Harry Potter Kidnapped My Husband

Before you get too concerned, do not fear. My husband is still here. So you can put away your iPhone and drop your call to 9-1-1. Brian has been a trooper lately. Three weeks ago, he began reading the Harry Potter series, and as of today, is he halfway through the 6th book.

Sidenote: It seems like Brian does a lot of reading around here. Just so you know, I am currently reading The Hobbit. My only problem is, I end up falling asleep everytime I read it.  Oops...

Why is he so diligent about reading these books? Well, next week Brian teaches a weeklong class called Summer Term at Hogwarts as part of his job as a teaching artist at The Coterie Theatre here in Kansas City.  When he accepted to teach the class, he had not read any of the books. Realizing that he should probably become an expert on the books, he decided it might be a good idea to actually read them.

Those of you who are Potter fans are ready to sign up now. Hold the trigger. The class is for 3rd-5th graders. As a Harry Potter fan myself, I too am jealous of all of the things these kiddos get to do.  The other day as I was helping Brian plan activities for the class, I realized what big nerds we are. And it's awesome! Ok, so here are just a few of the things we came up with for the kids to do:

• Make wands. Duh, what would this class be if they didn't get to do it?
• Play Quidditch
• Create their own potions. 
• Get sorted into houses AND come up with their own crest, motto, etc. 
• Create their own magical creature.
• Act out scenes from the books.

I am so jealous of these little pip-squeaks. They are some of the luckiest kids I will soon know.

One of the best parts for me is I actually get to see some of this stuff in action. Part of my summer involves taking pictures of some classes for The Coterie's website and educational/promotional pamphlets. I can't decide if I want to pretend to be from The Daily Prophet or not when I go to his class to snap some pictures.  (And you just realized how much of a dork I am...) If these kiddos are not excited about the activities they get to do, I might have to Stupefy them all. (for those of you who aren't Harry Potter fans...explained here).

A shot from a class I visited this week.

After watching the third movie last night with Brian, I admit that there is something about the movies that just cannot compare to the books. Our own imaginations are way better than any movie can conjure. Or maybe it was the fact that I had a "fact checker" sitting next to me saying, "Nuh-uh, that's not how it is in the book..." and then proceeds to tell me what actually happens in the story. I know, now you really want to watch a movie with my husband.

Still, one thing this whole reading frenzy has made both Brian and I realize is that the ability to read is a true gift. In fact, I've heard Brian utter, "[Reading Harry Potter] makes me remember how much fun reading is." Imagine being illiterate. You would not be able to read a road sign, a recipe,  and even Facebook. You could not read this {amazing} blog. So many things would be missing from your life. And the truth is, there are so many people (children and adults) who cannot read.  As a teacher, I see this more often than you would like to think. Bottom Line: If you're a parent, read to your kids. If you can read, pick up a book, and gosh darnit, make time to read! If you can give time to organizations that help equip adults and children with the ability to read, do it.

Brian used to be a skeptic, refusing to read Harry Potter because of its popularity. Now, he loves the books and wonders why he didn't read them before. So here's the deal...if you haven't read Harry Potter, you should. Now, get to your local library and pick up a book! If you don't know where your library is located, go here to find out.

I leave you now with a most inspiring song, and most appropriate song, for this post from my childhood...