Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Party the Seventh

I've heard it said that there are three dimensions to event planning: time, cost, and quality. You can maximize two of those, but never all three. For Anna's seventh birthday extravaganza, I tried to maximize the last two. Which is to say, planning took a fair amount of time.
Anna proposed a Harry Potter theme early in October, after we finished reading the first book. I initially rejected the idea as too involved. But then I realized that all parties I throw are too involved, so we might as well have fun with it. At least she didn't want something along the lines of Lemony Snickett, a phrase which here means "a party that Mommy would despite planning." 

The party took about six weeks to pull together, and a mere two hours to complete. I learned a lot, everyone enjoyed themselves, and so I deem the party a success. I may even put on a sequel based on book two... eventually. Herein is a summary of the festivities. The summary of Anna herself, newly seven, deserves it's own space and thoughtfulness and post.

The invitations invited first year students to meet their teachers in Diagon Alley (a new, early-entrance program), so on party day students were greeted with a simple sign on our front door, and a variety of store front signs in the entry way: Sugarplum's Sweet Shop, Leaky Cauldron, Potage's Cauldron Shop, etc. Eeylop's Owl Emporium was the sign on the bathroom door, and I decorated that small room with a ton of owls.
Some owls I whipped up using pine cones, others were from a foam craft kit that Anna tackled last year. Everything involved bits and pieces I already had on hand. A couple of signs (as well as clues featured later) were antiqued via two preschoolers painting with tea bags. I recommend tea bag painting to any preschooler.


There were eight students, plus three Hogwarts faculty supervisors: Professor Ploof, Head of Hufflepuff and Professor of Magical Home Maintenance (me, in doctoral robes and a feather boa;  nothing adds a touch of crazy like a feather boa); the Head of Slytherin and official Chaos Creator (Jon, featuring a stuffed snake around his neck); the Head of Ravenclaw and Professor of Enchantments (a good friend, also wearing robes and a fabulously enthusiastic attitude).

First we entered Ollivander's Wand Shop (the kitchen) to learn a bit about wand making. Each child chose a wand and decorated it with ribbons, stickers, fancy duct tape, and tinsel. The wands were sticks that were previously whittled down, sanded, and then fancied up using a glue gun and some glitter. This was my first experience with a glue gun before - an oversight which now seems unthinkable.


I wanted to get all the crafty stuff out of the way at once, so next we worked on owl creation. This craft was a simplified version of the pine cone owls. Cotton balls for eyes, with a bit of brown foam for the middle and orange foam for the feet and beak. Feathers, extra cotton balls, and pipe cleaners were also used liberally. The students had some creative ideas and the outcomes were impressive, although I'm not sure these particular owls were flight ready.


After crafts we wandered into the living room, location of the famous book store, Flourish and Blotts. We were in search of our Potion’s text: Magical Drafts and Potions, by Arsenius Jigger. There was one text per child, each containing about 10 recipes. To create the books I looked online for some authentic sounding recipes, modifying ingredient lists and directions according to the items I had on hand. I printed the results off, punched a few holes in the sides, and Anna strung the holes with yarn. A simple and economical way to make a fun party favor.

Next, a flurry of wand waving, three spins, and we disapperated directly to Hogwarts. All first years must be sorted, and thanks to Michael’s post-Halloween sale, we had just the Hat to do it. Made of paper mache it was quite solid, so I merely added a bit of construction paper for the eyes and mouth. After reading the Hat’s song from the book, I began sorting the guests alphabetically. All ended up in Gryffindor, and although Professor Ploof was officially saddened by the lack of Hufflepuffs, this simple act did create a bit of camaraderie among the students. Of course, Jon was in the background the entire time, using his stuffed snake to encourage the students to join Slytherin.

Professor Ploof noted that since everyone was in Gryffindor House, they could take classes together. Convenient since Enchantment’s Class was to begin immediately. Taught by the Head of Ravenclaw, three spells were reviewed: Fire-making, Singing Spell, and the Cheering Charm. Meanwhile, I quietly hustled my youngest two students to the Third Floor Corridor (i.e., the landing leading to the basement). I was very proud of my preschool pupils as they quickly got into place, holding various canine stuffed animals, and waited to take on the role they had practiced for two weeks: Fluffy, the three-headed dog.

If you remember the first book, you know the climax involves a series of challenges and clues as the characters search out the Sorcerer’s Stone. I thought this would translate well to a treasure hunt, which here began with an interruption during Enchantments. There was a knock on the door and upon inspection the students found a mysterious note left by an unknown person:
For your first test, do not fear,
Though three-pronged danger lingers near.
Be brave as you descend the stair,
Then find the clue that lingers there.”

After some discussion, the students realized they must enter the Third Floor Corridor, despite the ominous Keep Out sign. Upon opening the door, the group was greeted by an impressive chorus of growls and yelps by Isaac and his friend, relishing their characterization of Fluffy. The only thing keeping Fluffy at bay was a mysterious set of four colored circles (the drum set from Rock Band), to which was attached this note:
Consult your Potions Book to tap
A tune - so Fluffy takes a nap.”

At this point Professor Ploof, trapped behind Fluffy, communicated the underlying dilemma: the Sorcerer’s Stone had been taken, but someone sympathetic to Hogwarts had left a series of clues to help us locate it. The first years must solve the riddles, and find the stone.
So, how to get past fearsome Fluffy. Here, the students needed to look at the back page of their Potion’s book, where there were two colored dots. Each student took turns tapping the corresponding circle on the drum set, and once this “tune” was tapped out, Prof Ploof was able to use her “Fluffy, Sleep!” spell. Fluffy then curled up quite obediently until all the students passed to the trap door.
The trap door was cobbled together using a piece of cardboard (to give it some heft), a blanket, and a rope tied to the stair railings. On the top was the following clue:
 “The Devil’s Snare awaits you next.
Don’t touch! Or it will squeeze your chest.
If you can pass from here to there,
Another challenge you will share.”

Once all students had passed through the door, they were greeted with a classic party motif at our house: streamers. If you’re familiar with any of our prior parties you know that streamers play a big role, and here they stood in for Devil’s Snare. The goal was to get through to the other side of the room, read the clue, and make their way back.

Luckily, Enchantments Class had featured the Incendio (fire-making) spell, so they were not harmed upon touching the fearsome Snare.
The next clue read as follows:
 Two-by-two you enter here.
The weather’s fierce, but it is clear,
The key to finishing the game,
Is close at hand. So find your name.”

The challenge this time was based on the cavern of flying keys, with the goal of finding the key associated with their name. We have a small hallway in the basement that served as the cavern. I closed it off using some large sheets of felt, a rope, and a couch cushion. Fans at either end of the hall created the weather, blowing around balloons with keys drawn on them. The kids were surprisingly eager to enter the cavern, so enforcing the two-by-two rule was the hardest part. Everyone found their name, as well as the final clue posted on the far end of the cavern:
One last thing before you’re through.
Unscramble the sentence upon the balloons….”

Each name-specific balloon also had a word written on it. With a little adult help, the words were unscrambled to reveal: “The Sorcerer’s Stone is located in the upstairs Owlery.”
The Owlery (upstairs) had also been off-limits, save for emergencies. Obviously, this was an emergency. The students dashed upstairs and there were the stones – a bunch of them in fact, hanging from the owls on the banister. I think they will continue to look magical on any Christmas tree.

That concluded the treasure hunt, and by this time the great feast was ready. The menu included McGonagle’s mac ‘n cheese, Hagrid’s imported dragon tail (pepperoni slices), fruit and veg from Professor Sprout, Dumbledore’s Liquid Lemon Drops (lemonade), and Butterscotch soda from the Leaky Cauldron. I had been excited about the soda, but it was not exactly a hit. It might make a better adult beverage, with a bit vodka and a rat spleen (see below).
The table was simple adorned with silver and gold colored table cloth, paper plates, napkins, etc. Originally, I was going to hang glow sticks using clear, plastic beading string. I was hoping it would give the illusion of floating candles. But I realized there was too much light and not enough time. Will save that trick for the next party.

After the feast the students had energy to burn, so we hunted for the Golden Snitch. This was a simple game, with eight Ferraro Rochet chocolates hidden throughout the living room. Each student was instructed to find only one. Originally, I was just going to use the chocolates as is - handily done up in golden wrapper. However, I quickly realized that with a few simple modifications a pair of wings would emerge, and the result is pictured below.









Potion’s class followed, with students instructed to create a topping for the upcoming ice cream cake. They could use the recipes from their textbook, or do their own thing. Most students went rogue, but a few followed the recipes. No one's concoction floated above the table or emitted a rainbow, though, and they may have been a bit disappointed.

The ingredients were really fun to put together:
dragon's blood (chocolate sauce), sopophorous beans
(chocolate chips), whipped unicorn horns (whipped cream), rat spleen (maraschino cherries), wormwood (pretzels), leech juice (crushed pineapple), etc. etc. The containers were a mixture of glass jars saved over time, metal bowls, containers covered with aluminum foil, etc.


The cake, presents, and mayhem common to all parties followed. Chaos was duly created by Jon, and the kids romped and played until their parents decided it was time to go.
Each student left with a goodie bag, and these may have been the most time consuming part of the whole endeavor. Each bag was a Nimbus 2000 broom, made of a cut up paper bag with a pretzel rod handle. In retrospect it would have been better to use two smaller paper bags, one inside the other, and leave the inside bag intact. Oh well - it's not like they were going to last long, anyway. The goodies inside the bags were the point: a small bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a chocolate frog.


Ah, the frogs. To quote Ron, "It's the cards you want." So, I duly went online and located some well done printables, which I then laminated. I was pleased with the results, and the kids liked them, too. If only the chocolate frogs had been that straightforward. What I wanted was a simple mold to fill with chocolate, but I couldn't locate such a thing anywhere. Instead, I found a picture online and went to work. My base was an Oreo cookie, with pretzels for legs and green M&Ms for eyes. I planned to cover the whole thing with green tinted, melted white chocolate. My first error was buying cheap white chocolate chips. They tasted horrible. But I forged ahead because I had my heart set on green frogs. Luckily for the kids, I made my second error which was melting the chips without sufficient forethought. I figured tossing them into the top of a double boiler would work, but nooooo. It turned into a massive clump. What I should have done was added butter, but I was in a panic and given the nasty taste I elected to toss the whole thing. Luckily, there were plenty of plain sopophorous beans in the cupboard, so I melted those with plenty of butter (thanks Mom!).

Not enough butter, apparently, since my first couple of attempts looked more like chocolate tarantulas. This was not a good sign.
 















But I dumped a lot more butter in, and that did the trick, more or less. The results were not as cute as I'd hoped, but at least they weren't going to create nightmares.


If I ever make chocolate frogs again, I will use Thin Mints with chocolate covered pretzels "glued" to the bottom using regular chocolate icing. Much simpler - I wish I would have thought of it sooner.







So, all of that and over in two hours. It was a whirlwind.

But the extant question remained: how much did it all cost? Did I really maximize that dimension? One would think this home-based party was cheaper than a package at some facility, but sometimes things add up. Out of curiosity I added things up, and included the breakdown below. I included items I actually purchased, rather than the cost of using things I had on hand. Obviously, that makes this list specific to me, but I still think it's informative.

Hat - $8
Treasure hunt - $12
Feast - $29
Table décor - $17
Potion's class - $14
Goodie bags - $18
Total - $98

Overall, substantially cheaper than a party out somewhere. On the other hand, the guest list was pretty small. I'm okay with that, though. This was a unique party for a unique girl, and that's what matters.

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