Go to Listing of Harry
Potter Book and Movie Release Events
by Mary Abreu
With the fifth Harry Potter movie opening
on July 11, and the final chapter in the
Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows, being released July 21,
Harry Potter mania is bound to take over in
quite a few households. Mark the occasion
with some magically good crafts and recipes
that will help your kids get in the mood to
read – or be entertained when they can tear
themselves away from the pages!
Games
Backyard Quidditch
Ping-Pong balls
Permanent marker
Gold spray paint
Spray one Ping-Pong ball gold. This will
be the Golden Snitch. While it dries, mark
the other balls with 10, 20 or 30. Hide the
balls all over the yard, then send the kids
out to find them (you can even divide the
kids into teams if you’d like). The game
ends when the Snitch is found. Tally up the
points to determine the winner. (Remember,
the Golden Snitch is worth 150 points).
Sorcerer’s Stone Treasure Hunt
Large rock
Gold spray paint
Spray paint the rock. After it dries,
hide it and create clues that lead to the
rock. Use characters, settings and items
from the books in your clues. For example,
the first clue, written on a rolled-up
scroll, might be “Ron’s lost Scabbers; Where
can he be? Is he by the maple tree?” Then
hide a toy rat by the tree with another
clue. Send the kids out to find the “real”
Sorcerer’s Stone.
www.amazingmoms.com
Harry Potter Hide and Go Seek
The person who is “It” closes his or her
eyes and starts counting while the other
players hide. When “It” finds a person in
hiding, “It” yells “Stupefy!” (the stunning
spell). When that happens, the person who
was stunned becomes “It” and has to start
counting right then and there. The twist is
that if the person who is hiding sees “It”
first, he or she can jump out and yell “Expelliarmus!”
(the disarming spell). If and when that
happens, “It” has to close his or her eyes
and start counting again.
www.kidsreads.com
A Word from Some Local
Harry Potter Fans
Q: Which Harry Potter character
would be your best friend if you attended
Hogwarts?
A: “If I had to pick a best friend
from the world of Harry Potter, it would be
Ron. He is funny, and in the world of Harry
Potter you need a sense of humor. He is also
a responsible friend – I like that.” –
Taylor, 11, Alpharetta
A: “I would choose Hermione to be
my best friend, as she is the sweet yet
smart one of the main Harry Potter
characters.” – Ashley, 12, Duluth
Q: How do you think the final
book of the series will end?
A: “I think the final book of the
series will end with Harry finding the last
of the objects containing some of
Voldemort’s life and destroy them so
Voldemort won’t come back to life again.
That last thing, which has some of
Voldemort’s life in it, will be the scar on
Harry Potter’s head. So in the process of
killing Voldemort, Harry Potter will also
die.” – Anand, 11, Snellville
A: “I think Harry and Voldemort
will meet again and have some sort of battle
in the final book of the series. I hope
Voldemort will die during this encounter,
but I have a feeling it could be Harry.” –
Allie, 14, Marietta
A: “I think Harry will defeat
Voldemort in the final book, and I don’t
think Dumbledore is really dead. Snape and
Dumbledore have faked Dumbledore’s death by
casting a protective spell on Dumbledore so
Snape can keep his cover on Voldemort’s
side.” – Alex, 10, Snellville
Calling all Muggles: You can win a
chance to see J.K. Rowling and the Open Book
Tour through a sweepstakes from Scholastic.
The contest begins July 30. Visit
www.scholastic.com/harrypotter to enter or
for complete rules.
Stay
Tuned...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may
be
the last literary installment of the Harry
Potter series, but this character and his
world are far from over.
Universal Orlando Resort is opening a
Harry Potter theme park that will let fans
visit many of the iconic locations in the
books and movies
that endeared the boy magician to millions.
“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” is
set to open at Universal’s Islands of
Adventure theme park in late 2009, complete
with the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry, the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade
village. The park’s creators are working
with J.K. Rowling
and others integral in bringing Harry
Potter’s world to life.
Check www.universalorlando.com for
updates on the progress of this project.
Crafts
Harry Potter Coins
Gold, silver and bronze polymer clay
Rolling pin
Small circular cookie cutters
Alphabet rubber stamp set
Mythical-themed stamps or charms
Black and gold acrylic paint Roll out the
clay and cut out the sizes you want for your
coins with the cookie cutters. Press in the
coin names and decorations with the stamps
and charms. Bake the clay according to its
package, and then let it cool. Apply the
black paint on the silver and bronze coins
and the gold paint on the gold coins; wipe
off excess paint so it only remains in the
crevices. This creates an aged look.
www.makezine.com
Magic Wand
1/2-inch diameter clear nonflexible
plastic aquarium tubing (sold in pet stores)
Craft knife
Modeling clay
Metallic pipe cleaners, sequins and glitter
Use a craft knife to cut the tubing into
1-foot lengths (one for each wand). Seal one
end. Fill each tube with wiggle worms
(metallic pipe cleaners) and dragon scales
(sequins or glitter) before sealing the
other end with clay.
www.familyfun.com
Recipes
Butterbeer
1 cup club or cream soda
1/2 cup butterscotch syrup
1/2 Tbls. butter
Measure the butterscotch syrup and butter
into a 16-ounce glass. Microwave on high for
one minute (microwave times may vary), or
until the syrup is bubbly and the butter is
completely melted. Stir and cool for 30
seconds, then slowly mix in the soda. This
will make the mixture fizz quite a bit!
Serve in two mugs – a perfectly warm
Hogwarts treat for two.
www.gryffindorgazette.com
Cauldron Cakes
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ginger
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the
eggs, sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger and
vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat for
2 minutes. Gradually add the other dry
ingredients and the milk into the butter and
sugar mixture. Put the batter in muffin tins
(fill only halfway full). Bake for 25
minutes. Decorate the cakes with frosting
and sprinkles if desired. They are yummy if
you dip them in honey as well. Makes
approximately 3 dozen cakes.
www.recipezaar.com |
