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Mary May is sharing her Harry Potter fun. $$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
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A Love Letter From Mary May
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• MAKE MAGIC FOR THE CHILDREN IN YOUR LIFE •
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Hey there! It’s Granny Bunny (aka Mary May). Since I started sending the “Life at 240” newsletters, folks have been asking what I’ve been up to with the grandkids. Some even say they miss seeing my posts on Facebook, but that could just be kindness. Even so, I never miss an opportunity to share my fun, so I’m considering their inquiry as an invitation to do exactly that. I took a guess at who might enjoy my kid stories, but quickly realized I’m not a very good guesser. If I guessed you incorrectly, I put a little “Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of this letter. Otherwise, hold on to your wand, cuz here comes some Harry Potter fun! — Granny Bunny |
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HOGWARTS ONLINE As the grandkids get older, our projects tend to get individualized and fairly involved. For example, Presley is 10 years old. In May, as her home schooling semester was nearing its end, she said, “Granny, I really want to get serious about my magic this summer.” And then she explained she wanted to go to summer school at Hogwarts. I told her she’d have to wait until she was 12, but she decided to write to Harry Potter to see if she could get early admission. So what’s a Granny to do? Well, this Granny tries to flow with the kids’ interests, so I designed a fan website for her called “Hogwarts Online.” Having the online school option was one of the few times I was grateful for the pandemic. This was much cheaper than a trip to England! |
GUESS WHO GOT ACCEPTED? The application process was surprisingly rigorous. Here’s a very delighted Presley reading her Hogwarts acceptance letter. Her admission was on a trial basis until her readiness and abilities were assessed. She was allowed to take one course only. I arranged it this way so I didn’t have to create more content than she could reasonably accomplish on her summer vacation. She selected “Charms.” |
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THE LESSONS Each lesson is divided into five parts: Magic History, Spells, Labs, Leadership Development, and three Extra Credit projects. One of the History lessons was devoted to Wandlore. Presley’s assignment was to find and assess various wooden sticks for magical properties. As you see in the photo, she also got some “practice wands” on loan, which won’t be loaded with magic until she’s proven herself worthy. |
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THE OWL INVENTORY Everyone knows Hogwarts students each get their own owl. At the time of Presley’s admission, there were six owls available. She selected the Barn Owl #4933 and named her Eleanor. Once the adoption papers were completed and filed, it was official. Eleanor will remain in Hogwarts’ care until the pandemic ends. In the interim, Presley has a Virtual Owl mail portal on the website which allows her to communicate with a number of people at the school. She has some extremely interesting pen pals. |
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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Good magic comes from good people. There are four cardinal virtues every good wizard practices. Leadership development focuses on courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. The first lesson is devoted to courage, to be brave and stand up for fairness. To do the right thing, even if you’re afraid or embarrassed. In addition to improving your own character by practicing courage, students are also expected to be a role model for other people. |
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EXTRA CREDIT The projects included a Harry Potter Escape Room, making magic pretzel wands, shenanigan & practical jokes, designing a dream house, planning and hosting a Harry Potter party, and making a Candy Store. The latter was Presley’s idea and her entire family got in on the act. She figured she could make good money selling marked-up candy to all the teenagers who come to her house. She designed her logo (at right) and what started in her mom’s kitchen has grown to a mobile candy cart and popcorn machine. |
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There’s lots more waiting for Presley and eventually her little sister at Hogwarts Online. There’s a jeweled Infinity Bag where all important documents and letters are kept. And there’s also a digital scrapbook of photos called “Magical Memories.” Although our summer was filled with magic, we still aren’t quite through the Charms course. We’ll see if Presley is still interested in Hogwarts when summer approaches again. If not, it all will be waiting for her little sister, and someday maybe a few great-grandchildren. In the meantime, please feel free to explore the site and visit it as often as you like. Help yourself to any of the lessons or project ideas for the little wizards in your life. Just click the button below to visit the site. |
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THE HIGHEST FORM OF MAGIC IS LOVE — Granny Bunny |
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