It is impossible to remove any item from Mr5's room while he is on the premises. He shows a marked tendency toward the Family Hoarding gene, and clings like a barnacle to anything - and I do mean anything - that I might decide is surplus to needs. He LOVES those chocolate wrappers and is "collecting them to make Mr8 an Invisibility cloak". He NEEDS that wooden train set, despite not having looked at it for three years.
So I must sneak through under my own Invisibility cloak while he is otherwise engaged.
I really wanted to do it today. I wanted to clear his shelves, air the cobwebs, remove the old, and give him a clear, uncluttered space in which to begin his schooling life (on Tuesday). So I put aside the aforementioned train, the fake food and fake picnic set, several books, outgrown clothes, any variation of Wiggles puzzles (or, in fact, anything Wiggles, him being 'too big for them now Mum')... all ready to go to a young friend of ours who will love them too.
And then I got to the dress-up box.
Our dress-up box is like a perfect time capsule of the boys' interests over the years. The doctor's kit and cool little white coat. The fireman suit with reflective strips. The fireman helmet that makes a whiney, siren noise. The Spiderman suits, the Superman suit (with attached cape), the cracking Ninja Turtles suit (complete with shell). Harry Potter robes, wands, glasses (all bent).
But it's the additional stuff that I love. The baby wraps that can be capes, or togas, or ghost outfits. The five different gloves that serve as Super Whatevers, or Ninja whatevers, or medical protection. The lanyards from various conferences. The scarves that can be utility belts, or Ninja wraps, or Knightly garb. The swords of assorted length, colour and degradation. And the hats - so many hats! Hard hats, police hats, beanies, helmets.
My boys love dressing up and there is nothing they like better than ferreting about and creating the perfect outfit. An outfit that may make no sense to outside eyes, but to them, turns them into The Masked Avenger, or Sir Whosiwhatsit.
The dress-up box I left alone. There'll be time enough to sort through that. But for now, it's feeding their imaginations. It pays its way.
Do your kids have a dress-up box? What story does it tell about them? And what do you think are the essentials for a great dress-up box?
Oh, this is so true. It's the extras that make a dress up box complete. For my girls it's old handbags, ribbons, beanies and glasses that top off their outfits, and of which we seem to have a surplus!
ReplyDeleteWe have a dress up SUITCASE for the grandkids - boy of 4 & girl whose 2. So many bits & pieces but all manage to be an ensemble of great imaginative play. The high heels can click along the flirt whilst wearing a Cowboy Hat & toting a sword. We have girl / boy stuff & we don't give a stuff who wears what!
ReplyDeleteBtw. the suitcase is brilliant. It sits under the cot & kids can drag it out for play & then when done (in theory, Al, in theory!) the kids put the bits back as they tidy up!
BEST WISHES to MR 5 on TUESDAY!!!
Yes, I got a box for that too. We got old eyeglass frames, busted earphones and lots of pirates stuff. We refer to it as the "pretend" box.
ReplyDeleteDress ups is my favourite!!
ReplyDeleteThe wackier the creation, the better.
I honestly love seeing what a simple bunch of 'junk' can be transformed into using a child's imagination.
:-)
Dress ups is my favourite!!
ReplyDeleteThe wackier the creation, the better.
I honestly love seeing what a simple bunch of 'junk' can be transformed into using a child's imagination.
:-)
The invisibility cloak made out of chocolate wrappers is by far the coolest thing I've heard. I also used to collect chocolate wrappers... or namely Easter egg chocolate wrappers, because they were colourful and shiny. Oh the things youngsters do, just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't yet reached the dress up stage, but you have given me some great ideas to kickstart it :o) xo
we had a dress-up box, but as the kids got older, and access was easier, they filtered through it, without returning things.... in the end, lots of outfits were misplaced, borrowed and not returned.. and the like. our dress-up box is no more. :(
ReplyDeleteMy boys current favourite dress up is a pair of their sisters fairy wings each and a Dorothy the dinosaur tail or wags the dog tail. In this fabulous ensemble of course they are being a family of pterodactyls. I love it and would not encourage them to play anything else for the life of me.
ReplyDeleteI loved our dress-up box growing up! All our old Halloween costumes were in there along with any odd prom dresses or sparkly shoes my mother picked up at garage sales. And, because my mom was really into equal opportunity, there were tutus for all of her children -- even her two boy children. My brothers will deny this now, but I know I have pictures of them in tutus.
ReplyDeleteDress up boxes didn't happen in our family, I never had one, so my kids didn't either. I remember as a kid going to play at a friends house and seeing her and a couple of others with her mum's cast off skirts, dresses and jackets, high heeled shoes, scarves, and many, many pieces of jewellery. They were allowed to play with the paler shades of powder, lipstick and nail polish too. Remembering my envy now, I wonder why I didn't create a dress up box for my kids. My oldest daughter did have one for her kids though, they loved dressing up.
ReplyDeleteDress up boxes didn't happen in our family, I never had one, so my kids didn't either. I remember as a kid going to play at a friends house and seeing her and a couple of others with her mum's cast off skirts, dresses and jackets, high heeled shoes, scarves, and many, many pieces of jewellery. They were allowed to play with the paler shades of powder, lipstick and nail polish too. Remembering my envy now, I wonder why I didn't create a dress up box for my kids. My oldest daughter did have one for her kids though, they loved dressing up.
ReplyDeleteI'm do glad it remained in tact. I can't help but think that some things are our children's alone to give away. x
ReplyDeleteOur dress up box has a new home! It used to reside in Olivia's walk in robe...but it was full to overspilling. So, a new, much larger box is now filled in the rumpus end of the garage. Our funniest dress up is piebald chaps. That Charlie wears sans pants. Bizarre.
ReplyDeleteI hope Mr5 adores school and settles in easily...
Xx
I only wish my dress up box was bigger. We have a similar collection to you...with fewer superheroes and more play cloths. The knight's outfit is getting a little tight. The doctor stuff still ends up scattered around the house, even though it hasn't been played with for months. At the moment the main desirable dress up item is a belt - to insert any available stick, sword or long piece of wood. I think he may have discovered that trousers do not make good scabbards or something. My only wish... self tidying dress up boxes. That would be fab!
ReplyDelete