To wonder wtf easter bonnet parades are all about?!

[Theydontknowthatweknowthattheyknow]

My child had her first Easter bonnet parade today. I have never seen or taken part in one so I didn't know what to expect. I helped my child with her's but ultimately it was her doing what she loves best cutting and sticking a bunch of junk on a hat. Then out come kids in tonnes of kids in absolutely immaculate bonnets clearly entirely made by their parents. It was quite cute but what exactly is the point in it?! Who actually has time to sit there for hours with a glue gun etc and surely it's much better for the child if they at least play some part in creating it otherwise it's basically just parents showing off. I really am not miserable about school traditions and get as involved as I can and don't even mind putting in some effort if it's for the benefit of the kids but this one I just don't get. My child loves crafts and is very creative so it'd be a much nicer tradition for her to take the lead with it. AIBU to think this? And in most schools do the parents make them or the kids? The worst part was that my child was obviously quite sad and deflated as I think she knew that lots were 'better' than her's which made me feel really rubbish too

I always helped my kids with the crafts but under their direction, same with their homework. I could never understand why parents had to do them its soooo obvious the kids didn't do it.

Just let your child do their own thing and praise them on their creativity.

Everyone knows the Easter bonnets where the parents have done it and I roll my eyes. I just let my children make them on their own whilst I drink coffee nearby, they are always so proud of their creations and don't compare at this age.

Had never heard of them until my kids were in primary school. Are they a modern invention or was I a deprived child?

Times have obviously changed. I helped my GC make his Easter hat,many years ago,he won the prize as it was obviously made by him with a tiny bit of adult input.

All the shop bought,or obviously made by adults were clear to be seen.

I've a lovely picture of him wearing it with his Easter egg prize.

Ahahaha I made this error when DC1 was about 3. She made her own bonnet and within an hour, half of it had fallen off. Meanwhile Pinterest worthy bonnets all round from the other 3 year olds

I know in theory letting DD do it herself was better, but I also remember that she was really upset about it falling apart and about everyone else’s looking better. You can’t win.

I’d not seen or heard of it either and DS’s school messaged and literally said “please bring in a hat and decorations for the parade” with no other context at all. None. I felt like I’d missed a step. His was very cute in the end though.

Were there any snacks?

No way could my 5year old use superglue without me, prit stick won’t hold.
She roughly designed it and I stuck it altogether. Like everything in primary school, it’s the parents.

It’s a bit of fun. How families decide to do that depends upon what works for them.

I judged an Easter bonnet competition today and our main criteria was ones which the child had obviously done the bulk of but that didn’t stop us admiring the amazing creations which had obviously been more parent led

There are two types of parents - one type do their primary school children's homework and projects - the other doesn't. I didn't and thought it was just weird that some did

My little girl is 3 and tried doing it herself but the glue wouldn’t hold. So in the end her dad stuck it down with superglue and she decided what to put on and where to put things.

My daughter chose the design and normally loves using the sewing machine. Would she sew her Easter bonnet together? No.

It was our first parade today too. Id gone out of my way to use resources we already had and created a bonnet we could pull apart and reuse the pieces from. I know from the class What’s App most of the parents had been and got some tat from Home Bargains, which will be put int bin tonight. I was horrified by the lack of respect for the climate disaster we are in and wish schools would stop this tradition.

😋😂

Apologies if the op is still around. I screenshotted it from Mumsnet 10 years ago- is this bonnet scary?

Meh.

I did one with five year old out of £2 worth of pipe cleaners, yarn that I have for tapestry weaving, and a plain white sheet of sketching paper. We chose the colours together and I made the foundation out of pipe cleaners and strengthen it with yarn. I made ovals on white paper and we drew inside them, making Easter eggs before attaching them to his hat. We had fun and he loves his hat. It looked like a joint effort though.

I saw the “bonnets” in shops but they didn’t look like they would accommodate his curly hair and I didn’t want to get it only to get home and it didn’t fit since he wasn’t with me at the time.

We made Easter hats when I was a kid - don't think it is that new?

@Lamelie I clicked on this to ask if the Scary Easter Bonnet thread was still here somewhere! You beat me to it 🤣

Easter bonnet competitions were around in the 1970’s at primary school. I know because I won it once! And I can still remember the hat design and eating the buttons Easter egg. Happy days 😊

I love an Easter bonnet. Best ones involve half a tree, handily placed to poke eyes out, and some real blown eggs that break everywhere. We have always gone for originality over beauty!

@Lamelie

Thank you! This thread was crying out for someone to post that.

Never fails to make me laugh 😁

Was normally a joint effort in our house for things like this. Kids had the ideas but needed some help with how to make them.

I made a Xmas table decoration for school once. I was about 6/7. I did it all myself including bending some wire to make my reindeer stand up.
When I arrived at school there were some very good ones but I won a prize for mine. I was soooo proud.......but appears not modest as I asked my mum to write a note explaining I'd made it all by myself with no adult intervention. I was so pleased with my creation I was convinced no one would ever believe a child had actually made it and think it was shop bought😆😅😂
Point is though I was rewarded for my efforts and only 1 or 2 parents had bought/made something.
I recall making bonnets at school. For some reason the boys made 'Red Indian' style feather headdresses. I'm sure your child's bonnet was great and the fun and learning was in the creating.

Get ready for World Book Day. They'll be one kid in a football kit and another with a 3D lion witch and wardrobe attached to their back .

I'm considerably less creative than my child so I just help her pick out supplies and then wield the glue gun under her direction, I'm hoping that sort of halfway house will get us through primary school but to be honest if I did it myself it would look like she had anyway 😂

I was wondering what the history behind the bonnet parade is earlier today. It seems slightly odd. Our school has never run a bonnet competition so it doesn't matter whether the parents or children have made them. I usually did most of it because my kids couldn't be bothered.

I am having cancer treatment at the moment and one the other children in my son's class made an extra one and brought it in for him because we hadn't made one. I don't think they know I am ill but I really appreciated it and thought it was lovely of them.

There were definitely Easter bonnet parades in the 1970s when I was a child so it is not a new thing. It's just cute fun. You are always going to have the ones done mostly by the parents but to be fair it is the type of thing that if you want the decorations to stay on then the little ones are going to need a lot of help.