Not So Silly Bandz

This time last week I had never heard of Silly Bandz. Now they have taken over my entire classroom and I want to harm whoever invented them. NOT because I don't think they're kind of cool (I did wear 5 of my students' all day yesterday), but because the timing of their infiltration could not have been worse. Why, oh why, 5 days before I have to give my students the biggest set of standardized tests they have ever taken, did someone have to invent SILLY BANDZ? Sorting, stretching, trading, you name it, it's like they're hypnotized by the freakin things! I mean my student traded her chicken nuggets for one of them on Wednesday and spent the rest of her time at lunch starving!

If you have never heard of Silly Bandz, let me tell you a little something about them. They are different colored rubber bands shaped like animals and symbols that children have taken to wearing on their wrists. But of course they can't just stay on their wrists; they insist on sorting them by animal and color numerous times throughout the day, just in case a new one somehow creeps onto their arm between 9 am and 4pm.

At first I didn't know what they were when I saw them on my student's desk. I thought they were those gummy toys that you throw and stick to the wall and I could not imagine why she thought it was ok to be playing with them. But when I told her to put them away and she slid them on her wrist, I knew I was in for some trouble. As I looked around the room I realized that 2/3 of my students had these little colored strands of distraction and horror lining their lower arms and I knew it was me against the Silly Bandz, every man for himself.

Every time this past week that I caught my students playing with them, I took them away. And no it is not because I secretly wanted to wear some. (wink wink). The black market trading of the Silly Bandz got so bad by yesterday afternoon that I had to tell them that they aren't allowed to wear them all next week during testing. The last thing they need to be thinking about during the tests is what they can trade to get a hippo on their arm. The first question someone asked when I banned them? Can we still wear them on the bus? ARE YOU KIDDING?

So, no Silly Bandz in the classroom until June 1st. I'll probably wear mine next week just to rub it in.

A message to all of America's toy makers: In the future, please refrain from releasing any toys that could potentially turn into crazy fads during the month of May. The 3rd graders of Virginia have way too much to think about.