Arts & Entertainment
Harry Potter-Themed Day Camp Attracts Young Witches and Wizards
'Magic for Muggles' brings the fascination of the Harry Potter universe to the suburbs of Montclair.
Calling all Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff! Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has come to Montclair.
More than 50 kids aged eight through 12 gathered this week at St. John's Episcopal Church to attend a Harry Potter-themed day camp, Magic for Muggles.
The camp, headed by Glenfield Middle School teachers Kevin McCarthy, 60, and Adam Scribner, 37, allows the kids to feel as if they are attending Hogwarts, where activities like wand making, dueling, and quidditch matches are all the rage.
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"The idea actually came from my son who is a big Harry Potter fan," said McCarthy. "He kept bugging me to read the book, read the book. I finally did, and realized what he was so excited about. We were looking to create a summer program that was different from recreation or arts and crafts.We wondered what it would be like for kids to attend Hogwarts for a week."
The camp started on June 27 and will end July 18, giving kids four weeks of wand-waving fun. The camp is privatized, with money coming out of McCarthy and Scribner's own pockets. Although the camp is not advertised locally, word has spread from kids to parents about just how fun the camp really is.
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"I'm really liking camp here. I started coming last year. I really enjoy making the wands and playing quidditch," said Lily Wurstein, 10, who attends Bradford Elementary School in Montclair.
Scribner, who was a Lord of the Rings fan growing up, wondered how to integrate science and literature into the camp, until he found the perfect solution using the world of Harry Potter.
"I really truly believe that this is something that really engages students in a way that no other camp does," he said."
