A very Harry Potter birthday party!

Both kids have been Harry Potter obsessed this past school year! I have always told them that when they are ready to read them, we will read them together. I never got into them when they were first published, but loved the movies. D came home this year saying she was bummed because the librarian wouldn't let her check the books out. So we started to read the first book a few days later. We have gotten nearly through the first 3 books now, and they can't wait to get to the 4th. Of course when the idea of birthday party came up they both agreed it had to be a Potter Party!


I had found the perfect frog mold from a local cake decorating store, and we just had to give each kid a chocolate frog to take home. Adam found and made the wizard trading cards to stick in the bags as well.

Adam also made the invite and house badges for the kids to choose during the sorting hat ceremony.

We had planned to play a game of Quidditch, and tried to find an inexpensive way to get each kid a broom. Dollar Tree pool noodles to the rescue! We pulled a zip tie around toward the bottom, and then cut long strips from that to the bottom. They worked perfectly!

And of course we needed to have a wanted wizard poster!

The day of the party! We had house banners and the wanted wizard poster hanging from the east side of the picnic shelter.

And Platform 9 3/4 from the west side of the shelter. Here is where the kids and the party began...

After heading through the platform, the kids arrived at Ollivander's wand shop. Each kid stepped up to a table, blindfolded, and had the wand pick the wizard. We practiced our spell waving wands while we waited for our friends, Remember, swish and flick.

Next up it was the sorting hat ceremony! We had the house badges ready with circles of tape on the back. As we put the hat on each person, they shouted out which house they wanted to belong to. Now, some of our friends were not familiar with Harry Potter or any of the houses, so we explained that at this party all wizards and houses were good.

After everyone was proudly wearing their house badge, it was time for draw the scar on Harry. Adam drew a basic Harry face on a sheet of foam core board. The kids lined up, went one at a time, blindfolded, and with a Sharpie had to get the scar in the right spot. They all had fun with this one, and Harry turned out to be super colorful!

Then lastly it was time for a round of Quidditch. We had to modify the rules a bit. We had made goals out of scrap pieces of wood and small hula hoops from Dollar Tree. The different size balls were also found at Dollar Tree and Wal-mart. We had them use the large size to throw through the hoops, since we had kids from ages 1-10 playing the game at the same time.

(I had gotten the kids matching shirts that say "I solemnly swear I am up to no good", I sort of want one now that says "Mischief Managed")

Now that the kids were all worn out and hot, it was time to eat. We kept it simple food wise this year, and just did basic cookout foods. Then it was cake time! I had made a double chocolate "Hagrid" cake, and a very vanilla Golden Snitch cake by the kids requests.

The kids then happily opened gifts and we handed out the treat bags. The treat bags this year were the chocolate frogs, jelly slugs, and Harry Potter rings.