J.K. Rowling has announced a new Harry Potter At Home hub that promises to help readers “bring the magic of the wizarding world into (their) home at this difficult time – as well as keep you all occupied for hours on end”. The specially-curated website brings a free online collection of child-friendly activities, videos, puzzles, illustrations, quizzes, creative ideas and articles to help parents, teachers and care-givers keep children amused and interested during the lockdown.
Parents, teachers and carers working to keep children amused and interested while we’re on lockdown might need a bit of magic, so I’m delighted to launch https://t.co/cPg0dZpexB pic.twitter.com/i0ZjTplVoU
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 1, 2020
Rowling had earlier relaxed some copyright restrictions on the Harry Potter series for the duration of the lockdown, allowing teachers to post videos of themselves reading the books to their students without having to pay a licensing fee. According to new guidelines posted by her agency, The Blair Partnership, the decision was taken because both the author and the agency “recognize the importance of sharing story time and reading aloud in times of adversity”.
Delighted to help teachers reach kids at home by relaxing the usual licence required to post videos of themselves reading Harry Potter books. Go to https://t.co/77d90pkiYK to find the guidelines. Be well, everyone. More soon! 💫#HarryPotterAtHome
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 20, 2020
Meanwhile, the hub will not only be a fun place for Harry Potter fans to brush up on their knowledge about the wizarding world, but is also designed to familiarize first-timers with the bespectacled wizard. According to an official blog post, “the hub (is) a truly inspiring place that celebrates reading for pleasure, especially when introducing children to Harry and his friends for the first time. You’ll find all the latest fun and games to keep everyone occupied – from special activity kits from Bloomsbury and Scholastic, to nifty magical craft videos”.
The Harry Potter at Home hub is a collaboration between J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros in partnership with Audible, Bloomsbury, OverDrive, Pottermore Publishing and Scholastic. It is part of Rowling’s efforts to make the Harry Potter series more accessible to a new generation of children after taking the millennials by storm over the past couple of decades. You can go over to the official Harry Potter at Home website to check out all the details.
