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

Jesus, I wouldn't want to be running a school or nursery anywhere you are.

'So, staff, what can we do for WBD - we know the kids love dressing up but the parents find it a hassle and expensive'

'I know - PJs for bedtime stories! Everyone has PJs so no expense and no hassle'

'Brilliant idea, Ms Jones - oh, no, wait, organised and her cronies from that nursery don't like their darlings wearing PJs out of the house - makes them look like chavs, you know. Back to the drawing board...'

I agree with a PP that nursery is slightly different, particularly when they're tiny. They don't get why they're doing it. It might confuse them when you're trying to teach the difference between day and night.

However school age is totally different. I can't think of a single parent in my acquaintance who'd get hung up about some ridiculous distinction between day and night clothes and therefore have to bin them. Thankfully.

It’s none of my business and I do not care what you children wear. You’re the one who brought it up on this thread. You could just say “PJ day is out for me. My kids wear vest and shorts to bed, so would have nothing to wear”, but instead you’ve made yourself look a bit weird.

You could just say “PJ day is out for me. My kids wear vest and shorts to bed, so would have nothing to wear.

If she was saying that it would be one thing.

However, she seems to be saying that wearing PJs outside would somehow 'taint' them so they couldn't possibly be worn for bed ever again and would have to be binned. Which is even more batshit.

RiverTam

I am afraid the world doesn't revolve around you. Why do you think your own option has to be the best for everyone?

Some of us are happy with dressing up for WBD, get over it.

It's interesting you have to start talking about chavs, chip on a shoulder have we?

I agree.

This year we have made a little red riding hood cape. We knitted it together and it has taken around 3 weeks. It looks gorgeous, can be worn as normal clothes if she wishes and more importantly she was taught a skill on how to knit and how gratifying it can be making something yourself rather than buying it. It cost us the grand sum of £6 (2 balls of chenile red yarn)

I know she won’t wear it as she hates dressing up but that wasn’t the point of the task really. It was the journey learning something new rather than her actually wearing the garment (even if it does look amazing, warm and soft as it’s chenile)

why, do you think I'm a slob who takes herself and her DC down Burger King in our PJs? You couldn't be more wrong, my dear, you really couldn't. But that doesn't mean I can tell the difference between that and wearing PJs to school for WBD. Which is, in this instance, dressing up, in fact. I would say that you are the one who is clearly chippy abut the fact that someone might mistake your DC for slobs if they did this.

And I think it's a good one for everyone looking at this thread, where most people are fed up with dressing up for WBD and you are the only person who thinks that wearing PJs actually incurs a cost.

DS2's old school didn't do dressing up. They asked the children to take a book instead. His new school do dressing up but they can go in just non uniform if they don't have/want a costume.

Gosh - this thread has taken a turn, hasn't it?!

My DD had a PJ day for school for Children in Need.

She sleeps naked - was I supposed to make her wear something??

Actually, I think it was done to take the pressure off parents as it is not a wealthy catchment. I passed on the suggestion about donations of old costumes to raise PTA funds. Thanks to PP for that suggestion!

DS’s school has gone down the pjs route and I think it’s fab. It’s a Junior School (Years 3-6) so no confusion for younger kids and much less waste.

As it happens I’ve bought him a new Harry Potter onesie as he’s loving the books right now and he’s just had a growth spurt so could do with a new one but I was under no obligation to.

Much better to buy something that’ll actually get used than spend £15 on shite.

I do love walking past the Infants on WBD though. They dress up and the parade of mini Spidermen/Moana/Elsa etc is something to behold .

Yanbu. Between the expensive but cheap tat land fill costumes from Asda and the ridiculously intricate hand crafted extravaganzas we see at school it’s either a huge waste of time or money or both! We’ve made a prop out of recycling to wear with normal clothes that can go back in the recycling but I am worried that the kids in the more cost intensive costumes will take the piss. There’s also a competition for ‘best’ costume which will get all the Uber competitive parents going all out. No one has read a book in the run up to wbd anyway!

It doesn't have to cost anything. There are plenty of characters which can be done for free.

It doesn't have to cost anything. There are plenty of characters which can be done for free

It doesn’t make a difference Blondie. The world is divided into those who like fancy dress and those who hate it. Some people are determined to despise WBD / costumes and your reasonable comment has no place here.

RiverTam I have to thank you, I was having a crap day at work with my mate and you really help to make us laugh.

My kids and their friends are really looking forward to WBD, we are lucky to be in an area without competitive parents, so it's all good for us.

Great debates on here, nice to hear both sides. Don't want to go anywhere near the great PJ debate though! You have inspired some great ideas for next year, as a Governor too, I am keen to ensure all activity has educational objectives and is something all pupils can participate in some way and does not burden parents with anything other than ways to support their little ones learning journey!

I think i'm going to have to keep DS off school for WBD tomorrow because my student finance hasn't gone in so I've got no money unless it goes in today and he has nothing suitable at home. He did say about going as Gangsta Granny's grandson (I can make the mask ) but he doesn't even have a red top I can put stripes onto.

@flowerfae. Please don’t do that - it completely defeats the purpose. Can you not borrow a costume from someone else - I know I’ve got tons of costume bits knocking about so it’s likely another parent does too ( put out a request on social media ??). Alternatively google costumes with ordinary clothes because you will find something you can do.... Charlie Bucket just needs a golden ticket for example.

I just thought of Charlie before actually :) but I've been going through the cupboards above his wardrobe and I've found his old school top from year 6 and it still fits him, its a red shirt but it has no sleeves, but he's said it will do I'm going to put some stripes on it later. There is some material at my mum's so I'll make him a mask there. I'm usually ok with getting things for WBD just this years been tight financially :\

Oh good I’m glad. Next year I might offer up some of the things I have in advance in case anyone wants to borrow stuff.

We don't go out and buy a costume for just WBD. We try and combine ideas with Halloween .. DD has been a Harry potter character for the last 4 years (clone is just getting slightly shorter but wand made from a stick is lasting really well. DS is lucky that he has a lot of hand me down costumes so I encourage him to pick one of those than one of his favourite characters.

It is expensive to have to get new costumes each year but as least you know when book day is. It's more annoying when school spring it on us that they have to dress as a king/queen or something else particular on the Friday of that week with no notice to make something so then have to look on Amazon so you know a costume will arrive in time.. blooming pain that is.

My GD is wearing her Halloween costume, she likes it and there's a few books it fits in with.

Years ago, before there were costumes everywhere, you'd see children in Pj's because it was an easy way of doing, The Snowman/dog, Peter pan and a few other books. You'd see children in ragged clothes, which could be any Dickens character.

Costumes are down to a few quid in Supermarkets.

As long as they are donated or given away, it's a bit of fun.

I agree it's moved away from being about reading, though

We make our WBD costumes, the kids know there's no way I'd buy a dressing up outfit (I don't buy regular dressing up outfits!).

DD has been...

• Saucepan Man from the Faraway Tree (and she's being it again tomorrow) - cardboard 2D pans covered in tin foil. Will be recycled afterwards!
• George from George's Marvellous Medicine - red school jumper (bought for a couple of pounds), regular clothes, old water bottled filled with glitter and a covered with a label. Biggest cost was the superglue to glue the lid on!
• Matilda - I did buy a secondhand brown satchel, but we've kept that for potential WW2 dress up days

DS is a first time WBD child and he's going as Hairy Maclarey, I've bought dog ears and the rest is his own clothes.

Actually St David's Day when we were in Wales was worse because the girls wore traditional welsh dress which did mean a trip to buy an awful polyester costume every year.

However, it's pretty awful to create a costume when you're just managing to keep your head above water. I think schools should do something different as there are so many dressing up days at ours.