Book Week at school - come in costume...

[binker]

...got a note in the school's newsletter today encouraging us to dress our children in costume on Friday - as a favourite book character - any ideas for a six yr old boy (that I can assemble easily without spending hours fashioning)- my mind's a blank. Our local paper always has pics of children in costume at similar events and they never seem to be dressed as a character - just whatever fancy dress stuff comes to hand.

[tamum]

Oh, same here, so endless negotiations going on. Last year ds went as Harry Potter. Staggeringly unoriginal but v. easy to do. Maybe 6 is a bit young though. We've settled on Horrid Henry for ds (even though he's 9), as his hair is the right colour and should spike up well with a bit of gel. A load of blusher on his cheeks and that'll do!

Dd wants to go as Angelina Ballerina, so I can only hope it's stopped snowing

[noddy5]

Peter Pan is easy tights and a hat with a feather on it.I also made a small cardboard dagger-less dangerous!

[Freckle]

Billy Bunter, Just William? Both easy to do if you have general school uniform. A lot of modern children's books have modern characters (cf. Tracy Beaker - if you're a girl ), so go for one of those if you're not a really creative type.

[Janh]

Not "character" but Matalan had some neat fancy-dress outfits when I was in this week - eg there was a shiny silver alien suit. Just trying to think of a character you could adapt it to!

[Posey]

Dd's class did this last year, when she was that age. The boys went as Spiderman, Harry potter, Batman, Robin, Peter Pan,
Just looked at the class photo to see what the rest went as, but that was about it as there were several of each
Sorry not to be more help.

[LIZS]

Last year ds was Peter Pan - Green tabard made from crepe paper and matching hat with feather - year before Thomas the Tank Engine - blue sweatshirt with a cardboard face on the front, a red belt with circular buffers and wheels on made out of cardboard, and black trousers. Some people go to town others just choose something out of the dressing up box.

[soyabean]

I remember seeing a very good Mr Bump, lots of bangages round his tummy (with cushion) and head and a few plasters.
When I was a child I went as a Jumbly to something: I carried a sieve and had face paint and rubber gloves (green or blue, cant remember the poem now: their heads were green and their hands were blue...?)Cant remember what I wore: dont think its specified in the poem. Anyway, I'm quite sure there weren't any others.

[jac34]

I had one of those notes as well, my first thought was "What the hell can I knock together in a week"!!! And I need 2 as my DS's are in the same reception class.

I must admit I've gone for as simple as possible, they both wanted to be some kind of animal.So we've now decided that twin1 will be a bear from Goldielocks & the three bears,and twin2 wants to be either, a three little pig, or a Billy goat gruff.I thought just a flees, mask, and we have some Bear feet, slippers.
I downloaded the masks from www.janbrett.com/activities_pages_makes.htm
There is'nt a wide range but, they seem quite happy, with that.

[suedonim]

A friend's ds is going as Gollum. This is the suggestion. White/grey tights and matching long-sleeved vest, talc in his hair and white face paint and goggle eyes if you can get them. Hth

[Tortington]

same here - only horror is the order of the day - so halloween costumes again - i dresses 10 year old in my old knackered wedding dress spiked her hair red lipstick - bride of drac here you come.

her twin ( ds2) wants me to buy a hockey mask - i told him to sod off - so am stuckon what to do for him

[popsycal]

oooh - he doesnt go tou our school does he.....???? We are doing this next friday.....

[binker]

which school is that popsycal ? it'd be funny if we were at the same one !
I've solved my problem,I think - one of ds's favourites is Slinky Malinky so he wants to go in cat costume - we have a mask,so I'll paint on whiskers and make a tail and although SM doesn't seem to wear a collar,DS has decided he wants one.
phew !

[popsycal]

just read your ds is 6 - so definitely not my school!!!
We are doing readathon which coincides with world book day on thursday

[soothepoo]

Have you read My Mum and Dad Make Me Laugh, by Nick Sharratt? The little boy in the story is obsessed by elephants, so dresses in grey shirt, grey shorts, grey socks etc, and eats currant buns. Would be quite simple to do, I would have thought. (Hope it's not too young for him - don't know much about 6 year old boys.)

[WideWebWitch]

We've got to do this too next week and I'm also at a loss. Is there an easily identifiable Roald Dahl character?

[binker]

soothepoo- great idea- I like the bun bit !
wickedwaterwitch - how about Miss Trunchbull ?

[SenoraPostrophe]

www - an oompa lumpa? (dungas, face painted orange, green hair. it'd be fun! )

[donnie]

how about a giant peach www?

[candy]

My 9 year old won last year as medussa with lots of cardboard snakes attached to a head band and a black tunic. We've also done miss havisham, rapunzel, alice in wonderland and the big bad wolf. This year 9 yr old wants to be the lion, the witch AND the wardrobe (interesting! any ideas how?) and the little one wants to be elmer the patchwork elephant which should be a bit easier!

[hmb]

My advice would be not to do the white witch. I spent a week making the costume for dd, only to have her refuse to wear it on the day because the witch was the baddie! And we had agreed on it before hand!!!!

If you are determined, make him a lion costume (or witch if you are being non-sexist) and than make him a wardrobe out of a shoe box and put the remaining character in it.

I did this, but my creative abilities cut no ice with my demanding little darling

[hmb]

For the mothers with no time ( that is all of us ) send in your child in ordinary clothes but put them on back to front, twisted. When asked what the child is tell them to say 'All of a Twist'

[musica]

You could do one of the black riders from the Lord of the Rings if you are really stuck. That must be quite straightforward. If you want to do Roald Dahl, you could do the boy out of the Witches after he has been turned into a mouse.

I'm dreading when ds and dd have to start doing this!

[WideWebWitch]

Thanks for these. I'm wondering about The Cat in The Hat, should be easy surely? ds may not agree with it though, will have to have discussion tomorrow I think.