Banned in School

The unicorn.

The phoenix.

Sorry to be so behind in reading and commenting on everyone's blog posts. I've missed it more than you can imagine, but it has been a busy (delightfully so!) week at the cottage with family and grandchildren.

When the children arrived, I noticed all three had a collection of the silly bandz that have been banned in schools across the country so I thought it would be fun to post a perspective from an insider's point of view.

I remember hula hoops and pet rocks, but in terms of popularity, the silly bandz craze has left those fads of yesteryear in the dust. The brightly colored bandz come in a variety of themes and forms and can be stretched to wear as bracelets. They instantly retain their original shape when you take them off. Here are a few details provided by my pint size entrepreneurs:

Twelve packs cost $3.00 and come in a myriad of colors as well as tie dye, glow-in-the-dark, sparkling and plain. Some of the shapes are quite rare and set off a frenzy of trading. For example, a unicorn or phoenix would demand at least five bandz in payment and one of the techniques of a good trade is to negotiate with a much younger child (I'm sure there must be some lessons in capitalism here!)

Beware of knock-offs such as "Crazy Bands" which have a slightly different color, are thicker and don't stretch as nicely.

I was curious why such a simple item had acquired the kind of notoriety that it has been banned in so many schools across the country. My small connaisseurs said the boys flick them in class warfare and unfair trading practices cause conflict in the classroom. While I was pursuing this line of questioning, a regional dispute broke out across the picnic table over a phoenix which required swift parental intervention and stiff sanctions against the offending parties. I closed my notebook, the interview was over!