Summer Fun Mini Themes: Hogwarts MiniCamp Part 3

I think it's pretty safe to say that we are ALL (adults included) having a great time at Hogwarts MiniCamp! We've entered into our second week here and the young wizards have been very busy. (So has Professor McGonagall, aka: your's truly, who sometimes must also take on the dual role of House Elf and tend to tasks in the home, kitchen and across campus.) We've had a lot of imaginative play and free exploration and some more organized "lessons" as well. Potions Class has been a favorite here by far. Here's a peek at some of our latest concoctions:

Bubble Bubble, Toil & Trouble: You really can't go wrong with baking soda and vinegar here. Add in some color (we used red, yellow and orange liquid watercolor in our vinegar), some glitter (because, why not?), and some unique containers and tools (we used plastic cauldrons, "stirring wands" [chopsticks], various glass bottles and jars, pipettes, glass flasks and dessert cups, tiny dessert spoons and various pieces from a metal tea set I use in our dramatic play area here) and you've got yourself the perfect setup for Potions Class. It's the perfect backyard adventure for any wizard in training or budding scientist. We called this Potions Practice Class since I really just let the boys have at it in their own way rather than giving any formal instruction. It was colorful. It was bubbly. It was messy. It was fun!

 Polyjuice Potions: We love the magical feel of Hogwarts and we also love science. Especially on a Monday. A friend of mine told me about her kids' lava lamp experiment at a virtual camp last week and I decided I had to try it. I've heard that if you take an alka seltzer, you'll feel better fast. Other than that, I had no idea what that stuff is used for. (Antacid and pain relief, apparently...) But here, it's used for polyjuice potion lamps and in today's Potions Class, the boys made their very own. You can see a variety of ways to make a polyjuice potion lamp (aka: lava lamp) here from STEAM Powered Family. We made the glow in the dark version using tonic water, vegetable oil, food coloring (each of the boys chose two colors) and alka seltzer tablets broken into pieces. We first set up and tested the polyjuice potions in daylight at our dining room table. Next, we took them, along with a UV flashlight into our dark bathroom with the door closed. 

Disclaimer: If you are the parent of boys, you may not want to take a UV flashlight into your dark bathroom. I'm going to need therapy. Bleach and therapy.

But the glow in the dark Polyjuice Potions were so cool!

Meanwhile in the kitchen...
S has an incredible eye (and memory) for details--especially edible details. He has truly been the inspiration and brilliance behind much of our curriculum here at Hogwarts MiniCamp. Among his contributions to the agenda were "a feast" and "the cake Hagrid makes for Harry Potter that he doesn't get to eat." So last week, I conjured my inner House Elf and cooked up a feast for dinner. It was a pretty kid friendly and low maintenance feast of homemade pizza, cut up fruits and veggies and soda for a special treat (enjoyed inside a Harry Potter cup with a swirly straw, of course). We used the "nice" dishes, set out some place cards and even had a special dessert of "butter beer pudding and biscuits" and some "Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans" (butterscotch pudding and jelly beans).

There may have also been some chocolate frogs... You can see below a scene that never quite made it into any of the Harry Potter movies:

There certainly isn't any doing things half way here. Y takes the "school" component of Hogwarts so seriously (as he so misses school right now) that he often wears his backpack and Gryffindor tie all day! And everyone was particularly diligent about eating our themed Shabbos dessert this past week. As someone who really stinks at decorating cakes, I relished the opportunity to recreate this one!

We'll be back with more BIG adventures from our mini camp soon! Until then...

Happy Playing!

Summer Fun Mini Themes: Hogwarts MiniCamp Part 2

Welcome back to Hogwarts! Today you'll join us in our first few classes--so get your wands, your robes, your Quidditch brooms and your cauldrons ready. You're going to need them!

Potions Class:

A lot of our activities these next two weeks will involve something kids of all ages LOVE--mixing up potions for play. With some household ingredients and a few teaspoons of imagination, you'll cook up some great recipes for exploring science and sensory play. I use this also as an opportunity to talk about how magical science can be. Beginning our week in the usual theme of Mad Science Mondays, I decided to have the boys try their wands (and hands) at making Wizard Slime.

My favorite slime recipe is the simple 3 ingredient one with 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup school glue (I like clear gel), and 1/4 cup liquid starch (like Stay-flo). When you set the stage with some unique containers and tools for pouring, mixing and concocting, this becomes really quite magical! (And messy...let's just say, I think I understand a little more how a Pandemic spreads after letting 2 kids make their own slime with 2 kinds of green glitter...)

The recipe is pretty flawless because you can add more liquid starch if it is too sticky and it will become stiffer. Add too much and it's rather stiff and bouncy, but that can be fun, too! The boys started by pouring their glue and water into their cauldrons and mixing it with a "stirring wand" (I offered toy wands and chopsticks for this). They added in the liquid starch from a squeeze bottle and began to stir. It immediately starts to form into slime! They added in their glitter and their hands and worked the slime (with some help from me and a little more liquid starch as needed) before digging in to play. They asked for some toy bugs to use with it, so we added those in as well.

When it was time to clean up I freaked out a lot and put the slime into some jars to store for future play sessions.

The next day's Potions Class was outdoors where the boys used a giant bowl and some spoons, about 1 1/2 cups cornstarch and 1 cup water (dyed green with food coloring and prepared in a glass flask because it looks extra cool!) to mix up their own Confusion Concoction (aka: Oobleck).

The science end of this involves explaining and exploring non-newtonian fluids. It's messy. It's fun. It's pretty fool proof as you can add more water or more cornstarch as needed for thinner or thicker consistency. Outside is definitely a great place to do it, but if you're brave enough to try it indoors, you'll want to set down a drop cloth of some sort.


Transfiguration Class: 
In our first transfiguration class, the boys arrived with their wands ready to practice their first "spell" [science experiment], growing crystals! For this activity, we used pipe cleaners (in Hogwarts House colors), clear glass vases (you can use a bowl or glass), hot water and Borax powder. The boys also brought their magic wands and used some "stirring wands" (chopsticks) for mixing the solution. You'll also need some twine or fishing line, skewers or chopsticks and measuring cups/spoons.

I prepared the Borax solution in advance by heating up some water in the kettle and letting it cool just a bit. I used about 3 TBSP Borax powder per cup of hot water. The boys wanted to help mix the solution. They shaped their pipe cleaners as they desired. You can even shape them into letters of your name! I helped tie them from the chopsticks with some twine and we placed them into each of the jars, trying to keep them separated from the sides, bottom and each other. Then it was time to use their wands and say the magic spell (they chose "expecto petronum!") and wait. Waiting is the hardest part! But even in a couple of hours, you'll begin to observe crystals forming on the bottom and sides of the jar and even on the pipe cleaners themselves. When they are completely crystallized, you can display them in a sunny window.

The science end of this involves explaining how a suspension works and how the solid particles of the Borax powder remain suspended in the solution and connect to the jar and the pipe cleaners and to each other to form crystals. S had an amazing moment of scientific thinking when he wondered if ice and snow were forming. We thought about that and whether it was cold or whether our room was cold enough and decided that this was not indeed ice or snow, but that snow and ice are crystals, too!

Quidditch Practice: This daily class gets us all moving in one way or another. I prepared some "Quidditch hoops" in our backyard using garden stakes, hula hoops and duct tape plus a couple of traffic cones to help prop them upright. The boys used their Quidditch brooms (made from a large branch, dried grass/weeds and wire), balls and their imaginations. They also invented a game called "Water Quidditch" that involves shooting water through the Quidditch Hoops and even C got in on the fun using a large bowl of water as her Quidditch Hoop and some balls of her own.

Daily Quidditch practice helps the students hone in on their broom flying skills, ensures that everyone gets moving a bit and helps us prepare for any future tournaments...stay tuned!

We'll be back with more soon and until then...

Wingardium Leviosa!

I mean,

Happy Playing!

Summer Fun Mini Themes: Hogwarts MiniCamp Part 1

I always love planning and preparing play themes here. It's an odd hobby, I know. But once in a great while I love joining in just as much as I love the organizational end of it and in the case of our current Hogwarts MiniCamp theme, I think I love joining in even more!

I am categorizing this under summer fun mini themes but I'll give the caveat that this particular one was a little more involved and in depth than some others I've shared here. That's partly because it's the first time I've done it, partly because I've gone totally overboard and partly because there are so many creative and playful ways to take young fans (and older ones) beyond the books of Harry Potter. I will also give the caveat that I struggled with the decision of whether to carry on with our Hogwarts MiniCamp when JK Rowling made the news with some rather unsavory comments of late. My decision to move forward with it was made because my children were already looking forward to this and because I think the author's books give young readers characters and ideas to connect with. While I do support a love of literacy, imagination and wonder in children's literature, I do not support some of the values the author has shared on a personal level. I do think as my own children get older, the many authors who line our bookshelves with admirable fictional characters and less than admirable personal characteristics will spark important and ongoing dialogue about kindness and inclusion. My final caveat is that while these books explore a world of magic and make believe, I use the opportunity to embrace imagination and fantasy while also teaching about the science end of it! So you'll notice a lot of activities involving sensory play, science experiments, animal and nature studies, games and movement and more!

With that all out of the way, let's dive in to the first part in a series that will take you on a Hogwarts bound adventure with us! You can select activities "a la carte" style, making a day of it, a week of it, or randomly sprinkling them throughout the year as inspiration strikes.

Before Beginning: I love the challenge of coming up with creative ideas for learning through play. I also love collaborating. And I also know when my own breadth of knowledge is rather narrow. I am somewhat informed on the wondrous world of Harry Potter, but my husband is far more knowledgeable than I am. Actually, so is S at this point! And when it comes to amazing early childhood ideas, I often consult with fellow educators. I have a talented connection who is a mom of children close in age to S and Y and a preschool teacher and a Harry Potter fan. She had recently done some amazing themed activities for her daughter's birthday and she was generous enough to share her wisdom and creativity with me! Multiple heads are better than one. Unless your name is Fluffy... S has come up with quite a few additions to our camp repertoire as well. In terms of materials, times are tricky so I aimed to use what we have and make what we didn't have from home. I did make one quite useful downloadable purchase from Etsy. I'll list the materials used for each activity, but substitutions can be made, some left out and others added in as desired.

Setting the Stage:  The Friday before Hogwarts MiniCamp began, I set the stage, or rather, our small world play shelf with a mini Hogwarts. I created some wooden peg dolls to play the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore (ok, I actually swapped in my Father Winter peg doll from a previous activity, shhh!).

In addition to those, I included a wooden castle toy we bought from a craft supply store several years ago around Purim, our toy trains and tracks for the Hogwarts Express, some accessories from our collections of blocks, toy animals, prisms, marbles, small loose parts, rocks/gems, wool roving, fairy garden accessories and  even some of the graphics I purchased from Etsy printed onto card stock and cut out/taped. I took a lot of creative license here in order to use what we have at home. My friend who originally gave me this idea said her children played with it a ton, but I will admit that my own kids usually play with these setups a lot at first and then sporadically until I finally switch them out. Well, she was right! They really love his one! It's always fun to engage in dramatic play and explore imaginary worlds. It is somehow even more fun when that world is teeny tiny!

The night before we'd head off to Hogwarts, I set the [larger] stage for the day ahead. That included hanging our little Headwig (forgive the screech owl in place of a snowy owl) from the side of our stairs so the boys kids would see some exciting mail as they came down for breakfast. Inside of the envelopes, each of them would receive their acceptance letter to Hogwarts and a supply list of items they'd need before making the trip.

They would need to shop for supplies as well, so I set up "The Leaky Cauldron" shop at our little table (again, forgive the creative license here) with some wands to choose from (stay tuned though, because we will be doing more with this later), some wizard robes, a little notebook for each of the boys I made from the graphics I bought, a couple of cauldrons we had from the dollar store several Octobers ago, some tiny backpack wands for mixing potions (these were from Five Below) and some wand pencils for writing/drawing I made by drizzling hot glue on some pencils and painting them with acrylic paints and glitter. 

Some additional books and sensory bottles helped set the stage for our one stop shop. If we had a bit more room here, it would have been fun to have separate shops for different items and activities as portrayed in the book, but this would suffice. You'll notice we don't have any brooms for sail, but rest assured, we have a couple of perfect for Quidditch brooms in our backyard made from sticks, dried grass/leaves and wire! This would be a great activity in and of itself and we loved taking a "stick walk" to find the supplies we needed to make them back when we did the activity in the spring.

I had a frog shaped chocolate mold I used to make some chocolate frogs and I even found some free printable Wizard cards. I packaged these up and some jelly beans for "Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans."

Lastly, I crafted a Sorting Hat out of card stock, a themed chandelier from recycled toilet paper tubes with hot glue dripped down the sides to look like melted wax and an LED tealight inside hung from thread above our couch.

Our Hogwarts Express was pretty low tech as you can see, but the adventure was ready to go, right after about 4 pitiful hours of sleep...

A wand must choose its
owner. S takes this very
seriously as he takes a few
for test runs.

The kids were so excited when they walked downstairs in the morning. I had the Harry Potter movie soundtrack playing in the background and they could barely wait until after breakfast to head to Hogwarts. When it was time, they got to open their letters, shop for supplies with toy money, pack up their old school backpacks and board the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 3/4!

Aboard the train, they got to buy and eat some chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Yes, in the morning. You only go to Hogwarts for the very first time once! When they finally arrived to the campus and settled into their dormitory, it was time to sit underneath the Sorting Hat who would select their Houses. Everyone (even Tatty) got to sit in the special seat as the Sorting Hat went to work. Each of the kids were presented with a House bracelet (from Five Below's party favor section).

Soon it would be time for the first of their classes to begin. I hope you'll join us next time to read all about it!

Until then, make sure you're studying up and practicing your broom flying skills and, as always...

Happy Playing!

Mad Science Monday: Lemon Volcanoes

Nothing says summer to me quite like the smell of freshly squeezed lemons, so when life gives you lemons--make lemon volcanoes?! Well, that's what we did, anyway for this week's Mad Science Monday as a continuation to our exploration of fizzy science experiments. But unlike our other baking soda and vinegar science activities, this one has no vinegar (and in my opinion, a much better smell).

I was very excited when I found The Best Smelling Science Activity: How To Make a Lemon Volcano on Babble Dabble Do. Truth be told, I've never done fizzy science here with anything other than baking soda and vinegar, so I was just as eager to try it out as my junior scientists, S and Y. I also love that the author of the post explains and expands upon the science behind why lemon juice reacts with baking soda. S has been so interested in volcanoes lately and we had a bag of lemons on the move list in our fridge, so we were ready to go today!

We set up shop with a little prep by me for the sake of saving time, but kids can help with just about every step here as is age appropriate. I cut the bottom off of two lemons for each of the participating scientists so they could sit flat in our trays. Next I cored the top. I squeezed a couple of drops of food coloring into each lemon, a different color in each one to add some color mixing action. Your scientists can choose their colors. I squeezed the juice out of the remaining lemons we had and poured it into squeeze bottles. Little hands love juicing lemons and other citrus fruits, so feel free to include them. I poured a bit of baking soda into a container and added a plastic spoon and a wooden craft stick for scooping and mixing action. Lastly, I added a drop of dish soap into each lemon for extra bubbling action, but you can leave this step out altogether if you want your experiment to be completely taste safe. (That being said, one of our scientists did ask if he could taste the combo of lemon juice and baking soda and declared it was not very yummy!)

And it was volcano time! The boys like to have safety goggles for fizzy science and it's not a bad idea to protect their eyes from splashes that may erupt...

This experiment totally impressed everyone involved! We started by scooping some baking soda into the lemons and the boys got right down to squeezing in some added lemon juice for more bubbling action. Mixing the concoction inside of the lemon volcanoes increased the eruption as well. 

Colors mixed, bubbles emerged, baking soda was added and more lemon juice. When S ran out of juice in his bottle, he decided to test out squeezing the lemon volcanoes and it worked! Y was curious what adding water might do and asked if he could fill up his bottle with some and pour it in. Sure! I always say that fizzy science is self cleaning science. That said, it's messy in action. The bonus is that when it is time to clean it up, you don't need to add any cleaners to the process. A wet rag (and maybe a few dry ones as well) will do the trick. Food coloring can stain, so take the necessary precaution to protect clothing and surfaces, though ours was so diluted by the time it bubbled to the surface, I wasn't worried. S dug right in with his hands and played in the concoction for quite some time, declaring that it felt like soap in his hands! Y poured the remaining baking soda into his tray and mixed it all together. A great time was had by all! 

In related news, we need more lemons...

Happy Playing!

Mad Science Monday: Volcano Fizzy Science

If the idea of something 'sploding on a Monday morning gets you all warm and fizzy, then this Mad Science Monday post is for you! Whether you are at home with your kids, in a classroom setting or looking for a great take-along for your next outdoor adventure, baking soda and vinegar never disappoint. In fact, last Monday, we took our show on the road at my nature-based play group and held a pop-up laboratory for children of all ages at a local park and sprayground. When it comes to teaching children about science, I often tell parents and educators that you don't need to really teach at all; children are inherently scientific in the way they wonder, discover, observe and explore. Allowing space and time for this to occur naturally is just the fuel that is needed to ignite a lifelong love of learning and to develop the skills necessary for critical thinking.




That being said, a directed experiment or even a set up to explore materials (like those found in nature, or chemical reactions between baking soda and vinegar) can be a great way to bring a little science into your child's life. After a couple of hours of fizzy fun at the park, many children went home slightly colorful from food coloring and begging for more. S was especially interested in making a volcano after seeing a version of this experiment depicted in a Starwars activity book we checked out of the library and after visiting an exhibit on Pompeii at our local science museum with his Poppa last month. Both boys dug right into our blob of potter's clay to build our volcanic mountain. You can also use playdough or even build your mountain from paper mache. It would be really cool to build your mountain outdoors using mud or sand. Since clay was what we had on hand today, it's what we used. The boys smoothed the sides, and pressed a large dent deeper and deeper into the center. I helped pinch up the edges until we were happy with the shape of our mountain. I poured a bit of baking soda into the bottom.

It was time for our eruption to begin! I set out some safety goggles and Y chose to wear his lab coat as well. S discovered he has a unique talent for getting baking soda and vinegar into his eyes last week, so safety goggles are not a bad idea here! We found these at our dollar tree in the hardware/auto care aisle. I filled a couple of empty condiment bottles with vinegar dyed orange with food coloring. I also filled a small container and added a couple of pipettes. The boys got busy with the squeeze bottles first, watching it bubble higher and higher in the volcano until our lava ran right over top!

I can tell you, I've done this experiment many times in my life and it's still fun and exciting! Baking soda and vinegar are inexpensive, easy to obtain and I often call it "self-cleaning" science--it does have a tendency to bubble over, but it likely won't damage your surfaces or clothing. We used a clear plastic file bin to contain the science residue and you can also opt to take this outdoors if the thought of an indoor explosion seems over the top.

 Happy Playing!

This experiment is great for a rainy day. It's a sure to impress an audience if you need an activity for a playgroup, classroom or birthday party. It's budget friendly and pretty fail proof. And the best part? You can do fizzy science again and again and again and it's still fun every time! S and Y have both already requested more fizzy science experiments next Monday--so we'll be back with more! Until then...

Mad Science Monday: Toy Deconstruction Lab

I don't know if I have spent nearly enough blog space singing the praises of our local county library system, but in case I have not, it is amazing. Summers at home with kids are made possible, survivable and affordable by our county libraries. Between story times, family events, a summer reading incentive program and, well, books, we've got summers covered here!

Last week, we attended an evening Toy Deconstruction event at one of our library branches. The boys (my husband included) were in HEAVEN. A room with tables strewn with rejected toys, hairdryers, and other battery operated or electronic devices otherwise on their way to a junkyard along with access to a variety of tools made for an evening of fun and learning for kids of all ages. (Lots of kids at heart, there, too!)

I can remember as a little girl that my own mother, ever ahead of her time, was always the DIY type when it came to repairs. When, on occasion, some of those repairs were not successful--again, ever ahead of her time--my mother would let my sister and I have at the remains. I have a very vivid memory of a cardboard box that housed the remains of a VCR and some screw drivers we were allowed to use to see the insides.

Now made popular by catchphrases like "STEM," "loose parts" and "tinkering," the act of encouraging and allowing children to explore a variety of real materials and real tools is common practice. But often we focus on the act of building and creating something. The equally valuable act of deconstructing and taking things apart is often overlooked. Furthermore, there is a great deal of anxiety when it comes to allowing children to use "adult" tools and handle "adult" materials.


I definitely do condone safe practices when working with young children on building and/or deconstructing activities, particularly when this includes the use of tools, potentially sharp objects and small loose parts. Know your audience, know your space and know everyone's limits. And even after considering everything you "know," be mindful and prepared for addressing safety concerns as they crop up. I would not recommend a large group of children in this type of activity without an equally large group of supporting adults. In a home setting, you also want to make sure you are available to support and supervise.

 S and Y had so much fun exploring the innards of several toys at the library that I mentally stored the idea for helping some of our own "ready-to-move-on" toys toward the next leg of their journey.

I have a Mommy Confession: I hate noisy toys. I know, that is a strong word. It is a strong feeling. I know my kids love them. I know most kids do. It's always the first thing they flock toward when at someone else's house or in a public play area. I am very grateful that they have friends and grandparents who graciously support their love of noisy toys. But I personally cannot stand them! So when an influx of new noisy toys makes its way into these quarters, it's time for an equal output in the opposite direction if you know what I mean...




This morning, the boys were greeted at their Morning Work Table by a tool box of screw drivers in assorted sizes and other potentially useful tools and a couple of pairs of safety goggles just in case we would resort to hammers at some point. A couple of toys that were falling apart or missing parts were also set out for our own little pop-up Toy Deconstruction Lab. My junior scientists had the important task of exploring these old toys and tools (with my support) to see what made them tick and sing and light up and blast sirens...oh my gosh.

S is living proof that a toy doesn't have to be in one piece or even fully functional to still be fun!

Excuse the crazy hair and the lack of glasses... Mommy is very busy
helping us explore the insides of these toys safely and that means she also
hasn't had enough coffee yet to finish getting me dressed and ready for the day...

We had so much fun with this activity. We will happily allow our study subjects to remain on the premises for further observation over the course of the next few days. And I'm willing to bet when they do make their final departure that S and Y will probably ask me where they are...gulp. I did explain that these toys are broken and on their way to being tossed, but that we would 'recycle' them first by taking them apart to see what made them "work." S, who may potentially have a future in law, was already discussing with my husband the multitude of ways the toys is still fun and still works and isn't yet broken. Oh...dear...

So yeah, there are some potential snafus with opening up your own Toy Deconstruction Lab. Safe practices with tools and toys and children are a must. I do recommend adequate adult support and supervision and the use of safety goggles if you are using hammers. Be sure to safely dispose of old batteries. I also highly recommend discussing with your young scientists that toy deconstruction is only to happen in the Lab setting--not at their whim with any toy or electronic around the house. I mused with the librarian last week that she would be flooded with emails from parents distraught that after returning home, their children deconstructed the laptop, Alexa and the Kitchen Aid mixer. Lastly, I'll make my hippie-dippie plug that if a toy can be donated and still used, it is preferable to help it find a new home in that way rather than sending it (even in bits and pieces) to the city dump. We did specifically choose toys that were too broken to be donated to the thrift shop. And in that case, I do see the act of "deconstructing" these things to be a meaningful way to extend their shelf life.

The boys really enjoyed exploring the insides of old toys both at our library and at home. Y loves to use a screw driver and has become quite proficient at it. In related new, I had to whisk him away from the emergency exit door that he was attempting to remove from its hinges at the library! S is creative in his building and his deconstructing and even in re-constructing. He got very busy finding creative ways to attach parts of different toys to one another. So before you haul those trash bags off to the curb, consider setting a few aside with a collection of small tools (you can find great little screw drivers, just perfect for little hands at Dollar Tree or Walmart or even "real" tools specifically made 
for children to use at Lowe's and Home Depot). The Toy Deconstruction Lab is a sure hit with children of all ages (even those who are young still only at heart).

Happy Playing!