Introducing Kids to Harry Potter - DIY Butterbeer Recipe

8 Tips for introducing kids to Harry Potter ( or any other series ) fun and exciting. BONUS - DIY Butterbeer recipe included

As is our tradition, we introduce the boys to Harry Potter on their eighth birthdays. My husband does it as a family read through the series, pausing between books until we feel the boys are old enough for the next book. There are voices involved, excitement, and maybe even a little butter beer!

Introducing kids to Harry Potter or any new book series

To introduce a new series immersive and fun, consider doing these things:

Read the series aloud;
Listen to it together on an audio tape;
Cook food from the series;
Encourage imaginative play between readings by picking up action figures or stuff animals or dolls that fit the theme;
Gather arts and crafts ideas to supplement;
Do a map study for the region the book takes place in;
Do a small unit study on the culture and history period the book takes place in;
Create your own identity and become a part of the book.

How we introduced Harry Potter to our son

First – a Harry Potter Lego mini figure set that also includes Hedwig – one of the favorite characters of our family.

8 Tips to introduce kids to Harry Potter ( or any other series ) fun and exciting. BONUS - DIY Butterbeer recipe included

Then came the goodies – Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans (and trust us, you don’t necessary WANT to eat the bogey flavor or earthworm flavor or vomit flavored beans…and just who gets that job to say – I’ve had an earthworm, and this bean tastes just like it – I certainly wouldn’t want it!) We’ve gotten our candy from specialty candy shops in our area as well as online at Amazon.

8 Tips to introduce kids to Harry Potter ( or any other series ) fun and exciting. BONUS - DIY Butterbeer recipe included

And then came the Butter Beer! There are a billion recipes out there for every different version of Butter Beer you can think of. Some serve it warm, some serve it cold, some even serve it frozen. We went with a really simple version of the drink, chilled.

DIY Butterbeer

Ingredients:

4 cup club soda or cream soda
2 cup butterscotch syrup
2 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Put ingredients into a large sauce pan and heat on medium low until syrup is bubbly and butter is melted.
Remove and allow to cool.
Slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit
Chill in fridge
Serve

The original recipe does not call for the chilling, but we opted for a chilled version.

8 Tips to introduce kids to Harry Potter ( or any other series ) fun and exciting. BONUS - DIY Butterbeer recipe included

Other options instead of DIY Butterbeer

Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer

If you don’t want to make your own butterbeer, there is a butterscotch beer from Flying Cauldron. Don’t worry, it’s not really beer, they just mimicked the name. It is available in specialty candy shops, Whole Foods and many other retailers during the fall. It is available to order online, but unless you are desperate, the price is pretty high to have it shipped. I personally don’t like it, but my boys will drink it gladly, but not too often. You really have to love the taste of really sweet butterscotch to appreciate the drink.

Pumpkin Juice

There is another option for a tasty drink which is Pumpkin Juice.

In the fall, you might be able to find pumpkin cider at Aldi’s or other stories in your area, but if you want to make the investment, you can order official Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice straight from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter or on Amazon. It’s expensive, but I’m sitting on my last bottle of the 4-pack in my fridge, and I’ve loved having every bottle to transport me back to Hogsmeade. I refuse to drink it, not because it’s too expensive, but because my family loved me and thought I’d love it as a Mother’s Day gift, and it makes my heart happy!

Wizading World Pumpkin juice … there are wizards working at Starbucks who can make you one on the down low for a nod and a wink. Thanks to @shawnathenerd for the hint!! It is 1.5 pumps pumpkin spice syrup, apple juice to the top line and ice for a tall.

A photo posted by Darcy >> That Geekish Family (@wanderingsnape) on Sep 17, 2016 at 1:32pm PDT

Starbucks Pumpkin Juice

Starbucks has begun offering Pumpkin juice on their secret menu (meaning you have to ask for it). If your barista doesn’t know the formula, tell them 1.5 pumps of Pumpkin Spice syrup, apple juice to the top line and fill it with ice. For $2.50, this is as close to the real thing that you can get if you don’t have access to the pumpkin cider from Aldi or the real thing.

8 Tips for introducing kids to Harry Potter ( or any other series ) fun and exciting. BONUS - DIY Butterbeer recipe included

Finally, we sat down to read. There is always so much excitement in the air when we begin a new book or a new series.

Once we finished the book, we watch the movie that corresponds. It’s a good exercise to compare/contrast the book vs. the movie, and just have a really great time with it.

Is Harry Potter appropriate for my child?

While the big hoopla of Harry Potter has passed, there’s a new generation of children coming up who haven’t heard or read the books, or have seen the movies. If you are interested in reading the books to your children, be sure to check out this age appropriate guide from Common Sense Media to help determine the right fit for your family.

We’ll take the lot!! Ron and Harry escaped the prying eyes of Professor Snape and found a candy store. ?

A photo posted by Wandering Snape (@wanderingsnape) on May 15, 2016 at 11:03am PDT

Do you have special family reading times? Share some of your favorite family read alouds!

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