Harry Potter Potions Class: Luck Potion

What's been your most fun themed birthday party? Ours is definitely Harry Potter. And, what Harry Potter party could be complete without a Harry Potter Potions class? This Felix Felicis slime, or "Luck Goo" was such a fun activity. The kids loved mixing their own luck potion, because who doesn't love making slime? (Okay, I don't, but my kids and their friends sure do!) This idea comes with free printable ingredient and potion labels, a recipe scroll, and a potion cupboard sign. It's everything you need to turn boring slime into the perfect Harry Potter party activity. (Say that five times fast!)

Harry Potter Potions Idea and Printables

In the past, I have shared lots of ideas for a Harry Potter party. In fact, they're probably some of the most popular posts on my blog. The original party was for my oldest daughter, but it turns out that the love for all things Harry Potter runs in the family! My youngest daughter wanted a Harry Potter birthday party, too. Since her party would be for older kids than the first party (and since there are so many new fun ideas out there), we changed her party up a bit.

Probably the most fun addition was a Harry Potter potions class. Of course, the class was taught by none other than Severus Snape, and the kids made their own luck potion. Remember the liquid luck potion (Felix Felicis) from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? That potion could be swallowed for a day of good luck. Well, we improved the potion by making it a topical goo potion that can be used over and over. Really, it's slime -- Harry Potter style.

You might be wondering how to get Severus Snape to attend your party and teach a class. All you need is this wig (a women's wig I snagged for half off after Halloween), a cape (lovingly made by Grandma for a vampire costume a few years ago), any old black clothing, and a dad who's a really good sport! Honestly, we could not stop laughing. Since my husband usually has a beard and shaves his head, this look was quite a surprising change. The wig was supposed to look like this 50's flip hairstyle, but inexpensive wigs never look like they're supposed to. It turned out to work perfectly for Snape.

Felix Felicis Luck Goo Potion Recipe

Now, onto the potion! Here's a look at the potion scroll you can print and give to the kids to use as a recipe.

Here's the Harry Potter potions recipe translated into real ingredients:

Felix Felicis Luck Goo

Ingredients

• 4 oz dragon claw ooze (Elmer's White Washable School Glue) I used a glass bottle with a cork, but it didn't hold enough, so I put a label on the bulk-sized school glue bottle as well.
• ½ T powdered occamy eggshell (Baking Soda)
• 1 T squill bulb juice (contact lens solution -- make sure it contains boric acid and sodium borate, or the slime will not work) Either of the two solutions below should work. I put some in a McCormick Lemon Extract bottle because it looked cool, but for practical purposes, I also labeled the original contact solution bottle.

• 2-3 drops of chameleon blood (food coloring) I planned on all of the potions being yellow, but the party guests had other ideas and used all different colors of food coloring.
• A dash of pearl dust (glitter) Fine glitter doesn't really show up, so use the regular stuff.

Directions

1. Add the dragon claw ooze and powdered occamy eggshell to your cauldron and mix well.
2. Add food coloring and pearl dust and mix well.

3. Once your potion has turned light yellow, add the squill bulb juice and mix well.
4. When your potion begins to pull away from the sides of the cauldron and it becomes difficult to stir, pour the Luck Goo onto a flat surface and knead well until the consistency becomes smooth. The goo will become easier to mix as it warms.
5. If the goo is too sticky, add more squill bulb juice (¼ T).

If you want the adorable dash, pinch and smidgen measuring spoons, you'll find them here. I received them as a gift, and they are so much fun!

How to Use

To activate, knead the goo for ten minutes.

Luck will last approximately one hour.

Be sure to put a sign on your pantry to keep your guests from getting into Professor Snape's potion ingredients!

Download Your Free Harry Potter Potions Printables

Ready for your printables? Click one of the download links below to open the color or black and white printable pdf file. You can print the files from there or save them to your computer to print later.

A Few Tips for Making the Potions

To make measuring the glue easy, prefilled 1 plastic cups per guest with 4 ounces of water. Next, mark the waterline with a sharpie. Then, empty and dry the cups. When it's time for your Harry Potter potions class, give each student one of the cups to use as their cauldron. To measure the glue, all they have to do is pour it to the line on the cup.

Realistically, many of the kids at your party will have made slime (many times) before. If they want to add the ingredients in a different order or with slightly different proportions, trust their judgment. When it comes to making slime, I've found that the kids know much more than I do! (And certainly more than "Professor Snape.") If they've never made it before, stick with the recipe.

When the kids finish their potions, you'll need a special container to hold their potions. For my sample potion, I put it in this cool glass lightbulb jar. It looks really cool, but I wouldn't recommend using it for the kids. It's nearly impossible to get the slime out once you've put it in. (I did get it out, but not very easily!)

We sent our potions home in these Rubbermaid Take-Along containers. They cost just under a dollar per kid, but if you want a cheaper option, just put the labels on ziplock sandwich bags.

If you want your potion to edible--like the potion in the book--try this Liquid Luck Fairy Potion Kit.

Thanks for stopping by today. Look for more new Harry Potter Party ideas coming soon! Questions? Comments? Bring them on!

If you liked my Harry Potter Potions Class idea, you might like these ideas as well.

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