Whether you’re already in a house; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, or still waiting for your letter from Hogwarts, it is undeniable that the story of Harry Potter has had a lasting impact on fans around the world since The Philosopher's Stone was published in 1997 - 24 years ago! Few books and movies in modern history have captured the minds of children the way the story has - with over 500 million copies of the seven series books sold and the movies grossing over 1 billion dollars.
Since the series inception, magical elements of the Harry Potter story have come to life - literally! Quidditch is no longer a make-believe sport as there are leagues playing their own version of the game across the globe, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour jelly beans are available at the corner store and there are LARP-ing (Live Action Role Playing) groups that reenact the story and characters of the Harry Potter universe!
Within BWA camps*, and even classrooms around the world, the magic of the Wizarding World has many ways of transcending into learning and experiences in children and adults everywhere! Here are a few of them:
Lessons in Literature
Many teachers, and even our own camp instructors, utilize the stories of Harry Potter to teach a wide variety of lessons in literary structure such as metaphors, imagery, roots and development of language as well as plot planning in pop culture and beyond. The stories even provide a sense of social and political studies as fans uncover and discuss human rights issues based on the social injustices inflicted on Harry and the school of Hogwarts, for example.
Fun fact: The Harry Potter books are translated to 80 different languages! It is common for those who are learning to speak another language to use the Harry Potter books to practice reading and writing with the books and gives fans who speak different languages common ground!
STEM Teachings
It is not difficult to imagine that educators, even partners and instructors, can find symmetries between potion/magic seen in the books and movies with real world applications of science and chemistry! For example, children can be taught arithmancy, a form of math code used most famously by Hermonie (it was her favourite class!). The letters of names or words are added together to create numbers that correlate to different meanings. Click here to check out some Harry Potter themed decoding activities for kids! The most obvious of STEM teachings would be the correlation between potions and chemistry and biology! Teachers use elements of the books and movies to inspire students of all ages to engage with scientific concepts. Things such as Harry’s invisibility cloak can introduce the idea of light refraction or Neville Longbottoms Remembrall can ignite an interest in the brain's ability to form memories. For more Harry Potter science themed activities and experiments you can do at home, click here!
*Need an idea for summer camp? The Brick Works Academy virtual summer Harry Potter fan camp will explore the many aspects of the Wizarding World such as world-building. Instructors will draw parallels between a magical education at Hogwarts (potions, herbology, history of magic, etc.) and their own classes (chemistry, biology, history, and literature). Instructors will also lead campers through creating their own, props, and magical themed crafts. Whether they have read all the books, watched the movies, or are just dipping their toes into the magic for the first time, campers will have a fantastic time.