Camp Hogwarts- The Half-Blood Prince
Day 6- Two years later..
We revisited our Camp Hogwarts for the day, picking up where we left off two summers ago with the Half-Blood Prince! As I mentioned in previous posts, the kids and I were eager to bring back the Wizarding World magic for the day, so we planned out our activities and gathered our supplies and had a really fun day.
Schedule:
Breakfast menu- Pumpkin Pasties, Pumpkin Juice, Butterbeer latte
Activities- Making Chocolate Frogs and their boxes, Horcrux Scavenger Hunt, Potion Slime
Movie- The Half-Blood Prince
Lunch- Deathly Hallows PB&J, Meat & Cheese Broomsticks, and Goggly Eyed Grapes
Dinner- Beef Stew
Treat- Butterbeer
The morning began with a breakfast of Pumpkin Pasties, Pumpkin Juice, and a Butterbeer (caramel) Latte for me. The last time we had this menu, we weren't too thrilled about the recipe we used for the Pasties so I found a different one off Pinterest and it was much better. Check it out here. The Butterbeer latte was pretty much just a caramel latte with cinnamon on top, but there are recipes out there if you're really interested in making it authentic.
The kids, being two years older, have become more self-sufficient and helpful in the kitchen so I put them to work this time! Olivia make the pasties with me and really all I did was show her how the first time and she did the rest! (hence all the cinnamon sugar on top lol) Tucker made the pumpkin juice and tested a few different ingredients before landing on the perfect mixture:
1 c Apple Juice
2 TBS of pumpkin puree
1/4 TSP of pumpkin pie spice
mixed in a blender until smooth.
Shortly after breakfast, we had to make an impromptu visit to Madame Pomfrey to check on a cough that Olivia has had for a couple weeks now. Turns out she had a double ear infection and sinus infection. Ugh. But we didn't let the slight bump deter our day. We picked up a few ingredients for our potions and headed back home with medicine in hand.
We had chocolate frogs during our last camp, but I seem to remember being the only one who physically made them. This time, they were happy to melt the chocolate and put it into the molds themselves, stealing a few licks in the meantime.
Before we left for the Dr., I used my Cricut to print and cut these adorable paper boxes that they folded and put together for the frogs. You can find the printable here, but be forewarned—you'll have to jump through a few hoops to actually get to the download.
I honestly had no idea what to make for lunch that was Harry Potter themed and that didn't take awhile to prepare, so I cheated a bit and made a Muggle lunch look like a Wizard lunch with this PB&J that I cut into the Deathly Hallows, a roughly put together broom out of a Chomp and a cheese stick, and threw some candy eyes leftover from Halloween onto some cut grapes.
It never fails that the silliest, most half-assed thing I pull out tends to be the kids' favorite. Not the detailed, well-planned items that I put together—the wingin' stuff. lol!
I made clue cards with coordinating riddles for each of the seven Horcruxes in the books, then hid the items around the house. The kids needed to solve the riddle to get the clue to the next item.
It didn't take them long, but they needed a few hints on some of the riddles. The items I used for the Horcruxes were just things I already had around the house. A ring and a locket of mine, a Halloween wine glass, a blank journal that I wrapped in kraft paper and printed the Deathly Hallows symbol on, and a couple of toy snakes. Harry Potter was the last Horcrux, and I didn't have an item for that one, just his printed picture on the card.
Next, we made our Potion slime. I have to admit, this was the first time I had made slime with the kids from scratch. I am not a huge fan of slime and how messy it can be, but it's the one activity that I haven't done with them yet, so I figured it was probably due. Thankfully, I was able to find the ingredients at the Dollar Tree and it came together pretty well! We used Tony's label maker to name their creations, and they proceeded to squish and play with the goop for a while after.
Recipe:
1/4 c washable school glue (we found colored kind already so we didn't need to dye it)
1/4 c water
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 TBS contact/eye drop solution
glitter
The afternoon passed by surprisingly quick, and soon enough they were ready to settle down and watch the movie. Butterbeer, popcorn, and chocolate frogs were our movie snacks.
Butterbeer Recipe:
1 c Cream Soda
2 TBS Butterscotch sauce
1/4 tsp of melted salted butter
(we used real butter instead of extract, but extract
would have been better because the real butter clumped up weirdly )
Whipped Cream with Butterscotch drizzle
This recipe was pretty close to the version from Universal, but there's something I can't quite put my finger on that doesn't fit. Maybe it's the extract, but I never end up buying it because it's not something I'd use for anything other than this drink.
I tried my hand at making a "grown-up" Butterbeer as well. The recipe I used this time used apple juice, butterscotch sauce, and bourbon, topped off with whipped cream. It was alright, but not my favorite...too sweet.
During the previous camp, I pulled out all my Harry Potter decorations that I usually put up for Halloween, and decorated the house for the week. This time, since the camp was just for the day, I didn't bother digging it all out. We had a few blankets and pillows on hand that I threw on the couch and that was about it. I used my tabletop candelabra in the dining room for our Great Hall dinner and called it a day.
The day ended with our magical beef stew that was cooked in the cauldron (crock pot) during the day. It was hearty and satisfying after so many sugary snacks. I used the Lipton Onion soup recipe, which you can find here, and it was a hit.
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| Left: 2023 Right: 2025 |
We had the best time recreating our Camp Hogwarts! I know that it seems a bit elaborate, and possibly even silly to do, but these are honestly the memories that the kids remember the most when we ask them. It's not usually the super expensive vacations and trips to the real theme parks that they treasure. It's the time at home, being silly and creative and spending time together that they love the most. This is one of the main reasons why being a stay-at-home parent has become so important to me. I know that I will never get this time back, but the memories that we make will stay with them—and me, forever.
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