This is tricky and I’m not sure if I would go about this the same way if I do another Harry Potter day in the classroom.
Before Harry Potter Day:
For DIY Harry Potter Wands, I bought wooden dowels from Walmart and used hot glue to make the dowels look like wands. As I am typing this, I am staring at the burn that has yet to heal on my hand… I was so bad at this! The key is to use a low temperature hot glue gun (which I do not have).
Another idea is to buy this wand kit from Amazon and call it a day. I tried to go for the cheaper option… but I am still not sure if it was worth it.
On Harry Potter Day:
The first thing we did for Harry Potter Day was choose our wands! I showed students this video clip to set the mood. Then I passed out my Ollivander’s Wand paper (found in my Harry Potter Pack) and students chose a wand core.
Finally, I let go of control (just a little) and let students paint their wands! I gave them brown, white, and black. They had to add a certain color to their wand depending on the core they chose.Students absolutely loved designing their own wands. I’m really glad I didn’t paint them on my own (which I almost did).
The wands do need some time to dry, which is why I planned to do the sorting hat ceremony after we painted the wands. That way, the wands would be dry after the ceremony!
