Sir Isaac Newton - this is getting ridiculous

You could dress him up as Aristotle Onassis and say he’s a “shipping magnate ” (see what I did there ?)

I wonder what minerva's grandson did dress up as. Since this was March I'm sure the event must be over now.

These school teachers should be aware that many parents/guardians can hardly afford to put food on the table, never mind spend money on ridiculous garments.The person who said only £3.00 needs to thin twice.

I am a volunteer befriender through a local charity to a child in Year 6. About 3 weeks ago s/he brought from school a note to say that the parent/guardian was asked to provide a costume for the child for the Year 6 production of a well-known musical.
There was no way that the mother could have rustled up a costume. I think this was an unreasonable request on the part of the school, which is in a deprived area of the town.
In fact, I was able to find various items which did the job. It's what volunteers do!

They are lucky, it’s not like that here,unfortunately. Not a particularly rich area, just average but the parents have to provide. No such thing as a free education in Australia!

GC in rural primary school just had

Red Nose Day - noses supplied.
Book day. dress up as any character, easy suggestions given out.
Wear something red day (heart disease awareness)

all these seem reasonable.

I like * Casdon’s* idea - job done !

It amazes me what parents have to fork out for today, totally different from when we at school. They also have to buy laptops as designated by the school, uniforms, pay for school trips, books and stationary. That’s just a state achool. The private schools tend to go on more exotic ( and expensive) trips. Not cheap these days, being a parent.

I was lucky not to have to deal with this sort of thing with my children. A decorative cardboard hat or cardboard / paper enabling a head to pop a through was sufficient. It seems parents - and teachers - are taking such things too seriously in my view. Remember the fun of Blue Peter?

I am absolutely rubbish at this kind of thing, so I absolutely always threw money at it. In order not to spend time and stress on it, it was money well spent.

Can’t understand it. When I was teaching children up to age of 7 the school provided costumes for school activities. The staff room used to be turned into a hive of industry and mums who were willing came in to help. Don’t schools live in the real world where both parents both work to provide for the family!To ask so much and so often is ridiculous. It’s difficult enough for some parents to pay for school trips without further demands.

He could just carry an apple.....

Can he just wear a red long sleeved shirt and grey trousers? You could always pin/sew a N and S on his trouser legs?

OR, find a strip of something red to wear as a scarf over his shoulders and have the two ends a silvery grey colour?
You could cut this whole thing out of card tbh, paint it and wear it.

I think a magnet is quite straightforward.

If you are a bit more "crafty" you could make a boxy 3d thing to sit over his shoulders?

I find it a tall order, I remember having to dress my boys, now in their 30s as Tudor and Victorian kids, slightly easier for the latter, impossible for the former and does all this dressing up imbue them in the subject matter Don't get me started on World Book Day, it's a distraction, reading has fallen off the edge of a cliff for a lot of children these days, gadgetry resonates far more sadly some might just as well come in disguised as an Xbox that is the sad reality in some homes. Particularly when I read about one child, when asked to bring a book from home, he brought in the Argos catalogue I am so grateful to have grown up with few toys like most of my generation, but surrounded with books, after family and animals, they remain an enduring love in my life.

I does seem to be getting a bit ridiculous doesn't it? As if there isn't enough pressure on parents to feed and clothe their kids already!

I'd dress him is his oldest clothes, add some garden grime and sending him as Isaac Newtons gardener.

I agree with Oreo, all these costume days are so hard for parents. My dd has two children, works FT and is studying for a Masters while her Dh farms and works long days, usually with an early start.

Where are they supposed to get the time to traipse round charity shops and make garments?

I do love Doodledog’s Apple and baseball cap idea, though.

This is awful. I’m so glad it wasn’t a thing when my son was at primary school and I had neither time nor money to do this stuff. The only time some sort of costume was required was for a school play and it was easy to sort. Times are hard now - why don’t schools understand that?

Some parents love it. I wasn't one of them, but I remember the competitive types spending £££ on costumes (and this was years ago), and showing off about it at the gates. The children didn't learn much (if anything) from their parents' efforts. It was the same with homework.

My favourite was a reception class Easter Egg competition where the children were asked to paint a hoard boiled egg. There were lots of Humpty Dumpties with wonky faces and crooked grins, but several worthy of Faberge himself. Guess into which category my two fell?

Why don’t parents revolt against all these days? If enough of them phoned/ emailed/ wrote to the schools they’d soon stop this nonsense.It’s unfair to both parents and children.

Our dressing up days were nightwear ( bedtime story theme for World Book Day ) or come- as - what - you'll- be - as - a -grownup for all other occasions, requiring ordinary clothes and a " prop" of some sort.
On this occasion the staff were children for the day, although I did once come in a lab coat with a toy stethoscope, saying I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up . Reception children were rather puzzled by this.

I used to tell the school I was not good at costumes[true].
There was a ta there who was, and said anytime I got stuck, she would sort my kids out in something. She said she loved that kind of thing.

Result!

I always thanked her profusely afterwards!

Term not “beginning of time” haha

Some see this as madness when children are going hungry and I agree, some will see this as trying to engage chikdren, I agree with this too.

What schools really need to remember is many people are working and give plenty of notice at the beginning of time and then send out a reminder a week before.

I don’t think schools expect parents to pay for actual outfits so always improvise and in most schools teachers dress up too.

Some great suggestions here, good luck!

I agree with the you though Minerva such a lot of fuss, time and money for the parents to go to.
I'm not sure how much the children learn either?
I suspect the parents learn more about the characters their children dress as, than their offspring do.

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Or try to find something close to this in charity shop and fix wool ringlets inside