Here's one for the kid's performers...

If you're gifted at making things from wood or cardboard, then...

Make a Square Circle production apparatus in the shape of Hogwart's Castle. Need I mention the Secret Chamber may contain Scabbers The Rat? (I think that was his name). And even a Golden Goblet (Chop Cup), or 3 (Cups and Balls - an old Wizarding Pastime!)



Then there's the quiditch field. Make a mini one with matchbox towers (and don't forget the goal hoops). Each matchbox is numbered, with a surprise inside. The kids take turns drawing numbers from a hat (The Sorting Hat), looking for and hoping to find the Golden Snitch inside one of the drawers! Whoever finds it wins a Gold Coin perhaps (Chocolate Gold Coins - the big ones please). Those with 'bad luck' find Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans instead.

And don't forget Andrew Mayne's Broom Flight.

Or 20th Centuary (Invisible Cloak) Silks, with big hairy spiders in a change bag (not really, but have mild fun with that inbred fear from the second movie - and watch the faces when the Cloak/silk the kid places into the bag him/herself turns Invisible - and make sure to use Ron Weasley's broken/breakaway wand first).

Or the Spirit Feather (I'm waiting for mine so am not sure if it fits the bill).

Or the Troll "I know this one!" sitting in the front row.

Or Fawkes the Phoenix before he is reborn (dare I say rubber chicken? And a dove pan?).

Or the Philosophers Stone that ends up in a kid's pocket (sponges, anyone? Or for a signed Stone see Neil Tobin's Xpert. Or even the effect with the black stones and several white ones - I forget the name?)

Lets also not forget that with a bit of imagination our rubber chicken friend can become a magical creature - I leave it up to you!

Professor Snape's Potions come to life with a simple chemical reaction (smoke, and maybe even a production of something from the container you use to mix your potions in?)

Get hold of a feather and rig it Fearson style for a floating effect. Attach it to a wand and you're free from cumbersome set-up (simple gesture while getting gimmick in place where you-know-where it's meant to be).

How about a game of You-Know-Who? (You know WHAT and HOW - ie make it up! Or this time use the black stone/white stones effect - whoever gets the black stone must lie that they have it while everyone else must guess You-Know-Who-Has-It!)

There is so much that can be made into this theme its unbelievable. I started with the Castle idea this morning and can't stop. Although I don't do kid's parties in general anymore (unless as a call-back from previous years), I still get asked about Harry Potter parties.

How about printing a picture of one of the characters (perhaps one of the dwarves from Cringot's Bank) on two cards... then producing a Chocolate Gold Coin from between them as in the original.

Or again printing a number of cards with character pictures on them (it doesn't have to be the actual characters) and showing them one by one (the kids make the noises involved with each animal character - and then Neville Longbottom's pet frog Trevor hops away - only to be found on your back).

I see two additional effects at Hocus-Pocus as well, and not to forget Peter Marucci's (sorry if the spelling is wrong Peter) effect over at Online Visions. And my own Potter book test in Online's effects archives.

Enjoy!

Jo


Ps I realise there is copyright etc. on Harry and Friends, but it still shouldn't stop anyone using these ideas to theme a party.

Lots of great suggestions to help get the creative juices flowing. Thanks Jo!

I read about someone else attaching a few feathers to the rubber chicken for the Phoenix effect. Sounds like fun.

Brian

I found this great on-line magic effect once.
It uses the planets in a grid 3 by 3

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

Initially you start on positions 2, 4,6, or 8. Then the other cards are added. You are given specific moves, never diagonally. Example, move 4 times. You choose the path. Slowly cards are removed and you are forced to one position.

I studied the effect (I'm sorry I wish I had the link) and realized that you could turn the box 90 degrees 180 and 270 degrees and do the same routine but it wouldn't seem the same.

3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7 for example.


I made pictures of the planets and laminated them and I can do the effect with a room full of children (it is nice when parents help). It is a great way to get them up and stretched, loud and then ready to watch again.

I made myself little grids to track the movements. I can predict where they will wind up.

This year, I modified the effect by using pictures from Hogwarts, the various classrooms, halls, quidditch field etc. I printed the pictures and laminated them. I hide either a golden snitch or the philosopher's stone under one of them. Have them move to the four opening squares (all the houses - ravenclaw, hufflepuff, gryffindor and slytherin: I may have sorted them earlier or they choose their own). I add the extra rooms they would like and we're off.

When they are forced to the final room, I unseal my earlier prediction and voila - they are all standing on it.

Please feel free to play with this and let me know what you think. I'm sorry that I don't have the proper attribution for the space race effect, nor do I know its origins.

Cheers - El Lamo

I'm going to try so of these ideas tommorow. They sound great.

Fabulous ideas chaps - especially Jo - you are certainly an ideas man!

Thanks again for your generosity.

Hello there,

What a great selection of ideas!

I have been using Charles Gauci's 'Body Language' as a central part to all my kids shows - under the theme 'Who stole the Golden Snitch?'The Gold Ball is perfect. Dumbledore lines the suspect children up and sees into their thoughts...
I know about avoiding mentalism type effects, but under the guise of this theme the children absolutely love it, it is 100% and one of my favourite effects.

Let me know if you try it out.

Regards,

Carlo