To think World Buy an expensive costume Day & it's costume buying aren't cricket

[3Daddy31982]

I don't like world buy an overpriced cosumeday. Not every family can afford £19?
Aibu?

Dress as a word is actually quite easy. DD La school did that a few years ago. I bought her a white oversized T-shirt & let her rip with the felt tips & then she wrote the word 'colouring' on it & wore it over her clothes.
This year she wants to go as Ada Twist & thankfully already has a red polka dot dress.

Someone shared this and I thought it was brilliant (also happened to have chosen two characters from it!)

I don't know a single parent who bought anything.... everyone is refusing what they got....our school like every other one has racks of donated costumes. It's a fun dressing up day

Yeah, but we have keyworkers as a theme. And no way would DS dress up as a teacher or something like that so he could wear his own clothes.

Yeah I agree with you OP. Spending money on a costume is daft. £19 is a couple of new books and loads of second hand ones.

I've cut out a cardboard box and painted it green. Four year old can go as evil pea. 11 year old hates WBD and always has since nursery. Normal gear for him.

Surely most characters in most books just wear normal clothes anyway.

Exactly, and, once they get into KS2 my dc sussed this themselves. Prior to that it was wearing something from the dressing up box then finding a book to match.

My daughter doesn't like fancy dress and is going in her school uniform (her choice, although I did tell her she could wear whatever she wants that day). She gets really unsettled by change, so no pressure from the school or from us on her.

I was really glad when my kids finished primary school and I was fine with all this stuff.

Fine = done

Whilst I do think it's daft that it's become another costume day (we've already got Halloween for that!) just use stuff from home. My DS and I came up with a couple of ideas and settled on a "Red" from the book Mixed by Arree Chung. Essentially I'm gonna put him in all red clothes and I've made him a cardboard sign. Its very low key but he's happy. I also told him he could wear his skeleton costume from Halloween and be one of the skeletons from the Funnybones books. I wasn't going to go and buy something new.

Also, our school have suggested that should someone not want to make a costume or not have the money to buy one then kids are welcome to come in wearing their pjs, like a bedtime story theme.

I hate to be Bah Humbug about this because I hate Bah Humbug, because its meant well and I like the idea of encouraging reading....

But it seems almost designed for maximum parental humiliation and hassle. The vast majority of parents either don't have the time or don't have the money to do the costumers (or both). Those rare kids with parents who can do one or both stick out like rich kids in a slum.

If I actually felt it had an impact on levels of reading/literacy I might feel more disposed to tolerating the lunacy but it patently doesn't: most of the kids wear costumes which have sod all to do with books and its become an exercise in one-upmanship and stealthy mummy bragging. It can get in the bin.

I have never bought anything additional for the book day costume, just ensured I planted a book and character in my child's mind that we already had the outfit for or fudged it. I am rubbish at craft and sewing and don't want to buy things for one day. A lot of books have cats in which are fairly easy to do with a onesie or headband and bit of cardboard. Also finding a character who wears "normal" clothes very handy. I quite enjoy it all despite my original scepticism when they first started school

At our school you can basically only win a prize if you’ve made the costume yourself. So yes, some people wear expensive costumes, but you won’t win a prize.

I’m acing it this year as teen dd has helped ds make his costume with no help from me! (Yes the same one who makes the pancakes, for the eagle eyed amongst you. And no I’m not sorry!)

"just make something" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Our school have gone for "dress up like a word" which is great- super keenos can go all out, my kids will just be wearing whatever costumes they already have, and then we'll pick a word that fits (thinking about the last bloody costumes I had to buy, my kids' words will very likely be nativity themed 😏)

What does cricket have to do with it?

I can’t be arsed this year. Covid has made me realise WBD is a sham. How the fuck is Buzz Lightyear a storybook character?! Toy Story is a bloody film, not an actual story 😒

I’ve bought a costume because I’m lazy, but the best ones I’ve seen are the ones that are made. I love seeing all the kids in their costumes.

My son's school is also doing a word thing. I've got an old orange t-shirt of his, wrote Camp Half Blood on the front, he will wear jeans and the tee and is going as "demi-god". Total cost £0

I agree OP.

Our school also gave us 6 days notice that children had to make a ‘book in a box’. Anyone else had to do this? If you don’t know what it is, Google it for pictures. It’s basically homework for parents 🙄

DGS 4 is going as the hungry caterpillar. Green tracksuit he had and a red hat We have drawn some eyes, fruit and cakes etc and stuck on. It’s bloody hilarious.

DD is going as Sophie from the tiger who came to tea. She’s taking her stuffed tiger with her (DH was trying to convince me she needed a toy kettle to for the tea, I’m not adding that).

One year DC went as red riding hood, she had a red rain mac (it had lady birds on it but worked) and took her sisters play picnic basket which I put her packed lunch in.

We’ve also done the cat in the hat, I made the hat using cardboard and DC wore a black outfit with a white cardigan.
Dr Doolittle again I made the hat and DC wore normal clothes and blazer on top and took along some cuddly toys we already had.

My favourite year was the year my eldest class decided to be characters from a book similar to the chalet school, and they all went in wearing similar colour clothes as school uniform. That required no effort from me whatsoever.

I always buy costumes because I have no imagination, no handy ‘props’ at home that seems to fit any theme and although I do have the time I just can’t be arsed to spend it being creative with costumes.
Ds is going as Harry Potter (genuinely his favourite book character) - bought a cape for £17, he has normal clothes for underneath, £4 on the glasses and we have a wand already. Last year we didn’t have dressing up day, they brought in their favourite book and each did a 90 second book talk.
When my dds were at school they were Matilda a few times, blue dress, red ribbon in hair, held a book. Cost me the ribbon as we had the other bits.
Our school says you absolutely do not need to dress up, you can participate in the day in a variety of ways.
I’m going as Demon Dentist this year. And yes, I’ve bought it all as I don’t have a bloody lab coat lying around the house but Lots of children in my class have been reading it and I thought they’d find it a bit of fun. DD has made me a toothy necklace though out of clay (which I did have to buy!).
Join in with a costume, don’t if you don’t want to, there will be lots of kids just in mufti as generic characters. Or just send in uniform, it’s all fine.
So no, yanbu to think not every family can afford £19 per child on WBD costumes which will be worn for one day but yabu to look down on others who buy them.

Just dress your child in their best clothes. They’re one of the orphans from a Series of unfortunate events.

My DS is going in his penguin onesie. He’s decided he’s Penguin Publishing House.

(Sorry, can't credit the author - was generally being shared on the internet a few years back)

With apologies to the ORT:

The school sent a letter home about World Book Day.
The children were allowed to dress up as their favourite characters from books.
Biff and Chip were very excited.
Mum was not.
‘What is your favourite book?’ Mum asked Biff and Chip.
‘I don’t really like reading books,’ said Biff.
‘Is a computer game a book?’ said Chip.
‘Fuck my life,’ said Mum.
Mum had a good idea. ‘You are already characters in a book. You can go as yourselves.’
Biff and Chip looked at Mum as though she was stupid. ‘Are you stupid?’ asked Biff and Chip.
Dad was looking forward to World Book Day. He gave the children some ideas about what they could dress up as.
‘I’m going to be a dragon!’ said Chip.
‘I’m going to be a robot!’ said Biff.
‘I’m going to be a man-eating snake!’ said Kipper.
‘How am I going to make a dragon, a robot and a man-eating snake costume, you fucking idiot,’ shouted Mum at Dad.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Dad. ‘I will make the costumes.’
‘Oh no,’ said Mum.
Upstairs, the magic key was glowing. It took the children and Floppy the dog to a magical land. In the magical land a dragon, a robot and a man-eating snake were all having a fight.
‘Cooooooooool’ said Chip.
‘Phew,’ said Biff. ‘Now we can wear those costumes to World Book Day, because those characters have appeared in a book, which is this book, about us.’
‘Are you drunk?’ asked Chip.
The key glowed and took the children back home. Half of the walls of their house were missing, and the front garden was on fire. Dad was in the middle of it all.
‘Dad, what have you done?’ asked the children.
‘Whoops, silly me,’ said Dad. ‘I was making your World Book Day costumes.’
‘Oh no,’ said Kipper.
The next day was World Book Day. Dad showed the children their costumes. ‘Floppy needs a costume too,’ they cried.
Dad found a cat mask. ‘Floppy can be a cat,’ he said, putting the mask on Floppy.
Floppy bit Dad’s arm. Floppy did not want to be a cat. ‘Floppy, you fucking liability,’ said Biff.
Dad took the children and Floppy to school. Everyone was dressed up. Mrs May was dressed up as a lady who she said was called Anastasia Steele. The creepy caretaker was standing next to her. ‘I am Christian Gray,’ he said. Mrs May had a rope around her neck.
Dad had brought a can of petrol with him into the classroom. ‘Here comes the dragon!’ he cried. He poured the petrol over the dragon’s head and got out some matches. ‘Watch the dragon breathe fire!’ said Dad.
‘Fuck this,’ said Chip, and took off the dragon costume. Biff, Chip and Kipper ran and hid underneath a table. Dad lit a match.
Later on World Book Day, a policeman came and asked Dad lots of questions. Biff, Chip and Kipper went to see Mrs May.
‘Are you sad that Dad burned your school down, Mrs May?’ they asked.
‘Not really,’ said Mrs May. ‘I never did like teaching you horrible children anyway.’
Biff, Chip and Kipper went home to tell Mum Dad was being sent to prison. They thought Mum would be sad.
Mum was not sad. Mum was furious. Mum was standing in the middle of their broken house looking at her online bank statement.
‘HOW much on World Book Day costumes?’ shouted Mum. ‘Dad is a fucking MORON.’
‘Oh no,’ said Kipper.

@BeingATwatItsABingThing

He had already come under pressure from the teacher who insists he had to dress up but he won’t be.

What teacher is insisting? I tell all of my class that dressing up is completely optional. If they come in in just non-uniform, I don’t even bat an eyelid. It’s meant to be a fun day but dressing up isn’t fun for everyone.

His class teacher.

She is always a bit over-zealous as she runs all the activities every year such as book day, the carol services, the choirs, the clubs, the nativities. Basically, if something if happening at the school, she is running it.

Saying that, ds is a sensitive little soul and takes everything to heart so her encouraging kids to dress up, to him could be interpreted as having to dress up

@Kite22 hilarious