Quidditch Supplies

I researched online how to make my own Quidditch goals and ended up using the following materials that can be found at your local home improvement store.

• 3 10-foot pieces of PVC pipe cut into 2 3-foot lengths, 2 4.5-foot lengths, and 2 6-foot lengths (which they were nice enough to do there at the store)

• 2 coils of 25-foot PVC flexible piping cut into thirds using a PVC pipe cutter

• 24 PVC elbow connectors

• 18 PVC tee connectors

• 6 brass connectors (these have 2 wide openings and 1 smaller opening)

• epoxy glue (which I only used on the 2 wide openings to attach the hoops and hold them in place without slippage)

I also made the "brooms" using red and blue PVC pipe cut into 4-foot pieces (7 each per team), but can be brought in by your students as an alternative. I purchased 3 dodgeballs to use as bludgers and already had a quaffle from my visit to Universal Studios (but a slightly deflated volleyball will do). I also purchased a yellow flag football belt for the snitch to wear but a yellow sock with a small ball inside tucked in the snitch's shorts will also work. Colored wristbands were purchased to easily keep track of who is playing each position. Yellow indicates seekers, black indicates beaters, and green indicates keepers.

I decided to create some "sticks of doom" for choosing teams and positions, so I colored 7 sticks red, 7 sticks blue and 1 stick with "snitch" written on it. On the 7 red sticks I added a black K (keeper) on one stick, a black S (seeker) on one stick, a black B (beater) on 2 sticks, and a black C (chaser) on 3 sticks, and did the same for the blue sticks. Students will draw one stick from an opaque bag to determine their team and position. I will also add in some plain sticks for extra students to be used to switch out players during the game and they will be allowed to choose their position.

Playing Quidditch

More information as well as the rules for playing Quidditch can be found at the official US Quidditch League site. (Yes, there is an actual league!)

We played quidditch in the gym. (Our location does not lend itself safely to outdoor play.) Our kids have a lot of fun playing and are sweaty and tired afterwards!

• Position/Team chosen from Sticks of Doom (colored popsicle sticks: 7 blue and 7 red with positions written on them and 1-2 marked "snitch")

• Color-coded positions using wristbands: yellow = seeker; green = keeper; black = beater; no wristbands for chasers; snitch wears a yellow flag football belt with only one flag attached

• Brooms are color-coded (red and blue 4-ft long PVC pipes)

• Game play starts with the “release” of the quaffle

• “Safe Zone” for snitch is available when the snitch gets tired so he/she can rest and catch his/her breath

• “Time out” (1 minute) for those not riding their broom properly (one hand on broom and between legs at all times); longer time-outs for worse offenses depending on how unsportsmanlike the offense is (hitting head with bludger; pushing; touching snitch if not seeker, etc.)

• Snitch must have two feet on floor at all times (no jumping onto bleacher or stage or going behind hanging chairs, etc.)

• Need 2-3 referees

• All players must remain in the gym at all times!

• Scoring: 10 points for goals; 30 points for catching the snitch (which ends the game)

We also found that our snitch tired out easily, so we have two of them but only one flag. When the snitch gets tired, he runs in to the "safe" zone where he gives his yellow flag to the other snitch.