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2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Harry Potter-Inspired ‘Return to Hogwarts' Party Is the Best Way to Fend Off the Back-to-School Scaries
PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here. You can learn more about that process here. Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Read the original article on Purewow. Heading back to school can bring a wave of excitement—and anxiety. What will my teacher be like? Will I make friends? What if everyone is over Labubu and I get laughed out of class for my prized Lafufu collection dangling off my backpack?! Sixth grade was a huge adjustment for me, so much so that I dreaded every day of it, those first few weeks—but Harry Potter got me through it. Immersed in a world so fantastical, with characters so oddly relatable (despite the giants and thestrals and a certain immortality-seeking, murderous wizard), I devoured each book so quickly that I had to ration how many chapters a day I'd read, just to extend the storyline a bit longer. So, when my daughter, nieces and nephew seemed less than thrilled at the idea of summer ending—and teacher friends described combatting the 'back-to-school scaries'—I thought, what if we could turn some of that magic into a back-to-school party? Thus, the Return to Hogwarts party was born. Armed with a little creativity, a modest budget (my goal was to spend $150 or less) and roughly three hours to throw it all together, here's what I did—along with some ideas if you want to take things to the next level. (If you do, please send me your photos! I'd love to see them.) What to Make 1. Send the Invites Paperless Post Nobody has time to train a snowy owl to deliver personalized, wax-sealed letters of acceptance (though for $25, you can score a customized Hogwarts letter and supplies list that's frame-worthy). As a cheaper—and more timely alternative—might I suggest modifying Paperless Post wizard party invites (26 cents each) or creating and sending your own for free with Canva? 2. Create Your Own Platform 9 ¾ original photos: candace davison Cover the door—or even a portion of it—with brick bulletin board paper ($12), then tape a Platform 9 ¾ sign to the outside to set the tone of the party as people arrive. I made the Platform sign using the DM Serif Display font within a large circle on Canva (which I'll share here), which I printed and cut out. It took less than 10 minutes, but it made a big impact. 3. Set Up the Great Hall original photo: candace davison Confession: I had aspirations of buying Poly-fil, sheets and LED lights to create a stormy sky, like this phenomenal TikTok, but given my time and budget constraints, I wound up pointing my projector toward the ceiling, playing a loop of a starry sky, and hanging floating candles ($35; $25). Nobody seemed to mind; they were too busy passing around the wand that came with said candles—it functioned like a remote, allowing you to flick on and off the lights with the press of a button. There are a few designs like this sold online, but I've found Michaels Ashland candles are the most reliable and easiest to use. (On that note, shoutout to Michaels in general, because their Ashland line inspired half the decor—like this LED-lighted mantel scarf, $25, LED pillar candle set, $30, and ceramic cauldron, $12, all of which I can re-use for Halloween. Also, I saved 30 percent on my entire order by ordering online for a curbside pickup, which saved me time to boot, since I didn't have to scour stores for what I needed.) original photo: candace davison To further my theme while remaining budget friendly, I bought eight sheets of felt (67 cents apiece), in each of the four Hogwarts houses' colors. I cut them into four flags, using the other four pieces of felt to cut out a giant letter for each house's name, and glued it on top as decorations to hang on the walls. 4. Conjure Up a Sorting Hat Photo Opp original photo: candace davison If you have a statement armchair—or in my case, a swing chair—use it to your advantage. If you don't, you'll have plenty of leftover brick bulletin board paper you can use to cover a wall as a backdrop. To make more of a statement, I flanked the chair with these floating acceptance letter garlands I found on Amazon ($15). They come pre-strung on clear nylon, though I found I needed to use clear packing tape or string them from my curtain rods so they wouldn't immediately (and constantly) fall down. Still, it was worth it, especially when paired with the Official Sorting Hat (at $32, it was my 'splurge,' but it was a must). What to Serve 5. Concoct 2-3 Semi-Spooky Snacks original photo: candace davison There's no shortage of Harry Potter-inspired treats you can serve at your party (Snitch-inspired chocolate bon bons! Butterbeer fudge! Pumpkin Pasties!), but that can get pretty time-consuming. I try to stick to two or three 'statement' snacks (I made green chocolate-drizzled, candy-eye topped "Madeye Moody's popcorn" and pretzel-rod wands) and then round things out with a few kid-friendly basics, like tater tots, pizza cut into two-bite pieces and a basic crudité platter. 6. Rebrand a Few Tried-and-True Classics original photos: candace davison To that end, just because you're not constructing the Marauder's Map out of puff pastry doesn't mean you can't infuse a little magic into the food table with a few creative name cards. That veggie platter? Well, it's Professor Sprout's garden, of course, and the mango-pineapple juice? Trade out the bottle for a pitcher and some test tubes; it's a Polyjuice Potion now. (And, as my niece declared, it was 'the key' to turning her into Hermione Granger—not the costume that my brother-in-law had brought her in.) Even pigs in a blanket can be, uh, Basilisks in a Blanket, with the right signage. What to Do 7. Make Grade School Pennants (or Charm Bracelets) original photo: candace davison Since I was entertaining a gaggle of kids entering second through fourth grade, my crafts were relatively low lift. I put out colored pencils and crayons, along with these printable 'I'm entering ___ grade' pennants our PureWow team designed (which you can use too; just save this PDF). After decorating them, the kids could cut them out and tape them to a bamboo chopstick for their Sorting Hat photos. If you're entertaining an older crowd, they may be down with a goofy sorting hat pic…not so much coloring flags. In that case, pivot! Backpack charms are having a major moment, and if my crew were a bit older, I would've scooped up these Hogwarts and Horcrux charm sets ($15), basic beads in Hogwarts colors and a few Keyring Lobsters ($5). 8. Visit the Wand Shop original photo: candace davison Bamboo Chopsticks ($6) were another Hogwarts party MVP: Not only did I use them for the pennants, but I broke them apart and used them as the base for my wand-making station. Before the party, I used a hot glue gun and glue sticks to design swirls, criss-cross patterns and polka dots along the bottom half of several chopsticks, to give them the engraved and knobby looks of the wands from the Harry Potter series. I covered my table with posterboard, and let each witch and wizard take turns playing with the wand options, as they searched for their perfect fit. Once 'the wand chooses the wizard,' the kids got to paint them, then we moved onto snacks before returning to embellish them with metallic Sharpie markers. In hindsight, I would've added some rhinestones and glue, just for some extra flair for the Luna Lovegoods and future Beauxbatons transfers among us. 9. Get 'Sorted' into Your New Grade original photo: candace davison You're not a regular mom, you're a wizard, 'Arry! Oh, wait, I'm conflating quotes, aren't I? Ah, well. While other parents opt for the standard First Day of School chalkboard sign, I vote that you give your kids a different cheesy photo opp to cringe over in five years! We had fun putting on the Sorting Hat and having kids shout out which grade they were going into, before flashing their pennant (and biggest grins) for a pic. 10. Watch the Movie original photo: candace davison One of the nice things about Harry Potter is that the series grows with its audience, so my younger crowd appreciated seeing the first movie, whereas older kids—as in, 10 and up—may prefer to watch later films, like Prisoner of Azkaban and beyond. (Funny enough, we didn't even get through the movie—the kids were having too much fun pretending to be witches and wizards with their new wands.) The Bottom Line: Don't Overthink It original photos: candace davison It's so easy to turn Pinterest into a Portkey, racking up so many DIYs that you'll need three weeks' time and five figures to create The Core Memory of a Lifetime. But the thing is, all you really need are some floating candles, a wand-making station and solid snacks to have a great (and unforgettable) back-to-school party. Promise. 15 Harry Potter-Inspired Airbnbs You'll Want to Apparate to, Stat
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Summer, I'm Savings-Hacking a Trip to Disney World & Here's How You Can Too
PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here. You can learn more about that process here. Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Read the original article on Purewow. Much debate is given to the best time of year to visit Disney, and as someone who grew up in Florida, I can tell you: 10 months out of the year, it will be hot. The other two, it will be absolutely packed. That is the way of the world. But, if you can handle the heat (the high is 92, on average, in July and August), the summer is an awesome time to visit Disney World—particularly this summer, as the parks and resorts roll out all kinds of discounts and promotions. Many of the promotions are staggered, but you can take advantage of multiple offers if you plan your trip between late May and September. And, after getting to experience a handful during a press preview last week, here are the deals worth taking advantage of, ASAP. I've Been to Disney World Over a Dozen Times, Here Are 3 Things I Never Miss original photo: candace davison From May 27 through September 20, you can save 50 percent on kids' tickets to Walt Disney World for stays of three days or longer. This is not a drill. Disney is also offering a three-day, three-park ticket starting at $267—roughly $89 a day—that's valid at Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. The one thing to note here is that while the kids' discounted tickets can be used at any park (Magic Kingdom included), they cannot be combined with other admissions discounts, so you'd have to choose between deals here, and it requires purchasing a full-price adult ticket. (Full details here.) original photo: candace davison This is honestly the best reason to stay at a Disney resort—and the most underrated perk Walt Disney World offers. Right now, Typhoon Lagoon is open, but its sister water park, Blizzard Beach, reopens on May 21, so you'll have your choice of either destination all summer long. A one-day ticket to either water park costs $74, but if you stay overnight at a Disney Resort between now and the end of the year, everyone registered for that room will get free admission on check-in day. It's only available on your check-in day and cannot be transferred, so it's worth planning your travel accordingly. For a family of four, that's $296—roughly the cost of a night's stay itself. (Actually, when I searched for rates at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort for early August, prices on Viator were as low as $217 a night.) Both water parks are packed with things to do, from floating in a lazy river to shockingly fast water slides and over-the-top wave pools. There are even plenty of activities for toddlers and younger kids, from a Frozen-themed splash pad at Blizzard Beach to a sand castle-themed one (featuring several mini slides and a water canon-topped mini tugboat) at Typhoon Lagoon. original photo: candace davison If you're staying a few days at a Disney Resort, it's worth shelling out roughly $22 for a refillable mug, which can be used at any soda fountain or Coca-Cola Freestyle station at the resorts and water parks. (They're not just good for sodas, or the Freestyle machines' sparkling waters, teas, juices and lemonades; you can also use 'em for unlimited coffee and hot chocolate refills.) Considering most drinks will set you back about $4 a pop, it can add up fast. The mugs are sold at most quick-service shops and food courts, and in some resort gift shops. While the mugs can't be used for free refills within Disney's theme parks, such as EPCOT and Magic Kingdom, I like to fill them up and bring them with me that morning, then use them to fill with the parks' courtesy water later in the day. The pool at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (original photo: candace davison) Before booking anything, it's worth scrolling to see what promotions are running. Right now, Florida residents can save up to 30 percent on select Disney resorts, Disney+ subscribers can get rooms as low as $99 a night (plus taxes) and anyone planning a stay of five nights or more can save up to 30 percent a night this summer. original photo: candace davison Parking at one of the theme parks will set you back $30 a day—or up to $55 for preferred. However, if you stay at a Disney resort, standard parking is included, and if you don't want to deal with driving, resort guests have access to shuttle buses that will take you to the theme parks, other resorts and Disney's downtown shopping and restaurant mecca, Disney Springs. I used the buses daily during my last visit, and they were very reliable and easy to navigate, with buses showing up about every 20 minutes. (The one caveat I'd note is that you must fold up your stroller to get on and off, making transit a bit challenging if you're traveling solo with a rambunctious toddler.) Better yet, select resorts are connected to Disney's Skyliner service, free, fully enclosed gondolas that give you a sweeping view of the area and can take you to Disney's Riviera, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach and Art of Animation Resorts, as well as Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. The lines were almost non-existent, and at EPCOT, for example, you're dropped off at a back entrance that allows you to practically walk right into the park, breezing through security with hardly a line. (Seriously, there were two families in front of us when I was there in early May.) Lastly, if you're headed to the water parks, it's worth noting that parking there is free. With that kind of savings, it's easy to justify dropping $17 for a sand pail sundae to split with the fam, no? original photo: candace davison If my years of dragging my family through theme parks has taught me anything, it's that you need a rest day—both for everyone's sanity and for your wallet. But that doesn't mean you need to sit inside and stare at the walls. Most resorts offer free movies under the stars each night, and you could always call ahead to find out what will be showing—and decide whether it's worth taking a shuttle to another resort to catch their feature of the night. They also offer a surprising range of group fitness classes—the Contemporary hosts pickleball lessons on Wednesday mornings, for example—on top of having a range of pools to splash around in, and courts with complimentary paddle and ball rentals for tennis players, pickleballers and the like. Select resorts offer treats like roasting gourmet s'mores over a fire pit (with cinnamon-y Mickey-shaped cookies that put standard graham crackers to shame, I might add). You can find a full listing of resorts offering that perk here. And, as if that weren't enough, you can schedule crafts and DIY projects for kids too, like mosaic making or tie-dying Mickey-themed T-shirts and pillowcases. Costs and timing can vary, so it's worth checking with the lobby and booking in advance, since they make for a fun (and memorable) souvenir. Tie-dye, for example, costs about $15 to $20, depending on the resort and the item you're dyeing—which still makes it a more affordable pick than a bubble wand ($25) or many other theme park buys. So, all that said, meet you with sunscreen and a neck fan in July? 4 Surprising Ways to Cut Costs at Walt Disney World
