'Harry Potter At Home' Is Here To Cast A Banishing Spell On Boredom
The advent of social distancing in the face of COVID-19 has changed the face of modern life. Working from home and homeschooling, once the province of a small fraction of the population, has gone nationwide. But there's good news for parents, kids, and Harry Potter fans all over the world, as J.K. Rowling and the Wizarding World have announced the launch of Harry Potter At Home. But what is Harry Potter At Home? For fans who love the idea of Hogwarts, it might be the perfect distraction.
Harry Potter, as a franchise, has been online since the original launch of Pottermore in 2011. The site has undergone a few overhauls since, with a rebranding to "Wizarding World" after the Fantastic Beasts films arrived. Harry Potter At Home is the newest part of the site, promising all the fans stuck at home that it is bringing Hogwarts to you.
As the site's introduction states:
We know that everyone is trying to keep safe at home at the moment and so, with J.K. Rowling and our friends at Audible, Bloomsbury, OverDrive, Pottermore Publishing and Scholastic, we are delighted to introduce Harry Potter At Home to help children, parents, carers and teachers add a touch of Harry Potter magic to our new daily lives.
The new project gives fans access to a virtual Hogwarts. Some of the things it does are technical no-brainers, like making the audiobooks of all seven Harry Potter novels available for free download. There are also programs where teachers have access to tools to create virtual read-a-long sessions, reading aloud the seven Harry Potter books to their pupils at home.
But reading or listening to the stories is beginning. The Harry Potter At Home hub also provides educational fun and games for kids and adults alike, including special activity kits from Bloomsbury and Scholastic. For the more craft-oriented, there are "magical craft videos." (For example, readers are encouraged to learn how to draw a Niffler, and then show their friends how to do it too.) Plus, the site promises "fun articles, quizzes, puzzles, and more."
The site will be updating regularly with new materials over the following weeks so that kids will continue to have Wizarding World entertainment to keep them busy until this is all over.
Wave your wand and say it together: Depulso Boredom!
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