Hogwarts Classes« Back to List of Games

Ideas for several Hogwarts Classes. Some are simple and some require a bit of labor.

Materials:

See below for different classes

Instructions:

Arithamancy: Magic Squares, other math fun
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/MagicSquare.html
http://www.magic-squares.de/magic.html
http://www.grogono.com/magic/


Transfiguration � clay sculpting, sponge animals (compressed inside gel capsules) that expand in water, temporary tattoos that print out on the computer printers, sugar eggs (recipe below)

Sugar Bells/Eggs
These are fun and delightful, but VERY labour intensive!

2 cups white granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons water
Plastic Easter Eggs to use as molds
Big Needle or ice pick or similar stylus

Mix the sugar and water in a bowl until it �packs�. It should feel like damp sand. Add more sugar or water to achieve this consistancy.

Pack firmly into half of a plastic Easter Egg, using a teaspoon to tamp it solidly, a spoonful at a time, then gently tip and tap it out onto wax paper or foil covered cookie sheet. Let sit at least 24 to 36 hours until completely dried (If you live in a really humid place it make take even longer to dry). It must be entirely dry inside or it will simply fall apart during the next step.

Using needle or other sharp clean stylus, gently hollow out the egg halves by pressing the point into center of the flat side of the sugar egg-half, with a circular motion. The stylus should easily and gently shave the excess out (This scraped out sugar can be re-wetted and used to make more sugar eggs later). The thinner the walls of the egg shell the prettier it will be - and more fragile � but try to make it as thin as you can. Place a small plastic creature or coin or any water-proof prize inside and join two halves with frosting.


Potions: Jars of various mysterious ingredients which will be used while following Potion recipes (Instant pudding that is mixed and goes thick - vinegar, soda, and a drop of dish soap to foam up - lip gloss from Kool-Aide and Crisco melted together. Recipes below)


Spooky ingredient to put into the cool jars:
Insect eggs= multi-coloured sprinkles
Ant eggs=Jimmies
Frogs� Livers=dried cherries
Dragon blood=Strawberry Qwik
Dried Bat Brains=raisins
Baby Bassilisk Eyes=cinnamon hearts
Roonspoor Lungs=Dried Apple half-slices or Apricot halves


Foaming Potion ~
Tell your students that the successful Potion will turn a deep green and smell like lilacs. Which of course it won't, but that is half the fun!
(This is messy and foams all over the place, so be sure to be on an easy-to-clean not-damageable surface. Do not use aluminum as the vinegar will permanently discolour it. Be prepared to have to wash hands that have this gunk on them.)

Elixir of Life=water
Tentacula Acid=Vinegar
Powdered Bicorn Horn= Baking Soda
Phial / Vial of Blue Moon Liquid=blue dish soap [Vial of Golden Nectar=yellow dish soap, Rose Sap=pink dish soap, Moonstone Juice=Ivory]

Place 1 (tablespoon, it is easiest to use the little cups from Pepto Bismol or cough medicine to measure with, but if you have some rustic-looking measuring spoons, those would be fun, too) Elixer of Life into a small cauldron (Small Styrofoam cup, small bowl).

Add two drops Moonstone Juice (or whatever colour dish soap you are using), stirring counter-clockwise with a porcupine quill (toothpick or coffee stirer) 5 times.

Add 2 (tablespoons, same measuring device as you just used) of Powdered Bicorn Horn and stir until smooth.

Quickly mix in 2 (tablespoons, again use the measuring device from above) Tentacula Acid.


Instant Pudding Potions~
Essence of Mooncalf= powdered milk
Boomslang Powder=Instant Pistachio Pudding
Powdered Yak Milk=vanilla Instant pudding
Bubotuber Powder=Butterscotch Instant Pudding
Powdered Pogrebin=Chocolate Instant Pudding
Elixir of Life=Water

Have your wizards & witches mix a half cup or so in their styrofoam cup "cauldrons", using the ingredient proportions on the pudding boxes (1 part pudding to 3 or 4 parts liquid). Name your Potion something magical, like: Draft of Peace [according to the books the Draft of Peace has essence of hellebore as one of its ingredients and gives a person a sense of peace. It is a potion which is OWL standard, taught in fifth-year Potions], or call it Invigorating Draft, or something similar. (If you have wizards who are lactose intolerant or allergic to nuts, don�t use Instant Pistachio Pudding or powdered milk as ingredients. Instant pudding mix will still thicken up without milk, it just tastes a little plainer/thinner.)

Potion Recipe example: Carefully mix 1 scoop Essence of Mooncalf and one scoop (whichever magically-named instant pudding powder you wish) until thoroughly integrated. Failure to do this well may cause your cauldron to explode.
Stir in 2 scoops of Elixir of Life until thick and smooth.
Add a sprinkle of Ant Eggs (or whatever of the edible cookie decorations sounds appropriate with the particular Potion you are brewing) and test on yourself.

If you feel you need an antidote see the Potions Master.


Astronomy: ID planets - sky drawings- create a solar system from paint, balls and sting - paper-towel-tube telescopes


Care of Magical Creatures: pin the tail on the Hippogriff or Unicorn - make own magical creature from cut-out magazine pictures, make up life story of your creature (where it could be from, what its magical abilities might be, what it eats, etc) - Raptor Rescue creatures display. Skrewt cage (box with burned out end, place in obvious but out of the way place and warn your "students" that the skrewt may be lurking in "the bushes" or "that room").


Herbology: Plant Basil, Mint, flowers etc. in the containers we made before. (Have pre-printed sheets explaining uses of the herbs/flowers planted and their care for each participant). OR Transplant small (3" plants?) into caludrons or other containers. - Make strange Potter-plants from magazine cut-out pictures then identify and explin the magical properties.

See Hogwarts School Decor in the Decorations section for further ideas.