Living / 5 July, 2020 / Nanny Anita

Harry Potter Inspired Potion Class

Since the beginning of the year EC and I have been working our way through the Harry Potter books. So far we are up to the Deathday party in book 2, and both children have seen the first 3 movies. As you can imagine they have become slightly obsessed with it all. They each have a wand and went as Harry Potter and Dobby for world book day this year. During bath time they like to create potions using travel soaps and free shampoos that we have picked up from hotels. This next activity was such a logical step to make, and I have to say both of the LOVED it. They could have quite easily spent the whole afternoon playing at this Harry Potter inspired potions class (I was apparently Prof Snape!)

Make sure you follow our Harry Potter board on Pinterest for more ideas, and don’t forget to pin the Pin at the bottom of the page.

I spent the previous evening setting it up on the kitchen table so that in the morning they could see what they had to look forward too when they got out of school (it also made a wonderful incentive to get reading and spellings out of the way).

You will need:

• Bottles and containers
• Paper
• Pens
• Cauldron*
• Spoons
• Pipettes
• Medicine measuring spoons (like the ones you get in Calpol bottles)
• Ingredients

* If you don’t have a cauldron, then a mixing bowl works just as well.

Here are the ingredient names with what I actually put in the bottles:

Unicorn Tears – Baby oil; Dragon’s Blood – Coloured water; Dream Fluid – Vinegar; Armadillo bile – Chocolate essence

Rat spleens – Frozen strawberry pieces; Lace Wings – Coconut slices

Truth powder – Bicarb of soda; Eye of newt – quinoa; Vampire Curse – Cloves and Star or aniseed

Grounded Witch’s Wart – Ground vanilla; Bezoar – Bag of herbs; Love hearts – Heart shaped sprinkles

Acromantula venom – corn syrup with soy sauce

Pond slime – Dill in water

Catsnip – Coriander

Unicorn horn powder – Salt

This whole activity was completely child lead, I was on hand to help open bottles if needed, but they decided what they wanted to do with it all.

Before we started I gave them 3 rules:

1. They have to share
2. Once an ingredient had been used up that was it, no refills;
3. Apart from keeping a small amount in some little bottles the potions wont be kept.

After the rules were explained they were very happy getting on with their mixing.

Their final potions were:

A blinding potion, a swimming potion, a water skiing potion, a sleeping draught and a farting potion!

EC’s farting potion.

I can’t wait to pull this Harry Potter inspired potions class out with them again; it was such a huge success.

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