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Harry Potter Party

With the phenomenal popularity of the Harry Potter books and movies, this is sure to be a popular birthday pick.  Be ready for the little witches and wizards with these helpful tips.

Invitations

Make invitations to look like the letter Harry received inviting him to Hogwarts. Roll it up like a scroll and tie ribbon around it.   Suggest that  guests wear witch or wizard attire. When the guests arrive, set the mood by applying a lightning bolt tattoo to each of their foreheads.  Give each child magic wand to start the festivities.

Decorations

Hang a banner saying "Welcome to Hogwarts".   Decorate your front door to look like Platform 9 3/4.  Use theme colors of black, purple, gold  for table cover, plates and balloons. 

Food

Any "muggle" food will do for this party! Try Hogwarts hotdogs and "Hufflepuffs" (Cheese puffs) and  at your "Welcoming Feast".   Harry Potter cookie cutter sets are also available to make cutouts for sandwiches and cookies.

Games and Activities

Sorting Hat Game

Dig through your old Halloween costumes - you are bound to come up with an acceptable "sorting" hat.  If not, you can make your own from construction paper or fabric.  Have your guests sit in a circle and call them up one at a time.  Place the Sorting Hat upon each guest's head.  Draw from a bowl and announce which team or "house" the child will belong to for the duration of the party -  Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor or Slytherin.  After the Sorting Hat has "spoken", give each guest a name tag representing their house.   Encourage good behavior for the during the party  by giving or subtracting points to each house based on the actions of its members. At the end of the party, award prizes to the witches and wizards of the winning house.

Wizardly crafts

Depending on the ages of your guests, set out enough construction paper, tape, glitter, glue, markers and crayons to make personalized wizard hats.  

Stock up on chopsticks, they make great magic wands for the kids to decorate.  Give each child a chopstick upon arrival then have a decorating station with glitter, glue and markers where each child can make his/her magic wand unique.

Wizard Stations

As in the movie, have the children go to "classes".  

Transfiguration Class - transfigure Play Do or clay into snakes, spiders, lizards, etc.  The widardly crafts station (above) can also be used as a widard transfiguration class.

Herbology-have children decorate small 2"clay pots with markers or paints.  Have a variety of seed packets available for the children to plant in their decorated pots. 

Other classes to consider:  Potions class, Divination class, Care of Magical Creatures class

Magic Tricks

Hire a magician or perform magic tricks

History of Magic Class

Have a trivial quiz about Harry Potter.  

Dragon Egg Hunt

Remember those plastic Easter eggs gathering dust in your closet?  Paint them gold and black, put a small plastic dragon and some slime in each one and hide them around your yard.  The kids will love trying to find the eggs and the surprise they get when they open them!

Favors

Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Magic Beans, wishing stones, gold gel pens,  tattoos, stickers, pencils, plastic black rimmed glasses

Resources for this Theme:

Oriental Trading Company, Inc.

Great prices on children's party favors, decorations, lighting and more!

Party Store
Birthday Express has decorations, piñatas, favors...everything you'll need with hundreds of kid's birthday party themes.