C's 9 3/4 Harry Potter Birthday Party

This Harry Potter 9 3/4 party was not for the feint of heart. It was a feat to come up with activities that match the hopes of this Harry Potter loving family. My son literally was 9 3/4- thus the theme and we focused on the first four books he has already completed. We had a Welcome Feast including platters that had their boxed wands waiting for them with a light lunch. We had a quick sorting from the chocolate sorting frogs, got their House flair buttons and broke out into different Houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin) that attended four classes all about 10-15 min each and switched. The classes were Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Herbalogy. Potions made a green goblet of fire from methyl alcohol and changed copper pennies to gold and silver with zinc and fire. Care of Magical Creatures discovered the properties of dragons with dragon skin being sparked on fire (orange peel and flame), dragon scales sparked on fire (steel wool and a nine volt battery), and ice dragon blubber under ice water (Crisco shortening and ice water). Herbalogy moved baby mandrakes from their earth to individual dirt pudding pots (chocolate pudding, crushed oreos, and worms with the DIY mandrakes) and tried Gillyweed (potted mint). Divination served tea from tea leaves and read the symbols left behind with a symbol chart. (I took cups and superglued tea leaves in symbols at the bottom of the cups- at the start of each class they covered the bottom of the cup with new leaves so that when they discarded the tea water it looked as though the leaves were left behind. Then they read the constellations and pointed out the names referenced in the books. We then gathered for a review of what the Triwizard Tournament is with clips I put together from YouTube to introduce our own Triwizard Tournament activities to match. They had to find a hidden small dragon (one per house) in the backyard, open the dragon egg for the next clue that leads to the underwater Black Lake (sensory table filled with water beads and golden eggs) to find their treasure (House bracelet) and finally finish the extremely hard maze blown up to poster size. The winners got to receive Felix Felicis. Afterwards we gathered back to the feast table to eat our Hagrid style Happy Birthday cake, golden snitch cupcakes, and their Mandrake dirt puddings. The take home gifts included a treat bag from Honeydukes, a homemade bath bomb cauldron with a house soap and surprise in the middle, pictures of flying on quidditch brooms, and their wands with house buttons.

• What People Ate

  Welcome Feast: Slytherin Snake Shaped Ham and Cheese Hoagie, Ravenclaw Bugles, Hufflepuff Cheeseballs and Pirate Booty mix, and Gryffindor Grape Swords

• What People Drank

  "Butterbeer"- one 2L bottle cream soda frozen, one 2L bottle cream soda room temperature, homemade whipped cream mixed with butterscotch ice cream topping to top. Water Bottles

• Desserts

  Sweets- Hagrid Birthday Cake (chocolate cake with strawberry pink frosting and green gel), golden snitch cupcakes with snitch wings (butter yellow cake and buttercream frosting dipped in gold sprinkles), and their Mandrake dirt pudding pots- chocolate pudding, crushed oreos, gummy worms Honeydukes- licorice wands (red licorice dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles on end), Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (Beandoozled beans and jelly belly beans mixed), Lemon Sherbets (lemon drops), Hummingbird Nectors (wax soda candies), and Jelly Slugs

• Party Favors

  wands- made from pencils, hot glue, and paint with tags and put into jewelry boxes Hogwart's House Buttons Gold and Silver pennies made in Potions Treats from Honeydukes Personal Quiddich Picture of them flying DIY bath bomb in a cauldron topped with House color soaps

• Activities / Games

  Classes- Potions- make Green Goblet of Fire and transfigure pennies into silver and gold Care of Magical Creatures- test Properties of Dragons Divination- read neighbor's tea leaves symbols and point out constellations that refer to Harry Potter Herbalogy- pot baby Mandrakes into dirt puddings and try Gillyweed Triwizard Tournament challenges- 1. Find Toy Dragon 2. Find (House Bracelet) Treasure in Black Lake (sensory table filled with Orbeez water beads 3. Complete Maze

• My Sweet Melissa Photography

  photographer

  she did me a real solid to take the pictures of the kids flying on the brooms and Azkaban prison pictures. She then stayed to take pictures of all the fun! https://www.facebook.com/1sweetmelissaphotography/

• Keryn

  Soap Maker

  while I attempted the bath bombs in the cauldron- she made the most beautiful soaps to top them. Her Etsy shop is here https://www.etsy.com/shop/KHAELSoapCompany

• Nerdy Noms Etsy shop

  creative chocolates

  These are the chocolate House Sorting Frogs we used. They were such a big hit and such a creative and fast way to do a sorting when you have a lot of activity happening. Check out her Etsy shop here- : https://www.etsy.com/listing/649833329/harry-potter-house-frogs-geeky-chocolate?ref=shop_home_active_5