 cards using
invisible ink. Add the clue # to the back of each card (in permanent
ink) and make a master list to keep track while you hide the clues.
Hide the treasure stash before the kids arrive.
When it's time
to play, hand out the first clue and a "magic" pen to reveal
what’s written on the card (the location of the next clue). If
the first card says "dog house," the kids will go there
and find the next clue card. They’ll use the magic pen again
to find out where to go next, and so on. The hunt continues until
the children find the stash of theme-related treasures (or the birthday
cake) that you've hidden!
Potions and
Spells - Before your guests arrive, decorate a shelf with clear
glass bottles and jars filled with odd or creepy-looking contents.
Label jars with the names of potion ingredients. For some ideas, see
the list of potion items, and their Muggle names, below:
Dragon Toenails
- chopped artichoke hearts
Manticore Pituitary - capers
Beetle Eyes - small black beads or poppy seeds
Salamander Skin - pickled ginger
Eye of Blind Cat - cocktail onions
Hippogriff Gizzard - smoked oysters
Bat Liver - chopped canned mushrooms
Bloodworms - cooked spaghetti in red-colored water
Deadly Nightshade - fruit of the miniature eggplant
Mandrake Root - whole ginseng root
Hollow Stump Water - dirty water mixed with potting soil
Sleeping Potion - water colored green with food coloring
For fun, leave
the labels blank on a few jars and have a contest to see who can come
up with the best names. Make a potion and cast a spell, and then let
the kids make their own. Be creative and have fun!
Find Moaning
Myrtle - Your guests will be sobbing with laughter in this fun
game as they try to outwit the birthday child with their best moans,
groans, whimpers and sobs! Before starting, blindfold the birthday
child. The rest of the players spread out around the room, but must
not move once they’ve chosen a spot. All players then begin moaning
and crying while the birthday child roams the room in search of “Moaning
Myrtle.” When the birthday child finds someone, he or she tries
to guess who it is by feeling with their hands. If correct, the two
switch places and the game continues. Use creepy music for background
noise to set the mood!
Hooting Owl
- Help Harry find Hedwig with this fun game! You’ll need
a glass pop or milk bottle with a narrow mouth and a blindfold for
Harry. To begin, choose a child to be Harry and gently blindfold him
or her. Seat everyone in a circle around Harry and gently spin him
or her a few times; everyone else passes the glass bottle around the
circle without speaking. When Harry says “stop” the player
holding the bottle must blow across its mouth to hoot like Hedwig.
If Harry can guess who it is, the children trade places and continue
playing. Since this game involves a glass bottle, it’s best sitting
down. If young children will be present, wrap the bottle in plastic
bubble wrap, or another protective layer to prevent it from breaking
in case it’s dropped.
Dragon Eggs
- collect large plastic Easter eggs, or the egg-shaped containers
in which nylons are sometimes packaged. Paint each one with fleck-stone
paint to create an enchanting, mysterious look. While the paint dries,
follow the recipe below to make “flubber.” This gooey substance
will represent the fluid inside the egg that oozes out when the dragon
hatches.
To make flubber,
follow the instructions below:
1. Mix 2 cups of white Elmer's Glue™ in a large container with
1-1/2 cups of warm water. Add drops of food coloring for added fun
(optional).
2. In a second container, mix 1-1/3 cups warm water with 3 teaspoons
of Borax™.
3. Combine the two mixtures into one bowl and stir. The resulting
mixture will become gelatinous.
4. Mix well, pouring off any excess water. Keep in an airtight container
until you’re ready to put the dragon eggs together.
After the paint
has dried, put a dragon figurine inside each egg container, and fill
the egg with flubber. Give the children their dragon eggs when they
arrive, and instruct them to keep them warm until they’re ready
to hatch. When the children can’t wait any longer, let them hatch
open their dragon eggs to see what’s inside!
Student Witches
& Wizards - Turn your party into a Hogwarts gala by making
a simple cape for each guest using black cotton fabric. As each guest
arrives, give him or her a home-made cape. After the sorting ceremony,
allow the members of each house to come up with a crest or shield
to represent their house.
Using felt, cut
out small shield shapes for the children to decorate. Provide glue,
glitter, pens, additional pieces of felt to cut out shapes, etc. For
young children, simply draw large letters ("H" for Hufflepuff,
"S" for Slytherin, "R" for Ravenclaw, and "G"
for Gryffindor) on each shield once the sorting ceremony has divided
them into houses. When the shields are finished, attach them to the
capes with tape or a safety pin. For a look that's simply "Harry
Potter", fashion spectacles from black pipe cleaners. Your guests
will surely enjoy their Hogwarts attire long after your party is over!!
Tame the Dragon
- Ask your guests to help tame Hagrid’s dragon Norbert, a Norwegian
ridgeback! Hang a dragon piñata in the center of an open room
or garage. Clear the area of all objects, so no one will trip when
it's his or her turn to "tame the dragon." Blindfold each
guest and position him or her near the piñata. For older guests,
spin each player three or four times before handing them a stick (or
other long object) to hit the piñata.
For young guests,
purchase a pull-string conversion kit for the piñata (sold
separately). This gentler piñata activity includes a trap door
release and 20 pull strings.
Cauldron Cuisine
- Make your child's favorite soup, stew or other hot dish and serve
it from a cauldron or large pot! (Plastic cauldrons are available
locally at costume stores or hobby shops.) As you dish out each child's
portion, sprinkle salt over it and chant a magic spell for fun! Example:
A dash of mandrake root and a bit of dried swamp flowers, keep this
magical soup hot for hours!
Deathday Vegetable
Platter - Invite your guests to try this suspicious dish--left
over from Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party! To begin, make edible
"eyeballs" by peeling radishes, leaving thin streaks of
red skin on them to represent blood vessels. Use the tip of a vegetable
peeler or a small knife to carefully scoop out a hole (roughly the
size of an olive) in each radish. Stuff a green olive, pimiento side
out, in each hole. Arrange "eyeballs" on a serving tray
with baby carrots (goblin fingers), red Jell-O® squares (heart
of veela), cucumber slices (Basilik tongue), etc. Be creative and
have fun!
Cockroach Clusters
- Treat your guests to a sweet snack enjoyed by every student at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Simply follow the directions on
the back of a Rice Krispies Cereal® box to make Rice Krispies
Treats. Shape them into small bug shapes and dip into melted chocolate;
let cool on waxed paper. Enjoy!
Magic Potions
- Your guests will be delighted to try out these mysterious magic
potions! For this drink recipe, you’ll need a light-colored beverage,
such as white grape juice or lemon-lime soda, and several colors of
food coloring. Pour your beverage of choice into plastic goblets,
adding a drop or two of food coloring to each glass. Serve guests
different colored drinks. For more fun, name each colored potion:
red (love potion), green (sleeping potion), yellow (laughing potion),
etc.
Magic Wands
Ingredients
(Makes 16 Wands)
1 cup Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Chocolate Fudge Frosting
1 cup chocolate candy sprinkles
16 pretzel rods
1/4 cup Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Vanilla Frosting
Directions
1. Line cookie sheet with foil. Place chocolate frosting in microwave-safe
13x9-inch (3quart) glass baking dish. Microwave on HIGH
for 10 to 15 seconds or until melted; stir until smooth. Place candy
sprinkles in shallow dish.
2. Dip each pretzel rod in melted frosting, turning to coat completely.
Roll in candy sprinkles; place on foil-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate
30 minutes or until frosting is set.
3. Place sheet of foil on work surface. Place vanilla frosting in
small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 10 to 15 seconds
or until softened. Dip 1 inch of each coated pretzel in vanilla frosting;
place wands on foil. Let stand about 4 hours or until frosting is
set.
