Have to dress 5 year old ds as 'someone from another country' for School on Friday (for Children in Need day)

[hmc]

And they told us Monday evening (thanks for the notice period, not!)

Went around a few charity shops today looking for a beret - was thinking beret and stripy top = french, job done! Beret search proved fruitless.

Other idea was an american cowboy but I couldn't find a cowboy hat in the single toy shop in nearest market town...

Any suggestions / ideas gratefully appreciated

how about going to an Asian fabric shop and getting her a salwaar kameez?

Dress DS in his usual jeans and teach him a few italian / greek / french words that you know. Then let him announce, that just because people come from another country doesn't mean they dress differently !!!

or

Get out some surfing shorts / t-shirt and go as an Australian !

Have you an old sheet that you could cut up (so it doesn't drag on the ground), and drape so he could go as a sheik or someone from Saudi Arabia/the Middle East?

"Dress DS in his usual jeans and teach him a few italian / greek / french words that you know. Then let him announce, that just because people come from another country doesn't mean they dress differently !!! "

Oh, don't tempt me!

I do have an old sheet - I might just attempt that Earlybird!

I like the surfing shorts etc for Australian surfer type, but worried about him freezing his barnacles off during outside play!

Has he got a parka? You could send him as an eskimo...you would only need to make a cardboard fish on a stick as a prop

kilt and comedy jimmy hat

have you asian shops nearby?

cheapy kurta-pyjama suit will get lots of use in dressing up box

Normal clothes and furry hat = Russian
Normal clothes and crazy knitted hat with long plaity things = Scandinavian (I think Finnish but am a bit [fick] at this)
Normal clothes and maybe a beach towel = German (ok, am getting perilously close to terrible stereotyping here but is meant in tongue-in-cheek way, not in any kind of xenophobic or insulting way)

Ds had to do this for International Language Day recently.

Half the boys went in footie kit. Got any friends who might have an international shirt? Rugby shirt would also do - got any Welsh, Scottish or Irish frends?

You could do stripey shirt and 'neckerchief' without the beret. Got some onions you could string?!

Someone went as an Italian waiter - with twirly moustache drawn on, apron and a cardboard 'pizza on a tray'.

what a crap dressing up idea. have they said 'traditional costume from another country' or just 'someone froma different country? i'm from morocco and today i'm wearing jeans and a t shirt. does that help?

bung some corks around a hat and send his as an aussie. nothing like a good stereotype

second hand silky kimono-type dressing gown in bright colour(can cut down an adult one) - with wide scarf tied high around waist + white hair band with fresh or fake crysanthemum (sp?)stuck in it, white tights, black Mary Jane's, a bit of white face paint, red lips, black-eyeliner ...

voila - Japanese traditional dress

(partic in this weather, perhaps best to wear long white t-shirt or warm slip underneath)

or ...

Mexican/Peruvian

poncho (old blanket with whole cut in middle)

stuck on or drawn-on handlebar moustache

with or without inca-style hat

I agree - send him in Jeans & t-shirt and say he's from the Republic of Ireland/any other Westernised country on the planet

Dress him in old fashioned clothes. After all 'the past is another country. They do things differently there'[smart arse emoticon]

Scottish ...

tartan skirt (cut down charity shop number ?)

white blouse

tartan sash ????

white long socks/black shoes

or

Hawaaian ...

sarong type skirt, swimming costume underneath + garlands of flowers .... (worn with Damart underwear ?????

this is a BOY, yes? I have read that right?
Am a bit at the kimono and makeup thoughts!

Indeed he is a boy and has not yet developed a penchant for cross dressing

Oh sorry!!!! Read title too fast ....

[Twonk emoticon]

The kilt wd still be alright though ...

Yes but if it is a boy forget the sash, in fact I dont know anyone Scottish who wears a sash. Jeans and T shirt, Scottish.

Send him in everyday clothes with a euro in his pocket.

This seems like really inviting stereotyping, not the best of ideas. e.g. DD has a salwar kameez but plenty of people in this country do too.

No worries Counting - they were very good suggestions which I might be able to use for dd in future .

I do agree Fimble - it leads to a tendancy to 'caricature' other nationalities....

Still, I don't want ds to be the odd one out as an ambassador for my principles.... so I will kit him out in something

All in black with black face-mask and go as a ninja?

I did what earlybird suggested, cut up an old sheet and made ds a dishdasha, made a dagger out of cardboard and tin foil and he was an Omani.

Agree, a lot of people will turn up in football shirts, or even jsut a tshirt souvineer from another country.