To dislike the waste of ££ on World Book Day

[Mimmi78]

Straight up, I love reading! I've always had a book on the go and feel a bit naked if I go out without having one handy. It's World Book Day this week, I love this idea too, creating a lifelong love of reading is a fundamental cornerstone of education. However, in my kids school there are 400 pupils, many of whom have parents who will spend anything from a few pounds to many pounds on a costume this week. Retailers are the big winners here I think. I've estimated that the money could represent around £2,000 at our school, it took the PTA 3 months to raise that to buy essentials for the school. AIBU to wish it was more about books and less about commercial dressing up! Prepared to be slated but interested in anyone else feeling conflicted whilst wondering how to dress a six yo as Tom Gates

My DC love World Book Day and I love seeing all of the children dressed up in different outfits. I've seen some great home made costumes 'Burglar Bill' is really easy, there was an amazing 'Enormous Crocodile' head made from papier mache and 'Gangsta Granny'. I'm not that crafty but we did Pippi Longstocking last year, the only thing I made was some red plaits with some wool, the rest was clothes and a toy monkey from home. If like me you're not crafty you can just check out 'no sew' costumes on line and you should find some great ideas.

I feel really torn about this, because my dcs school rarely seem to dress up. It's much easier for me! But I also like costumes and we all like books so it would be fun...

This year we've had to get the dc to memorise poems which is way more effort and stressful when they keep changing their minds.

I'm glad I am not the only one, phew! Also I am not a moan or having a go at WBD, I just think a bit of the £££ should be spent on books and schools both of which are at the centre of being able to support reading and literacy skills. It also pains me to literally beg 400 sets of parents and get 25 bottles of wine donated for PTA Xmas raffle (affluent area, sports cars and yummies etc.) but everyone will give up ££££ for a costume. Glad I've got you lot to moan at

It’s the first year our primary has done this as we are in wales and so it’s so close to st David’s day when they dress in welsh dress or rugby tops that they normally just bring in a favourite book.
As it is DS wants to go as a dinosaur (already has the mask and green clothes) and DS wants to go as an oompaloompa (white clothes, and I’ve bought a £1 green hair spread and some orange face paint)

I hate xmas cards!!! I’m their school there are 7 classes of 30, it’s the norm for everyone to send everyone else in the class plus the teacher a card. That equals 6,300 cards!!! Which is such a waste of paper!!

Yanbu. It is a waste financially and environmentally.

So far this year DC has been asked to dress up for:

Superhero day
CIN Pudsey ears/ t shirt
Elf day
Xmas jumper day
School concert
Animal day
St. David's day
WBD on Thursday

Fun? What bloody fun is faffing around with a pair of scissors and a couple of old sheets and shirts?

I fucking hate arsing with the costumes and the DCs hated the compulsory dressing up "fun".

Organised fun? Yeah, right.

For the record, I love reading and so do my children. Just hate WBD.

We have WBD but it's wear your PJ's and bring in a book and a teddy bear/cuddly toy. Which is fantastic

Pjs , dressing gown. Sophie from BFG. I’m going to school in my pjs and dressing gown and a sleep mask as Bridget Jones.

ds is now at secondary, very glad to be finished with that crap!

My DS's class WhatsApp group has a swap system going on this week - people say what they need and invariably someone has that costume or accessory and they lend it. Simples!

I’ve always loathed WBD dressing up.
Does zero to encourage reading. DS is totally confused as to why he has to dress up on Thurs. He quite likes Dogman but dressing up as Dogman wouldn’t make him like it any more.

My dcs school is a bit of a mix, the juniors don’t dress up but the infants do, which makes things slightly easier but I was told by another parent today that apparently the girls aren’t allowed to wear Disney princess costumes....while I agree Disney aren’t traditionally popular for books some of the princesses are and it saves me going out and spending £££ on a new costume when dd can just wear a princess she already has

ladymalfoy

Pjs ,dressing gown and sleep mask for Bridget Jones?

I think not. The accepted ensemble is a bunny girl outfit and a Christmas jumper with a pair of big knickers to preserve your modesty. Actually, these days you would do better to stick to the jumper and Knicks and leave the bunny girl outfit back in the 70s where it belongs

Signed

PRof McGonigal ret'd

i wish schools would ban the dressing up bit. that might make it about books again

Our school uses it as a bedtime story Challenge. In the week before we are asked to complete a log for a week to show they’ve had a bedtime story, they then bring one of those books in for world book day. They can wear pyjamas, favourite character costume or school uniform. I think it works well.

Hate what it has become! I'm a teacher we just ask the kids to bring in their favourite book and we give them time to read their own, read their friends and some activities related to it.

My sons school is come dressed as your favourite book character...my younger son is in the nursery at the school and they're doing it too 2 outfits to buy AND they "fine" the children £1 to come dressed up too for school funds!!! Bursts me!!!

Rant over 😂🙈

Most of the kids in my local schools seem very excited about WBD and dressing up, discussing costumes, incorporating their characters at play time.

They absolutely love seeing their teacher in costume. It's lovely to see children who really enjoy it. It probably helps when most parents are quite relax about costumes, don't stress the children about it and just encourage their kids to have a bit of fun.

DS school does it but in the letter they always say “please don’t feel you need to spend money on a costume, there are plenty of characters in books that just require normal clothes” and then list a load of examples to get them going.
Last year DS (8 now) went as Timmy from the famous 5 and wore a dog onesie he already had and wore a dog collar and made a tag for himself, this year he’s just finished Grandpas great escape and as this is the first book he’s completely read himself, he wants to go as Grandpa so we are using clothes we have with a flying hat and a stick in grey moustache, he loves deciding what to be and it’s great fun for him and they have a really good day sharing their favourite books.

I hate it. I have to dress up - am a far from youthful or slim teacher. Fat and 55. Bloody Gangsta Granny this year. You wouldn't believe how much I despise David Walliams and his crappy books, but I have to bloody dress up, no matter how stupid I look. I will feel uncomfortable and silly all day and my hair will look like shit when I take the sodding wig off so will have to wash my hair before I go out to a meeting in the evening.

Will admit to telling children more than once in assembly that dressing up is optional, and that most of my favourite characters just wear normal clothes.

Best one dd2 did was Jacqueline Wilson's Illustrated Mum - just a few of those kid tattoo things on her arm. Dd3 always hated dressing up.

YSNBU. it’s a pain in the arse. However DD has announced she’s going to be the spider from Charlottes web this year, she’ll wear black, make some extra legs from old black tights, jobs a good ‘un... I can work with that!

Another one who HATES the dressing up aspect of WBD.... A lot of needless spending and/or creative angst and environmental waste!

YANBU. I work in a school, we have an amazing new English lead who has come out with some fantastic activities for this week, even my reluctant readers are excited and its brilliant, but I don't see the point in the dress up day, hardly anyone actually comes as their favourite character, its more whatever their parents can cobble up easily (not a dig, I have been known to tell my DC to pick an easier favourite too)

Personally, my 5 yo has never been interested in books and I welcome anything to encourage him to spark an interest in reading. I've encouraged him to choose a favourite book and I have made him an outfit. A knight's tunic using felt (super easy), a cardboard hat, and we're re-using a shield/mace he already has. It doesn't have to be that difficult.

I totally agree about the over-commercialisation of WBD by supermarkets and it drives wasteful spending on items that are likely to be only worn once or a few times.

I'm happy our school seems to have a sensible approach to WBD. They have tweeted a top ten list of no spend outfit ideas and this has been followed up by a message by our teacher in her weekly blog to ask parents to ask for ideas if needed - No expense is necessary. Our school is in a very mixed area, and I expect to see a mix of homemade and bought outfits this Thursday.

I think it's fine if the kids are really into it - mine do like to dress up. Unfortunately they always choose a character that I need to buy new outfits for rather than something we already have but they do enjoy it so I don't really mind. They won't be dressing up forever!

You don’t really have to spend money if you don’t want to though. DC are both going in stuff they already have.