We don’t celebrate Halloween, so when I see sites that sell Halloween costumes for kids I can have a tendency to overlook them.  But who says that “Halloween costumes” have to be worn for Halloween?  Almost every child – if not every child – loves to dress up, so why not take advantage of that to add a little fun to school?

We’re studying the Renaissance and Reformation, so I went looking to see what kind of Renaissance costumes I could find.  This “Kids Juliet Costume” fit the bill very nicely.  I surprised Ariel by putting it in her school box on our first day of school (Monday) and giving her, as her first assignment, “put this costume on.”  She thrives on “fun,” so she was thrilled!

Throughout the remainder of our unit, she can use it to act out parts, she can observe it to get a more hands-on idea of what period clothing looked like, etc.  (And I’m sure she and Sophia will use it for general play-acting regularly from here on out.  They love to dress up – especially as fancy ladies!)

The costume itself is well-made.  The fabric and such is costume quality, not everyday-clothing quality, but it’s definitely not a cheap plastic costume!  I’m confident it will stand up to lots of wear as my daughters play.  (Already, both of the smaller girls have gotten in on the action!)

(She was excited about getting to wear the costume – not so excited about having her picture taken!)

I like the idea of adding this element, and will be seeking out (and/or making, and/or having the kids make) costumes for many of our other units this year.  (Probably not all of them, though.  I’m not sure they want to dress as sheep!)  Next up: Early America.

Have any of you used costumes as an integral part of your schooling?

This costume was provided to me at no cost by Costume Discounters to facilitate this review.  All opinions expressed in this post are purely my own.