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Halloween Hogwarts - Honeydukes Sweet Shop

November 2014

Linda in Perth, Western Australia

Special Mention

Being both a lover of Hallowe'en celebrations and a mad Harry Potter fan, I decided to combine the two by hosting at Hallowe'en at Hogwarts" party. 

INVITATIONS:  I located a copy of the invite Harry received from Professor McGonagall and modified it as an acceptance to Hogwarts letter which referred to the 'traditional hallowe'en feast. I printed these off on parchment paper and they looked very authentic and impressive.  

DECORATIONS:  I own a huge number of Hallowe'en decorations so it was a case of using most of these to set the theme. I covered the walls of the dining room in "castle wall" scene setter rolls and hung some cheap and scary framed lenticular "portraits"; made candles from flickering tealights and carboard tubes covered in white paper; lit real candles in black candle holders; bought gold plates and cutlery and a pile of mini pumpkin candles and scattered a few differing sized black plastic cauldrons around. We had the usual glowing skulls and skeletons and I stuck glow in the dark planets and stars on the ceiling with blu-tack to represent the ceiling of the great hall. The main attractions were the "Honeydukes" sweet shop I set up in a book case and a leather-look trunk I bought at a discount shop on which I perched a plastic owl and a couple of broomsticks. 

For Honeydukes wares I scanned a real chocolate frog box and made copies cutting them out folding and glueing them and then adding a chocolate freddo frog; I made butter beer bottles by wrapping creaming soda bottles in labels I located and printed from the internet; I had old coffee jars with "chocolate wands" "sherbet Lemons" Werewolf fangs" "Blood pops" "acid pops" and "berie botts every flavour beans". For more reserved tastes I put "gilly water" labels on bottles of water. So everyone knew they were at Honeydukes I printed out a diamond shaped Honeydukes sign I also located on the internet and made these into a banner. Each guest then chose what sweets they wanted and put their stash into brown paper bags decorated with the Honeydukes logo.

ACTIVITIES:  I decided to have the guests act like Hogwarts students and made "OWL" exam papers from ideas I found on the internet. Each paper had multiple choice questions based on potions herbology care of magical creatures defence against the dark arts and charms. These were printed on Parchment paper and were marked using the standard Hogwarts grades (Exceed Expectations Poor Troll etc). I was Professor Mc Gonagall and acted suitably stern.    I made quills by attaching the end of a blue biro to a coloured feather with black masking tape. These were used to complete all written activities.  We completed a Divination excercise where I cut out paper circles and using glue stuck tea leaves in various shapes (The grim a skull apple acorn etc...symbols referred to in Hogwarts text book "Unfogging The Future" and placed them in the bottom of teacups. The student had to then read the leaves in their partner's cup while referring to a symbol guide.  

I made wands from a suggestion on the Internet. This involved using wooden chopsticks various wooden beads a glue gun and brown paint. Each wand looked very different and I made an "Olivanders" wand box for each out of cardboard manila folders with a description of the wand type on the end (ie holly and unicorn hair oak with dragon heartstring) and so that the wand chose the wizard I pasted the same wand description on a parchment scroll and had each child choose a scroll. They then matched the parchment description with the description on the box. To complete the theme I made up spell books and had them practice shouting the spells at each other whilst doing the various moves with the wands (flick and swish!).  We also went on an obligatory 'Trick and Treating" around the neighbourhood. 

GAMES:  We had broomstick races quiddich goal scoring (whilst mounted on a broom they had to throw a soccer ball through a hula hoop) and "throw the body part into the cauldron" game with the winner being the person who got the most parts into the cauldron.  \PARTY SNACKS:  The Hallowe'en feast in the great hall had such staples as sausages pies sausage rolls and corn chips (dragon skin).

CAKE:  I made cupcakes and bought an amazing rainbow layer cake which looked very magical. 

FAVORS:  Each guest got to take home their wand box, OWL exam paper, tea leaf, reading guide spell book, and a bag of treats from Honeydukes. 

COSTUMES:  I bought gryffindor cloaks and ties from ebay purchased cheap white school shirts on discount and a couple of black skorts for the girls. We all looked very authentic! I decided on Gryffindor as it was only a small party.

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