Hogwarts Party 6yr - Black T-shirts as Robes

My six year old decided that Harry Potter and Hogwarts was the perfect party idea, and since he came up with this last October, we had plenty of time to plan. We kept it small, only 12 kids, including the birthday boy, but we kinda went all out after that. I did a lot of research and got some great ideas, especially from this site and here is what we put together.

INVITATIONS: printed a variation of the acceptance letter on some cream cardstock saying HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) Dear Mr. XXX, We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for a special day of classes, quidditch, fun and food, to celebrate the 6th birthday of budding wizard, and your friend, your child's name. The party will be held on the morning of Saturday the 16th of April in the year 2011. Please present yourself at Platform 9 ¾ (which is located in the front yard of number 000 Our St. Anytown at10:00 am, so that you can be transported to the school by magic. Please respond by Owl post (email) or muggle telephone to inform us of your ability to attend. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress Parents and Guardians: the children will be back in the muggle world at 12:30 pm, they will be full of pizza, butter beer and cauldron cakes, and hopefully very tired. I added a watermark of the school crest in the background of the text and a full color version on the front of the card. I also printed a very small version of the crest along with our address for the return labels.

COSTUMES: the adults simply wore black robes and hats, we were not any specific teachers, except for Snape later on. For the children I bought Men's adult, black, large t-shirts, cut them right down the front. Bought some fancy and cheap clasps and sewed them on. Also found a picture of a Hogwarts embroidered patch and printed them out on paper backed fabric, used Steam a- seam to attach them to the robes. I also made wands for each child. 12 inch wooden dowels, used some lightweight, air drying modeling clay around one end for a handle, make each one unique. I painted them brown and tada!!

DECORATIONS: didn't really do much around the house for this, mostly focused on one element  Platform 9 ¾ - I used 2 large cardboard packing boxes, a large rectangular sponge and some brown tempra paint. I Cut the boxes down one side to make them flat, used the paint and sponge to make them look like a brick wall. We placed them over the front walk and attached them to trees and very tall garden stakes to make them stand up, placing the original bottom flaps of the boxes next to each other in the center so the kids could run through. (this was a huge hit!). I also made 2 signs one said Platform 9, the other Platform 10, I hung them on the outside edges of the wall. The only other decorations were a Hogwarts banner for the front door and a Honeydukes sign for the dining room.

ACTIVITIES: We had three classes and a game of quidditch. First we did transfiguration class. I made simple wizard hats out of black Fun Foam and the kids transfigured them with foam stickers of stars, suns and moons as well as markers. Then we did Potions, I filled small empty water bottles about three quarters full with mineral oil, then with a sharpie marked a line about an inch and a half above the oil level. I filled 4 cheap ketchup and mustard type squeeze bottles with water and used dye to make each a different color. Labeled them with names like Dragon's Blood (red), Salamander Secretion (green), Horned Toad Venom (orange) and Flobberworm Juice (blue). Cut Alka-Seltzer tabs (Bicorn Horn) into 6 pieces each, the kids each chose one ingredient to add to their unicorn oil and filled to the line, added one piece of the Bicorn Horn and watched the colored bubbles float in the oil. We replaced the cap (secured it with hot or super glue), and they took home their own potion. (this was the most exciting part.). While half the kids were doing potions the others did Care of Magical Creatures, which was charades, where they had to act out different animals for the others to guess.

When everyone had gone, they all got their very own owl to take home (beany babies). When both groups were finished, we switched so everyone did both classes. Then it was time for quidditch. We just used the portable soccer goals we already had and three lightweight balls, one small (soccer ball sized for the quaffle) and 2 larger for bludgers. We divided them into teams and gave them rules, pass at least 3 times, no grabbing the ball, when the bludger hits you freeze for a count of 5 and if you have the quaffle, you have to drop it. One adult on each side of the field to referee and throw bludgers.

FOOD: We ordered pizza and used cream soda for butterbeer, All served on golden paper plates and in golden plastic goblets. I also had a plate of veggies and dip out for snacking for the parents, and any kids who wanted some.

CAKE: I made chocolate cupcakes, iced half with chocolate and half with white frosting. On each of the chocolate ones I put a yellow gumball and used a decorating bag and a leaf tip to make wings on each side of the ball so that each had a golden snitch. On the white ones, I used yellow starburst candy, rolled them flat and cut a lightning bolt out of each to go on the top.

FAVORS: I bought bean boozeled jelly beans and gummi spiders. I found a chocolate frog mold and made chocolate frogs with pop rocks inside, so they would fizz and jump around in their mouths. I also put together bags of chocolate covered sunflower seeds and made stickers that said Hedwig heard you had fun, and that's the scoop, so she wants you to have this bag of owl poop! I also got large jawbreakers in orange (or yellow would work too) wrapped them in plastic wrap and taped white feathers from the craft store to each one to make edible snitches. I Put all these things in the dining room and as each child left, they went shopping in Honeydukes Sweet Shoppe. Everyone had a great time!!!