world book day is a pointless, costly pain in the arse for working parents?

[LumpenProletariat]

Does it make any difference to reading levels? As a solo working mum, I find it a total pain and costly too.

I used to find the endless book days non uniform days European colours days you name it days such a pain in the financial bum.

[quote LumpenProletariat]@MajesticallyAwkward there is no way my child is going to go dressed as something from a younger child's book. He's going to have very specific ideas and there is no way he is going to accept some random remnants from a wardrobe as a "costume". He's on the autistic spectrum and has quite firm ideas. He would hit the roof. [/quote]
I literally said it depends on age and interest, I wasn't suggesting you send a 16 year old dressed as me bump.

You also can't condemn something because your dc specifically wants something you don't want to do or pay for. I forgot one year and had 5 minutes the find something, DD was thrilled to be princess pearl from Zog! We grabbed a princess dress up from her wardrobe and a doctors coat and stethoscope.

I gave a few examples of quick and easy characters, there are hundreds more. If your specific dc wants to be an angry bird then yes that's challenging. Could you give him some other ideas and let him choose from some you can do easily? or simply opt out completely and just send him in his own clothes. It's not mandatory.

Home made costumes are time consuming, therefore difficult for a single working mum

They really aren't. I've cobbled most of my daughter's costumes together in a really short time, usually the night before and usually because I had no idea it was happening. And I am the least crafty person, ever.

there is an established link between reading for pleasure and academic success (moreso even than socioeconomic status). It's not a moral judgement.

Correlation v causation. Someone interested in academia is far more likely to read for fun. That doesn't mean they are going to do any better because of it.

I don't understand why some people (OP included) have said they "will have to throw it away after use". You could sell it on or give it to someone else once your child no longer wants to dress up in it. At our school parents will often give them to the class below to use so they get recycled. We're not in an affluent area though and I get the feeling many posters are.

I don't follow why it is acceptable to guilt children (or adults) who do not enjoy reading.

Performative shock-horror and snobbery around reading puts a lot of people off it. It's completely against the spirit.

I don't follow why it is acceptable to guilt children (or adults) who do not enjoy reading.

I agree. I loved reading as a child. I do very little of it as an adult. My daughter goes through spells of rattling through books then not touching one for months. I’m not going to force it on her or guilt her in to doing it more. She’s 12 and still loves me reading to her at bedtime. That will do for me.

Encouraging very young children to read or be read to is great, but beyond infants, I don’t get why we are so bloody obsessed with books and reading. Always seems like a devious way for people to have a go at people about class.

Always seems like a devious way for people to have a go at people about class.

This is so spot on.

Normal clothes and a saucepan = George off of George's Marvellous Medicine.

My Breton top = Burglar Bill

My Breton top and an eye patch = generic Treasure Island pirate for the random times our school did Robert Louis Stephenson day!

My love for the Breton top knows no bounds!

We always get a theme so can’t always make do with what we have. One year was a character that dresses on white. Another year was a character er from a certain book etc. I agree it’s a waste of money and time.

[quote shouldistop]@LovelyLovelyWarmCoffee mine was the first answer and it wasn't faux confusion. Our school doesn't ask pupils to wear costumes, I didn't realise it was such a wide spread thing.
The op didn't explain it was costly due to buying a costume. [/quote]
Apologies in that case @shouldistop I have seen it mentioned plenty of times on MN or elsewhere, supermarkets have costumes on offer for this and all the schools in my area are doing it so I assumed everybody knew it was a thing. Apparently not :)

I don't understand why some people (OP included) have said they "will have to throw it away after use". You could sell it on or give it to someone else once your child no longer wants to dress up in it. At our school parents will often give them to the class below to use so they get recycled. We're not in an affluent area though and I get the feeling many posters are.

We’re in a pretty well off area, the school racks are full of costumes for kids to use. I rarely bin anything be it the few dress up things we bought when my daughter was very little, or any clothes she has grown out of. Everything is donated.

Normal clothes and a saucepan = George off of George's Marvellous Medicine.

Or, Saucepan Man from Faraway Tree. My daughter went as him one year, we just printed off some saucepan shapes and pinned them on to her clothes. She took a pan in as a hat.

@LovelyLovelyWarmCoffee meh, I don't do the food shopping can't remember the last time I was in a supermarket actually.

@BoredZelda I'm reading the faraway tree stories to my 5yo just now, we love dear old saucepan I kind of hope we do have to do costume this year so I can steal that idea!

Oh do spell out the link bw a love of reading and class for me please.

@BoredZelda - do you have the wonderful Lauren Child illustrated edition? It’s an absolute joy!

I would absolutely hand it to the kid who pitched up at school actually wearing all the saucepans

Oh do spell out the link bw a love of reading and class for me please.

Oh do stop pretending people dont make that link.

@SpiderVersed I don't. But it is my birthday soon, it shall go on the list.

@shouldistop They are fabulous books. We read them so many times. I remember reading them as a kid too. Daughter also went as Silky the fairy one year.

@TheKeatingFive

I would absolutely hand it to the kid who pitched up at school actually wearing all the saucepans

My son would absolutely love to do that but I suspect he'd do the teachers head in banging them together deliberately

@Porcupineintherough

Oh do spell out the link bw a love of reading and class for me please.

The link is between performative displays ('oh goodness world book day is so lovely, I just adore handmaid costumes and reading Robinson Crusoe to little Tarquin, I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't') and class. Not between loving reading and class.

@BoredZelda they were my favourite as a child too. I'm going to get the secret seven when we're done with faraway tree but hoping to get them second hand somewhere so been looking around

@shouldistop They were great too. But we moved on to Twins at St Clares after the faraway tree.

Well school will arguable do lots of things that aren't specifically raising educational attainment. Ours also dress up for Halloween, TT Rockstars, CIN and Red Nose Day plus we do Easter Bonnets / Boxes dep on the school year. God forbid my child is allowed something fun.

However, there are lots of ways for school to do these things without ostracising the kid who hates dressing up or needs to be I ntbe or uniform or the family who can't afford to buy a costume off Amazon etc. It should be inclusive, not a way to determine the cool people

@BoredZelda

Normal clothes and a saucepan = George off of George's Marvellous Medicine.

Or, Saucepan Man from Faraway Tree. My daughter went as him one year, we just printed off some saucepan shapes and pinned them on to her clothes. She took a pan in as a hat.

I really tried to get my daughter to do this this year. She's flatly refused though. Wants to be rosie revere. Luckily nanny is good with a needle and is making her outfit.... I love world book day. I know it's a pain for some people but the kids all seem so excited by it where we are. And it does get them talking about books which is just brilliant.