Express & Star

A new craze is looming large, says Sally-Anne Youll

Forget the dark circles under the eyes and the permanently vexed expression, there is now a new way to spot the parent of a primary school-aged child. They will be wearing a brightly-coloured elasticated wrist band, hand made by their offspring using the current playground craze – Loom Bands.

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Not since the first mention of 'birthday sleepover' have two words ever struck such terror into a parent's soul. Tiny little coloured elastic bands, they come in bags of what seem to be a million, and they end up everywhere.

Admittedly, they keep the kids quiet for a good while, as they sit cross-legged over a mountain of the bands, beavering away with a tiny crochet hook, until finally a masterpiece bracelet emerges, to be handed over with pride to the lucky parent with instructions that it must be worn always and never taken off, on pain of death. Hence in workplaces across the country, grown men and women are sat at their work stations with their lovingly-created bright wristbands on show.

If it stopped there, it would be fine.

But then these bracelets begin appearing all over the house, like multiplying, multi-coloured caterpillars breeding like there's no tomorrow. Everywhere you turn, another one appears, each one longer and brighter than the last. When will it end?

And if it's not the wrist bands, it's odd elastic bands found on the floor, the stairs, down the sides of cushions; everywhere. Hopefully, like other crazes, the fascination won't last long. Although I suspect I'll still be hoovering up the tiny bands for years to come.

Loom Bands are not the worst craze; at least they have a creative element, inspiring youngsters, with a little help from YouTube, to produce intricate creations such as butterflies or wristbands. And boys are into them just as much as girls, creating bands in football team colours and with a World Cup theme.

But it's only a matter of time before they fall foul of the school militia, who are sure to ban them once they become annoying enough.

It seems children have an innate drive to collect stuff – football stickers, Skylanders cards, conkers, keyrings, nits. When I was at school scented erasers held huge appeal. They came in every shape and size; made to imitate foods and smell of artificial strawberry. You couldn't resist having a bite just to see if it tasted like it smelled. Invariably they didn't. Maybe that was just me.

When the collection fodder ran dry, the kids were still driven to find a replacement craze. Taking a sinister turn, there was a – mercifully brief but deeply disturbing – fad for 'chicken scratches' where kids had to let another child scratch the back of their hand with a coin until it broke the skin. That was one I avoided.

But teachers should beware. Never underestimate the power of the dark side of a child's imagination. Once all the harmless collections have been outlawed, they will find something to fill their place. They could turn to a more painful alternative.

But, as long as there are pound shops; an Aladdin's cave of affordable pocket-money knick-knacks, there will always be something for a child to collect.

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