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Party Site |
Decorations |
Decorations |
Decorations |
Preparations |
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The Perfect Party Site Very few people can afford to rent a castle for the weekend, but with a little "magic," you can turn your house or clubhouse into Hogwarts, provided it has the following: |
| *A large dining area with room for 3 dining tables & seating. This room will serve as the Great Hall. | *A large living area to be used for many of the games and activities. This room will serve as the main classroom. | *A small, private area such as an office or bedroom to be used for fortune telling. This will be the Divination classroom. | *A roomy backyard, play area, or garage for "outdoor" games and activities. This will serve as the Hogwarts grounds. |
The more guests you plan to invite, the more space you'll need.
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Outdoor Decorations Transport your guests to a magical party realm with a few simple outdoor decorations. |
| *Decorate brown and white helium balloons as owls using a permanent marker and felt ears, and tie them to your mailbox with dental flossor transparent thread. | *Make cardboard signs reading "Platform 9" and "Platform 10" and place them on either side of your front door. Hang a "King's Cross Station" sign over the door. | *Make a cardboard sign reading "Forbidden Forest - Entry is Forbidden to Hogwarts Students!" Post it amongst trees in your backyard, or in a garden you don't want kids trodding on. | *Make
a sign identifying a covered patio, a garden gazebo, or a tent placed
at the edge of the forest as "Hagrid's Hut."
*Laminate your signs to make them more durable. |
| *Create giant spiders using black balloons, pom pom heads, and black pipe cleaner legs attached with electrical tape. Hang these in the Forbidden Forest. | *Purchase mosquito- repelling lawn torches and ring your backyard with them to create an authentically lit Hogwarts' grounds setting. | *Purchase or record a cassette of spooky sounds, and leave it running in the Forbidden Forest and/or in a closet, bedroom, or bathroom during the party. | *If you can afford to rent a dragon-shaped bouncy castle, place it in or near the Forbidden Forest to add a spark of excitement to a party for elementary school-aged kids. |
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Great Hall Decorations Delight your guests with an enchanted dining hall. |
| *Hang silver stars made from foil on cardboard (or purchased from a party supply store) from the ceiling to create an enchanted night sky, or make clouds of cotton on cardboard for a day sky. | *Set up 3 to 4 tables, one per House, and cover each with a table cloth in their House color. Add black netting on top for a spooky effect. Sprinkle tiny silver star confetti (available at party supply stores) all over. | *Make placemats from black vinyl cut out with pinking shears.Then decorate with stars and swirls using silver or gold glitter paint, glow in the dark paint, or opalescent paint. | *Set an assortment of crystal, silver, gold, and / or black candlesticks with candles in House colors, gold and silver, or black, on tables and around the room. Use pumpkin, skull, and ghost candles for Halloween. |
| *Drape yards of black netting over windows, then decorate with foil stars, or with plastic spiders for Halloween. Black fabric or black garbage bags can be used to hide flowery furniture, with additional black netting draped over. | *Create House banners using colored gel pens to write the House name and to draw the House "mascot" on black construction paper. Laminate and hang over, or frame and place on, the appropriate table. | *Use gold paper plates, napkins and plastic forks for place settings. Decorate clear plastic drinking glasses or champagne cups with silver and gold star stickers. For Halloween, choose pumpkin or skull goblets. | *Replace a few light bulbs with black light bulbs or colored light bulbs. Then, if you have remote-control light fixtures, practice turning them on silently as the party boy or girl shouts "Lumos" and points his/her wand. |
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Classroom Decorations Decorations set the scene for Divination, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and more. |
| *Make a Hogwarts coat of arms banner using black, red, green, yellow, and blue felt. Simply cut a large piece of black felt into a shield shape, then draw & cut out House "mascots" of colored felt, and attach. Use pre-cut felt lettering to spell out Hogwarts. Hang in the main classroom. | *Purchase black plastic cauldrons and fill them with dry ice and water to create the illusion of a magical potion bubbling in a hot cauldron. Place the largest cauldron in the fireplace or on top of a counter in the main classroom where it won't be disturbed by students. Refill with dry ice as needed. | *Make ghosts using large squares of lightweight gauze or cheesecloth and laundry starch. Dip the cloth into a tub of the undiluted starch, then drape over a statues made up of a balloon head resting on various pots and pails. When dry, remove gently, and add googly eyes. Place in classroom corners. | *Purchase 2 or 3 bags of "spider webs" that are sold for Halloween, and spread them out across corners of classrooms and over paintings you want to hide. Place black plastic spiders in the webs, and make a line of plastic spiders leading towards a window and even outside, if possible. |
| *Make a sign of black construction paper and a silver gel pen that reads, "Welcome to Professor Trelawney's Divination Class." Hang this on the door to her "classroom." | *Decorate Professor Trelawney's classroom with candles, a black light or two, tea cups, tarot cards, plenty of scarves, a Magic 8 Ball, and other fortune telling paraphernalia. | *Replace photos and paintings with photos of family members dressed in wizarding costumes or other strange garb. Add googly eyes to photos to give them the look of a "moving portrait." | *In areas with plenty of adult supervision, use candles to provide some gentle light. Elsewhere, hang light strings in red, blue, yellow, and green, or Halloween "witch hats" or spider light strings. |
| *Place a few plastic rats and feathered ravens in corners and on tables. | *Place plush owls atop high shelves, or hang from ceiling | *A brightly colored plush bird in a bird cage can stand in for Fawkes. | *Paint and decorate a wooden sword with plastic rubies and hang. |
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