Friday, June 24, 2022

Summer Homeschooling - Harry Potter Week


HARRY POTTER WEEK -


All About Magical Me Worksheet

Monday: Back to Hogwarts

  • Set up the dining room with floating candles, a projector showing the stars or sky, the house flags, the books on the table, their wands, their uniforms, souvenirs, character stuffies (Hedwig, Buckbeak, Fawkes), a nice table cloth or runner, fancy dining ware, goblets, etc. 
  • The kids get their acceptance letters from Hogwarts
  • Go to Pottermore to sort them into their houses and to let their wands select them
  • Learn about familiars and their familiars, Jack and Spike
  • Make chocolate frogs, butterbeer, and pumpkin pasties
  • Have a First Night Feast with roast beef, roast chicken (drumsticks), pork chops, lamb chops, steak, bacon, boiled and roasted potatoes, fries, meat (steak and kidney) pies, sandwiches, peas, carrots, corn on the cob, broccoli, salad, gravy, ketchup, rolls, charcuterie boards, apples, grapes, Yorkshire puddings, peppermint humbugs, assorted ice cream, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs, jams/jam doughnuts, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding, etc. 
  • Play a Quidditch Table Pong Game
  • Play Harry Potter CLUE







Tuesday: First Day of Classes
  • Charms Class (with their wands)
    • Wingardium Leviosa
    • Impervius - repels water from a surface: put some water on a plate and sprinkle some pepper on top; have the kids stick their fingers in there to show the pepper sticks to your finger, and then hand them their wands with some dish liquid on the tips and have them say "Impervius;" the pepper will shoot away from the dish liquid
  • Defense Against the Dark Arts Class
    • Art: Draw what your Boggart would be, and then draw what you would change it into
    • Find out your Patronus and draw your Patronus
    • Have a chocolate snack to regain your strength after all those bogarts and dementors
  • Harry Potter "Would You Rather" Game


Wednesday: The Care of Magical Creatures Class
  • Reading: Read through the Fantastic Beasts book
    • What's your favorite magical creature from the Wizarding World?
  • Craft: Make your own Pigmy Puff
  • Questions of the Day:
    • Fluffy's History? Hagrid originally purchased Fluffy from a "Greek chappie" at The Leaky Cauldron. Hagrid loaned Fluffy to Dumbledore to aid in guarding the Sorcerer's Stone during Harry's First Year.
    • How does the Phoenix heal people with tears? The Phoenix's tears have immense healing powers capable of reviving a person from any injury, they could even save a person on the brink of death. Their tears also hold the only known antidote to Basilisk venom. Being cried on by a Phoenix is similar to drinking unicorn blood, but without leading a cursed life afterward. However, the Phoenix has to care for and trust you to be willing to offer up their tears to save you.
  • Media: Watch the Fantastic Beasts movies


Thursday: Potions Class (Science)



Friday: The Biwizard Tournament - J.K. Rowling loves adding challenges to her books, so why not make our own? This is essentially a Scavenger Hunt with a little Escape Room sprinkled throughout


  1. Begin in the middle of the house. Hand the kids an envelope. When they open it, they see your house floorplan marked with the Hogwarts room names and a note that reads: "Welcome to the Biwizard Tournament! To win, you must work together to complete SIX challenges. Good luck! Here is your first clue: When Harry got detention, he had to help Hagrid as part of his punishment. Go to the place where Hagrid took Harry and help Harry find all the patronuses. Once you have all the patronuses, they will tell you where to go next."
  2. The backyard is labeled "Forbidden Forest" on the floorplan, and all over it are pictures of different patronuses. On the back of each of the patronuses are the letters: G R E E N H O U S E. They have to unscramble the letters to find out that the Greenhouse is where they go next.
  3. When they enter the Greenhouse, they see Hedwig with a rolled-up parchment attached to her leg. It reads, "Alohomora will not work on me. To unlock the door, you must find the key. Which key is not like the others?" 
  4. There are multiple keys with wings hanging above the locked door to the house. When they pull down the key with the broken or missing wing, there is a note attached to the back of it that reads, "Find your next clue where Moaning Myrtle sleeps."
  5. This leads them to the Prefect's Bathroom. Moaning Myrtle is under the toilet lid with a note that is written backward. The bathroom mirror is labeled "The Mirror of Erised." They have to put the letter against the mirror to read it. The note reads, "Where would you find a book about Magical Creatures?"
  6. This leads them to the Library. There is a piece of parchment inside the Fantastic Beasts book. The top reads, "Take me to the Charms Classroom to reveal my secrets." The rest of the note is written in UV ink that only shows under black light. 
  7. On the table in the Charms Class, there is a note and a black-light flashlight. The note says, "Have your partner turn off the light, and then use the spell that makes things appear to enchant this flashlight to "reveal" the secrets of the parchment." The part of the note revealed says, "Where in the castle does the creature with healing tears live? She is roosting on your next clue!"
  8. In Dumbledore's Office, there is an Easter egg under Fawkes. Written in Sharpie on the egg, it says, "Open me in the Potions Class."
  9. When you get to the Potions Class, you see seven potions in bottles of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. The Easter egg holds a riddle inside it:
    • "Two among our number hold only nettle wine. Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line. Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore. To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
      1. First, however slyly the potion tries to hide, you will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
      2. Second, different are those who stand at either end, but if you would like to move onwards, neither is your friend
      3. Third, as you see clearly, all are a different size. Neither dwarf nor giant holds death inside;
      4. Fourth, the second on the left and the second on the right are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."
    • ANSWER: Since the giant bottle is not poison, and it is a twin to the second from the left, we know these two are nettle wine. Therefore, two of the poisons are to the left of these. The ones on each end are different, and since we know the one on the left end is poison, both nettle wines have been found, and it will not help you move onwards, the rightmost bottle sends you back. This leaves 2 bottles, and we know the dwarf bottle is not poison, so it must be the one to move ahead. Finally, the remaining bottle must be the third poison.
    • Once one of them drinks the correct potion, it says "Great Hall" at the bottom of the bottle.
  10. In the Great Hall, they find an envelope on the table. Inside, it says, "You have made it to your final challenge. Translate the Ancient Ruins to decipher the code. Once you have it, race to where Harry saw a dragon egg hatch. Buried inside this location, you will find treasure!"
  11. In Hagrid's Hut, buried under stuffed animals, they find a treasure chest that has a combination lock. They use the code to unlock it. You could have wind-up butterflies fly out of it. Inside, there is a note congratulating them and maybe some Wizarding World candy. You could even give them trinkets or trophies for participating!








Saturday: Field Trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida, the Warner Bros Studio Tour in California, the Harry Potter exhibit in Philadelphia, the Harry Potter treehouse in North Carolina, the Harry Potter coffee house in Texas, etc. Check out the Ultimate Harry Potter Bucket List for even more ideas!

Saturday, June 11, 2022

Summer Homeschooling - Star Wars Week

STAR WARS WEEK - Welcome to your very own Jedi Temple Challenge!

Get your own Star Wars costumes, and start every morning with the Jedi Motto: "Strength, Knowledge, and Bravery!"



Links:




Media:


The Planets of Star Wars


Art: Design your own planet! What color is it? What kind of creatures/animals live there? Do people live there? What is the weather like there? Can humans breathe there?

How can the characters in Star Wars travel from planet to planet, but we Earthly humans cannot? Hyperdrive allows starships to travel faster than the speed of light, crossing the galaxy through hyperspace.

You have heard people say, "May the Force be with you," but what does that mean? The Force is a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together. Harnessing the power of the Force gives the Jedi (the light side), the Sith (the dark side), and others sensitive to this spiritual energy extraordinary abilities. 

  • Who are some characters that are on the light side?
  • Who are some characters that are on the dark side?
  • Are you on the light side or the dark side of the Force?


Tuesday: The Jedi
  • The Jedi Order - A noble order of protectors unified by their ability to tap into the power of the Force, the Jedi Order are the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. 
    • Who is the most powerful Jedi?
  • Padawan - Those on the path to becoming a Jedi. They must first train one-on-one with Jedi Masters who help them understand the power of the Force and their place in the world. 
  • Lightsaber - This is the weapon of the Jedi. With a kyber crystal at its heart, a lightsaber can be used to cut through blast doors or defend against enemies. Using the Force, a Jedi can sense blaster bolts and deflect them with this elegant sword. 
  • Kyber Crystal - This is found at the heart of every Jedi lightsaber. This special gem channels the power of the Force and is connected to a Jedi Knight on a deeply personal level. In this way, a lightsaber is an extension of a Jedi's Force awareness. 



Wednesday: Droids
  • Astromech Droids - A series of short, utility robots generally used for the maintenance and repair of starships and related technology. R2-D2 is an astromech droid. 
  • Protocol Droids - Droids programmed in etiquette that can communicate in millions of languages, which makes them perfect assistants for Jedi, diplomats, and politicians. C-3PO is a protocol droid.
  • Build your own droid, or buy one that you can control with an app.  
  • P.E.: Star Wars Chase II




Friday: Final Jedi Temple Challenge
  • Test your Strength, Knowledge, and Bravery!
    1. Strength - go to a trampoline park and complete the obstacle course without touching the ground, the rock climbing wall all the way to the top, and the zipline (get clues for the next challenge with each task completed: bunny stuffed animal, binoculars, the numbers 1-2-3, the color blue, a rock)


    1. Knowledge - listen to a Star Wars story and help each other answer questions to complete a scavenger hunt
      • The Story: On the rocky world of Enujut, peacekeeper Evor Haris welcomed all visitors, most recently a ship of one-legged, gray Zemerin, a skittish species that could fix anything from star ships to food replicators. Later in town, Haris broke up a fight between a long-eared smuggler and a merchant. Seconds later, he found another confrontation between a technician and her assistant over a stolen orange and white data unit. After that, two Ewoks started arguing over which one was taller. And then, the cantina erupted over which food capsules were tastiest. Haris boiled over with rage. His 12 fingers curled into a fist, ready to pop anyone who didn't agree. A metal hand tapped him on the shoulder. "Leave me alone, I'm keeping the peace!" Haris snapped at the blue protocol droid. "Sir, I've noticed that these petty arguments began as soon as the Zemerin arrived." The droid had discovered the Zemerin were telepaths that fed off negative energy. They didn't want to repair ships, they wanted to cause trouble. Haris lost his cool and chased the droid into a transport, calling him a bile mopper, a space dolt, a yak sniffer, every name under Enujut's three suns, with the selfish Zemerin hopping behind to feed on the negativity like scavengers. Suddenly, the transport door slammed shut, Haris jumped from an emergency hatch, and the blue droid took off. Haris smiled as he watched the transport disappear from view through his macro binoculars, blasted back to their home planet. The Zemerin were going to be hopping mad when they realized they had been tricked. 
        • What kind of ears did the smuggler have? The bunny
        • How many Ewoks were arguing? 2
        • What did Haris use to watch the Zemerin? The binoculars
        • What color was the protocol droid? Blue
        • The Zemerin had a special power. What was it? Telepathy
        • How many suns did Enujut have? 3
        • What kind of landscape did Enujut have? Rocky
        • How many legs did the Zemerin have? 1


    1. Bravery - your teammate navigates you through the dark (blindfolded) to find your Kyber Crystal
  • The Dark Side tempts them with the answers (I had an envelope with all the answers inside sitting in front of them on the table)

Saturday: Field Trip to the caves/caverns like we're on Dagobah, or within any of the other many caves in the Star Wars universe. 
"Reminds me of Dagobah. Dunno why the Force seems to love caves so much." -Luke Skywalker, in a cave on Serelia