For example why not put some rules in place like:

1. If you wear them, they may not come off or be played with during classroom times or they are taken away. Of course, then you must follow through or the rule has no impact.

2. Decide if trading can or cannot happen in your school, but come up with a reason why you decided on the rule and explain it to the kids. e.g. not everyone has them and we don't want to create a 'game' that others cannot participate in. If you kids can trade them, find a limited time where you know adults will be around to help if a conflicts arise, then help the kids negotiate the conflict instead of just taking them away. e.g. the playground, or the last fifteen minutes of class prior to packing-up every Friday as a reward that the entire class earns.

3. Teach kids how to talk about their feelings of not having exactly what they want and that we are all different. Kids get that some people have more money, some kids get better toys, some are better at math or reading, etc. That's what makes us a community of different, diverse, and unique people. It is not an opportunity to make others feel sad or 'less than us.'

4. Maybe this is an opportunity for sharing. The bandz aren't expensive, buy some and use them as incentives for reading. That way everyone has access to them and it isn't built on the child having enough money.

Trading collections has been a childhood experience forever. Baseball cards, cabbage patch kids, jelly bracelets, Pokemon, I'm sure there are older examples than these, but this is what I remember. Trading teaches negotiation and communication skills. Sure some kids need help learning those skills. So, why don't we help them instead of banning the bracelets?

From my experience as a sexuality educator in faith communities, it is an enormous loss to childhood development if kids can't negotiate 'my dolphin bracelet' for 'your glow-in-the-dark duck bracelet.' As our children get older they will have to negotiate much riskier decisions under peer pressure related to drug and alcohol use, driving a car, communicating with a sexual partner. How can we expect them to communicate about their feelings of attraction or negotiate boundaries of sexual behavior in a relationship, if we don't even think they can handle trading silicon bracelets? How can we expect them to understand that difference isn't an opportunity to bully someone or put them down if we don't explain to them why not everyone has silly bandz?

We are missing teachable moments! A 1st grader should be able and encouraged to express hurt feelings because they don't have silly bandz and then the classroom community should talk about why "making people feel sad because they don't have the same clothes, toys, or silly bandz is hurtful and harmful to friendships." We are doing a major disservice to our children! These are life skills and instead of encouraging them, we ban them, dismiss the experience, and send a message that we as adults don't know how to deal with difference, conflict, and communication.

Even my 2nd graders knows we are wrong. When I told her silly bandz were banned at most schools and they were causing a flurry of news stories, she responded, "At our school, you have to keep them on your wrist. No playing with them or trading during school or on the bus. It might not be fair to other people. But we like to see which ones each other has. If you don't follow the rule, the teacher or aide takes them away for the day. You have to put them in your backpack." I asked if anyone has been fighting over them. She said, "Why? We just keep them on our wrist!" My point exactly, "why?" Because the school explained to the kids why they made the rule, they enforce it, and still allow ownership and expression!