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Harry Potter Crafts and Activities

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True Harry Potter fans know that the boy wizard’s birthday is celebrated on July 31, so if you want to get in the spirit here are some fun Harry Potter-themed crafts and activities. Stage a reading of one of the books or a movie marathon, make some crafts and you’ll be all set. Don’t forget the chocolate frogs!

First off you’ll probably want some characters to play with. For a super simple version, take cardboard tubes and the printables from Ruffles & Rain Boots to make Harry, Hermoine, Ron, Dumbledore and Hedwig. You can use the same idea and add your own details to make other characters.

If you want to get a little more detailed and make absolutely any character you might want, check out the Harry Potter peg dolls from Artsy Fartsy Mama. These are painted so you can add whatever details you like to make your favorite characters.

And for an even bigger crafty project with a Harry Potter twist, you can make a paper mâché sorting hat with instructions from Brit + Co Guides.

If you’re going to Hogwarts, you’re going to need some books. I’ve seen a few good takes on the Monster Book of Monsters (see Creatively Beth‘s, which is made with felt and googly eyes, or the one from Mama Smiles, which uses furry fabric), or you can make some generally creepy looking books like the ones from Confessions of Parenting.

Make a pencil into a broom with this simple craft from Laura Kelly, and don’t miss my friend Gina’s super cute lightning bolt bookmarks, which you’ll find at Desperately Seeking Gina.

Sugar Spice and Glitter has a very cool crystal ball craft, perfect for your divination class. Of course you’ll need to buy the water globe ahead of time but it’s a really easy project when you have the supplies gathered.

There’s always room for slime, and this potions slime from Little Bins for Little Hands is a fun one to do with a group of kids if you’re throwing a Harry Potter party.

Find the hidden character in these pixel art color by number pages from Homemade Heather.

Looking for more HP fun? Check out our older posts on a printable Harry Potter themed multiplication game, writing prompt pages and printable alphabet game.

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Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule. 

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence. 

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day. 

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home. 

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish). 

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers. 

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper. 

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF. 

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