Harry Potter Week (Week One)

Harry Potter week began in summer's typically-sluggish fashion: we did nothing until Tuesday, when we all finally got off our duffs and made some cookies.  Ella's plan was to make Harry Potter sugar cookies for her Mock Slumber Party a few weeks later, nevermind that the cookies would never last that long...in the house or because, you know, things like cookies are perishable after all.  Adelai, not as excited about Harry Potter, opted to use cookie cutters for her Pink Lemonade cookies.

Tuesday, June 5th

The two bakers (in Potions Class) preparing their confections.

Waiting patiently at the oven door.

Adelai demonstrates fierce concentration

while icing her Pink Lemonade cookies.

 Ella's efforts at creating Harry Potter sugar cookies (Voldemort is the green one.  Personally, I enjoy Hagrid's beard!)

The two first years enjoy the fruits of their labors.

With our late start to Harry Potter week, you would think we would get going on the theme quickly.  But, we loafed another two days, prompting Ella to inquire, "Um, when are we actually going to DO something for Harry Potter week?"  No doubt!  Gotta love the honest logic of a (former) second grader.

Still, we did not return to our quest until Friday and, by then, we needed to double-up on a few classes: 

Friday, June 8th

This was our visit to the Forbidden Forest to select wands. 

In the Forbidden Forest we encountered the Impassible Bridge and practiced our (spell) casting.

Divination, perhaps?

Later that afternoon, to escape the heat, we returned to the castle to practice the time-honored art of Transfiguration, in which we transformed pipe cleaners and leftover bits of Mommy's crochet yarn into malleable Harry Potter-like characters.  (Of course, if this photo leaks, my anti-crafts persona will take a sizeable hit....)

Above is the entire cast of characters we created, both light and dark.

Below are three close-ups of (from left) Voldemort-like, Ginny/Hermione-like, and Harry-like figures.

Of course, what week based on Harry Potter would be complete without a little reading?  Ella got so excited about the books (again, after an end-of-second grade hiatus) that she buzzed the rest of the way through her stalled-out efforts at Book Six mid-week and attacked Book Seven, hoping to convince us that she should be allowed to watch all of the movies, if she could read all the books.

Saturday, June 9th

Saturday morning we were up early for our foray into Care of Magical Creatures...though, apparently, not all unicorns are friendly.





Once the major heat of the day had passed, it was time for Herbology:  (of course, these are just the kinds of scenes and activities Ella will accuse me of doing because we had to do them anyway, and just calling them by a different and fun-sounding name.  What can I say?  Guilty as charged!)

As the sun set on Week One of our themed summer adventures, Ella managed to talk us into watching the fourth Harry Potter movie (the parts we were worried about being too scary, she told me she thought were "weird," or, "funny" and probably no scarier than some of the Goosebumps movies she watched.  Oh well.)

But, there was one lasting image from the week:

All told, this week was entirely completed by these girls and their creative acumen.  I did transport them (sadly, not by broom) to the Forbidden Forest, and I did come up with the idea for Transfiguration, but they are the ones who made all of it come out the way it did.  I just stood by, took the photos, and added semi-witty captions.