Help - Alpha mum or minimalist approach to making costume for world book day?

[foxtrot]

Anyone else sending their DC to school dressed up as favourite book character on thursday for world book day? My inclination is to keep it simple but wondered if a bit of effort would be expected?

simple is best!
whats your ideas? what are their fav characters?

I'm keeping mine very simple! It's the first time dd's school have done this so I don't really what other parents will do.

His first pick is from a Richard Scarry book, a kitten called Huckle. Clothes are easy - blue dungarees and a yellow shirt. Maybe a mask or - inspiration strikes - facepaint and some ears on a headband. The letter doesn't specify, but i assume they he will be expected to take the book with him?
What are you doing mercy?

Harry and the bucketfull of dinosaurs - dead easy given how many dinosaurs we already have lying around!!

Simple!

I've got two to deal with.

Maybe one of the Mr Men would be fun

I did a very simple Mr Men costume for my ds. I dressed him in blue and wrapped bandages around him - Hey Presto Mr Bump!! And he won a prize for it - teachers loved the originality.

Ds1 and I made a Cat in the Hat hat once out of papier mache for WBD - it took days.

The very best simple outfit I've ever seen was a boy in ds's school called James who took a cardboard cut-out of a peach. James and the Giant Peach. Genius. Only works if your name is James though, sadly.

dd is going as Alice in Wonderland which is her favourite book atm (we are reading it to her)

She's already got a blue dress, white tights and black shoes; all I need to buy is an Alice band and ideally a little apron but I have no idea where to get one! I might buy her a little white rabbit too!

oh gawd .. year 1 and got to do it again

last year he wore his power rangers costume because there were power ranger annuals after all

ok we have the following costumes, give me potential books they match

pirate
cowboy
knight's tabard
tiger - I suggested tiger who came to tea but he dismissed that out of hand

PMSL at you MrsGV trying to send a Y1 in with the Tiger who came to tea. Would have got short shrift here too despite the fact that DS is downstairs watching Bob the Builder - but that is in private.

We have to do poster/model/hat. DS was a tad annoyed with me for doing him a proper costume as Willy Wonka last year when all his mates were in Power Rangers and Batman suits. So he has decided he is going to wear a pirate costume not made by me and therefore his favourite book is the Ladybird version of Treasure Island. In order to preserve his street cred I have gone along with this and we have just been making a treasure map to go with it out of a piece of lining paper rubbed with a tea bag. We might also make a treasure chest if I get chance on Monday. It is the PARTY tomorrow.

So he could go as a pirate from Treasure Island.

My instince is keep it simple but with a little drama queen for a dd and my own mini costume store in the garage hmmm.

DD wants to go as MAisy Mouse so trying to get pair of green trousers to put with red t-shirt. Could do with a mouse tail, my costume supplier might have one.

Ds will be Thomas. Amdrammer forums costume type friends have suggested dressing him all in blue and making face mast to go on his front and number one to pin on his back.

I think it is ridiculous - this is homework for mothers!
I would prefer my son READ a book for world book day, not dressed up a power ranger

MOst of dd1's classmates seem to be going as Disney princesses or Tinkerbell so that seems fairly straightforward if you've got the dress already, which many of them do. Dd got some sparkly ruby slippers for christmas so she's going as Dorothy which she is delighted about as she can take a stuffed dog as well.

ime as primary teacher, parental efforts vary hugely from school to school...

i'm a sheep if i were you i would want my efforts to blend in .. and only you know the parent group you're in with!

But don't the children give a little talk about their favourite character/book?

I've no idea as this is dd's first time - I've just assumed that's waht happens tbh.

Mercy pin a large white (mens) hankie to her skirt & a smaller white (ladies) hankie to her bodice

Hey presto a pinny!!

If she is bigger pillow case & mans hankie will also work

Hmmm, but Aloha, let's face it, your son will read a book. But it is trying to spark an interest in other children who might not. Although I do agree that it is homework for mothers but DS is doing his own treasure map, but with assistance.

I see your point, IF it does spark interest, but fear it is just about making mothers anxious and stressed, and telling children that dressing up as superheroes is the same as reading books. I'm not against dressing up at all (bought two costumes on ebay tonight!) but wonder if there might be a way of getting kids interested in books that was actually about books.

I reminds me of all this giving little kids homework that involves whitting a viking longship by hand, which obviously means the parents have to do it. I think someone on MN posted that yes, it was for the parents, to force them to interact with their children, which rather made me see red tbh!

Katymac - brilliant idea! Actually the dress has got a ribbon tie thing round the waist - I could pin a muslin cloth to the top and tie the ribbon round the middle. Or something like that!

Thank you very much

Yes I do very much see your point and as I posted below DS was slightly unimpressed at being sent as Willy Wonka (despite loving Charlie ATCF) when all his mates were dressed as super heroes. So this year it is not really about the book, it is about DS having the lateral thinking to work out what he would like to dress as, and finding a book that fits the theme to claim is his favourite and me working aound this. But I am happy, because DS does not have reading issues, other than reading Mr Dizzy when he is supposed to be getting dressed.

Conversation overheard in the school playground:

"Mum, please don't make (little sister) dress up as The Hungry Caterpillar, let her be Angelina Ballerina!"

Definitely minimalist - ds is going as Harry and the dinosaurs and dd is going as Jack from The Secret Seven with her toy dog to be Scamper (her idea)