Wizarding Wands Inspired by Harry Potter

For Maddie, 9 years old, and Alli, 7 years old, starting a business isn’t just a dream: it’s their current reality. When you think of a business owner, the image of these two young sisters entering the 4th and 2nd grade may not come to mind, but, with the help of their parents’ experience, Maddie and Alli have become a couple of mini entrepreneurs creating Wizard Wands inspired by Harry Potter.

Through their parents’ history of operating a business, Maddie and Alli were able to pick up some skills along the way. Their mother, Tina Li, saw their interest in starting a business as an opportunity to teach her children valuable lessons about planning and marketing. As huge Harry Potter fans, they knew they wanted to incorporate their love for the series into their business. Their idea grew from a school event, Trunk-o-Treat, where they decorated Tina’s car with Hogwarts-inspired owls, cauldrons, letters, and, of course, wands. They made all the wands themselves and they were an absolute hit at the event. Now, their handmade wands are the stars of Maddie and Alli’s business.

With first-time little entrepreneurs, there have definitely been some issues to troubleshoot, but they take it all in stride and laugh through the hiccups. For Tina, it’s a definite effort to push aside the perfectionist in her and let her girls take the lead. The first round of “production” was a mess of paint and sticky hands, and their wands didn’t turn out as expected. “The clay looked like poop after we painted it brown,” Tina recalled. After sharing a laugh, Maddie, Alli, and Tina went to work learning how to perfect their wands.

Although running a business is hard work, Maddie and Alli love the opportunity to share this experience with each other and their mom. Their favorite part is making the wands. “Doing the planning with mommy and making the wands was fun!” exclaimed Maddie. Alli loves being able to get her hands dirty throughout the process.

This endeavor has helped Maddie and Alli see themselves as strong, creative entrepreneurs, and has taught them many valuable lessons:

One of the biggest lessons learned so far is the importance of math. They use it every day in their business, from repaying their mom for the materials to calculating the profits.
The girls have also learned the difference that attention to detail has in the quality of the end product. At such young ages, they are able to understand that the better the product, the higher the price their customers were willing to pay.
This process has taught the girls the importance of patience through the mistake of not waiting long enough between drying and painting times.
Perhaps the best thing this business has taught these entrepreneurs is confidence! When their first order came in, not only were Maddie and Alli excited, but they also felt a big confidence boost from their accomplishment.

Here is the step-by-step wand-making process from Maddie and Alli:

Supplies needed:

Long chopsticks (we use ones that are 13” long)
Paper clay (this type of clay is lightweight and easy to shape)
Hot glue sticks
Glue gun
Acrylic paints (flat, metallic, and pearlescent colors)

Instructions:

Browse online for wand inspiration. Pinterest is a great place to start! The handle of the wand is where you want to focus the design.
Heat up the hot glue gun (with an adult’s help!) and add glue to the thick end of the chopsticks. You can drizzle, wrap-around, stud, or crisscross to create different textures. Have fun with it!
For extra detailed wands, we used paper clay to shape the handle. Wet the clay and carve it out as needed.
Let the wand dry completely before painting
Paint the base color, then allow time to dry.
Add layers of paint to create shadows and highlights. Get creative with your wand design!

Visit their website HERE! Currently, they are only accepting orders via email.