Silly Bandz vs. Slap Bracelets

If you have any kind of contact, whatsoever with a child ranging in age from seven to seventeen, you have probably heard of Silly Bandz. For those of you who choose not to spend your workday with little humans beings, they are plastic bracelets that are made out of different shapes. When you wear them around your wrist, they look like a bended bracelet, but when you lay them flat on a table, they show a shape. The shapes range from animals to cars to flowers. Apparently, they are all the rage and if you ask any kid about them, they will probably answer you non-verbally. They will simply raise up their arm, pull up their sleeve and expose the twenty five bands they are wearing all at once.

Now, if you are an educator, Silly Bandz are the Dark Force of the galaxy. They are a great way to keep kids from getting their work done. They also excel at distracting students from listening to directions. Today, I was the mean teacher that took away three Silly Bandz. (I even gave the old comment, "Come see me at the end of the day to get this back." I know, I'm a total ogre.) This afternoon, I was become super annoyed with these plastic procrastination playthings, and then I had a flash back to the second grade . . .

**Begin Dream Sequence**

Little Pammy Kohler was sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the front carpet in Mrs. Kilpatrick's second grade classroom. She, along with many of her classmates, were enjoying a new toy that just came out on the market. It had the power of captivating young minds and it was the perfect tool to avoid doing school work. It was . . . the Slap-on Bracelet!! Many reminders were given from Mrs. Kilpatrick to leave the bracelets alone and stop slapping them during her lesson, alas, none of the students did so, and therefore, Mrs. Kilpatrick was forced to take the beloved Slap-on Bracelets away, never to be seen again. A letter was typed up and sent home to all the second graders, informing parents that slap on bracelets were never again to make an appearance at Orland Park Elementary School. (Sniffle)

**End Dream Sequence**

After my flashback, I felt torn. I remembered how much I loved Slap-on Bracelets. My mom used to buy them from the Oriental Trader so we had a boat-load of them at home!! I bet if I searched my parents' house long enough I would even find one there now. I loved the different colors and patterns they had and I really loved the sound it made when you slapped them on your wrists. Then I thought about my students who probably have similar feelings to their Silly Bandz. I decided the only way I could solve this problem would be to hold a Bracelet Smack Down.

Here's how it works. I will simply weigh the pros and cons of the Slap-on Bracelets to the Silly Bandz. We will see which one comes out the best. That bracelet will then win the Bracelet Smack Down, and would also be entitled to all the bragging rights. Let's begin.

In this corner, we have the retro Slap-on Bracelets.
Pros: 1. They come in a variety of colors;
2. They come in a variety of fabrics;
3. They make a really great thwacking sound
Cons: 1. When bent, they are ruined;
2. Parents get sick of the thwacking sound

In the other corner, we have the current Silly Bandz.
Pros: 1. They come in a variety of colors;
2. They come in a variety of shapes;
3. They are quiet
Cons: 1. They get stretched out;
2. They don't know how to correctly spell the word 'bands'

Slap-on Bracelets: Pros-3, Cons-2

Silly Bands: Pros-3, Cons-2

Well, that was a big, fat waste of time. We came out with a tie. I once heard that a tie is like kissing your sister/brother. I guess we still have some data we can draw a conclusion from. Both bracelets are awesome and I am pretty sure when my children go to school, there will be a new bracelet that will also drive teachers crazy. It's the circle of annoyances.