There always seems to be one week every summer when the magic we felt after that first leap into a cold pool in June goes a bit tepid by the mid-August heat.
This happened to my three kids and me a few years ago. We played all the playgrounds, read all the reads, ice creamed all the ice cream, pooled all the pools. Camps had quieted down. Summer vacations were wrapped up. All the goggles had sunk to the bottom of the lake. Even popsicles seem to have lost their joy. We were so hot and grumbly at that point it seemed like it would take a magic spell to get us out of our funk.
But wait. Maybe that’s exactly what we needed, I thought. Magic!
My daughter’s birthday is also in August. Harry Potter fandom had been rising strongly for her ever since we read the first chapter of Book One a year ago. Thus, she had dreamed up an entire Harry Potter vision for celebrating her day. I noticed, however, as I looked at the list, that there was enough there to fill an entire week of wizarding fun.
And why not? What better way to snap us out of our doldrums than with Harry and his magical friends!
Now before you think I’m about to hit you up with a million Pinterest-worthy ideas to recreate Diagon Alley in your house, let me stop you right there. The end of summer mom is a very lazy mom. She does not have time for crafts. But what she does know how to do is use her imagination, or what the business world calls rebranding. When you go on a magical wizarding adventure, a trip to the library is so much more than just a trip to the library.
Starting with my daughter’s wish list–Candy store! Castles! Magical Creatures! Oh my!–I started thinking creatively about how to bring those ideas to life using places we would visit anyway in the summer. Places like the library, book store, playground, and museum suddenly became magical when I named them so. As it turns out, reimagining the places we visit through the eyes of my magical loving kids was not just a way to bring them joy–it was bringing me some much-needed magic of my own.
I imagine I can’t be the only one with Potter-heads in the house. So gather up all your Gryffindors and your Hufflepuffs, your Ravenclaws and your Slytherins, and set off on a Magical Wizarding Adventure of your own! I listed adventures in the Twin Cities metro area but the ideas can be used anywhere. Remember, all it takes is a little imagination to find magic, for your kids and for you.
It starts with a letter–oops, correction, an owl. First thing on Monday morning, when my kids woke up to the same boring bowl of cereal and the same ho-hum questions of “what are we doing today, mom” I handed them an envelope. Inside, printed on official Hogwarts letterhead (thank you internet!), was an invitation to a visit to the Wizarding World Week Long Adventure.
Can you just hear the elation and the “mom you’re the best!” screams happening?! I rode that high all week.
Here were some of the highlights from our week to give you ideas for your own adventure:
Flourish and Blotts on Diagon Alley to pick up “textbooks” for the week. For this, we headed to the big library in Downtown Minneapolis (bonus points if you use the Metra train Hogwarts Express!) Central Library looms larger than our neighborhood library. The selection is larger, too. We stocked up on castle stories, harry potter themed activity books, endless books about the movies and characters, and even chapter books about other witches and wizards. If you make it to the Central Library, don’t forget to ask to see the stacks. Moving shelves is as close to magic!
Honeydukes. We love a summer visit to Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store in Jordan. It’s magical inside, even before you buy candy. But any candy store with a few bucks to spend is magical for a kid. Be sure to go home with one of the many fun pop flavors! There’s probably even a Butter Beer.
Store for Magical Creatures. We love Wild Rumpus Bookstore for their books as much as for their friendly pets hanging out in the store. Any pet store could be a fun visit for a child. Just be careful what rat you bring home with you! It could be a villain!
Hunt for Moving Portraits. Minneapolis Institute of Art is not only a castle-like building but it is also a fantastic art museum, and it’s free. There are great scavenger hunts for kids. Keep them wondering what characters move in the portraits! This is a fun activity at any art museum.
Get lost in the Halls of Hogwarts. This one might take a bit of imagination for the kids. Take them to a different playground than their usual neighborhood park, preferably one with giant slides and climbing tunnels like the ones at French Regional Park, Hyland Park Play Area, or Elm Creek Park Preserve. Tell them to watch out for moving staircases or hide from Filch!
Explore the Forbidden Forest. This is a great opportunity to get them on one of those hikes you tried to convince them of earlier in the summer to much gnashing of teeth. If they think they are tromping through the forest in hunt of unicorns or giant spiders, they might be more inclined to come along. Minnesota Wildlife Refuge is a favorite of ours in any season.
I could go on and on with adventure ideas. Imagination is contagious if you let it be. But as the great Dumbledore himself reminds us:
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
I’m off to plan our next Magical Wizarding Adventure. What adventure ideas do you have?
