Looney for Loom Bracelets!

So...I’m grateful to say that, up to this point in my kiddos’ lives, there haven’t been too many trends/fads/points of influence that have translated from school to home.

My crazies pretty much still dress in a way that pleases them, play with what they enjoy, watch and read the things that they gravitate toward of their own accord. And I hope that lasts for as long as possible.

But every once in a blue moon, there’s something from school that definitely sparks envy/interest at home. Case in point: the Twisty Pet fad of a year or so ago. Cute little plastic beaded bracelets that can be twisted and turned into tiny little pet animals. Super cute—and thankfully, super affordable—so when everyone at school seemed to have one, and the girlies were begging, I had no problem joining the crowd, ha. (And truth be told, they’re just the kind of thing I would have loved as a kid).

Welp. We have our second from school-to-home fad trending strong in our household. And, thankfully, it’s also one I can get on board with!

Loom bracelets, made from little plastic rubber bands. :)

Now...it all began, well, perhaps as far back as this Covid world of ours, and how it’s slightly altered things at school.

Basically, because the kiddos have to be quarantined to only their specific classmates, they only get recess on the official playground every third day (and the rest of the time rotate amongst slightly less interesting, but still outdoor areas), and they can’t really share a whole heck of a lot with any students, in order to keep germs at a minimum...teachers have been a tad more lenient with what comes to school.

For example: when my kiddos returned to in-person learning, we were told we could send them with items like a soccer ball, sidewalk chalk, or other unobtrusive but diverting tidbits to help them enjoy their recess time, even when they can’t be on the playground.

And it sounds like this slightly more lenient vibe has translated to in-classroom diversions as well. Well, at least in Chica’s home room.

As I understand it, her class gets just a couple of 5-10 minute brain breaks throughout the day—either by teacher mandate, or by the natural course of an individual student finishing work before moving on to the next assignment. And the kiddos seem to be encouraged to read or do some sort of small craft project while they’re on “break.”

Well. Lo and behold...a few days ago, Chica came home with some pipe cleaners and beads, showing me how she’d been making her own bracelets during her breaks. And also shared with me a lovely little fishtail bracelet a friend made for her while on break, as well.

While I made it absolutely, crystal clear that I loved Chica’s inventive pipe cleaner bracelets, I could also sense that she might really enjoy and thrive on some more sophisticated materials. And you know I’m always game for a project!

So...a quick trip to Hobby Lobby was made, complete with my 40% off digital coupon, and home I came with an official Loom kit and a handy dandy sort of mini/portable holder.

Chica was beaming when I brought it home; so excited to get to work and create some fun bracelets. It was actually the exact kit one of her friends had at school, so I chose well. But in keeping with her slightly reserved nature, when Chica woke the next morning, she was slightly self conscious about bringing her kit to school and seeming to copycat, and I simply encouraged her to do what made her heart happy. Take it or leave it. And that morning, she left it.

But...joy of all joys, she came home all lit up that day, with a bracelet she’d made herself, utilizing materials a classmate had given her. And she was gung-ho about joining in now that she’d built a bit more confidence and been given the gift of a little friend taking a small bit of time to teach her how to create the little bracelets.

Fantastic.

She was a looming bracelet pro that evening...

Here I am, sporting one of her creations...

That evening, Chicklet was nearby, coloring a bookmark she’d made, and I was curious to see how interested she would get in the bracelet shenanigans.



And it turns out, she was pretty darn interested, because by the next night, after some kind lessons from her sissy, Chicklet was a bracelet making machine, too. :)







Adorable.

And later, after dinner and showers, the kiddos set up their own little bracelet shop, as they’d already amassed so many. :)



The girlies even made “boy colored” ones for Little Man to put on Yoshi, hehe.



And Chicklet busted out a little megaphone and ushered Daddy and I up with our money—25 cents per bracelet—to do a little shopping. 





Love it.

Well. Considering they made more than a dozen bracelets in one afternoon/evening between the two of them, I figured we needed to progress to the slightly more challenging fishtail style to keep them more occupied, ha. So today—after another freaking run to Hobby Lobby to get Chicklet her own loom kit—I sat through the tutorial with them, and we taught ourselves.

So basically.

We’re on track to keep producing bracelets out the wazoo from here to kingdom come. ;)



Even in the car, on the way to pick up our online grocery order, hehe.





I love seeing their little creativity and focus in action, though, so it’s hard to be annoyed in any way. 





Definitely a great little non-tech activity for them to utilize their brains.



And let’s be real: I’m totally okay with supplying my little addicts. Especially when you consider I came home from my second Hobby Lobby run with a supplemental little kit, complete with charms—charms!—and glow in the dark rubber bands, ha.

So there you have it.

The new little crazy around our household.

And because no good deed goes unpunished, I’m sure now I shall look forward to having both LEGOs and rubber bands all over my freaking house.

Wishing you a happy Saturday, peeps. It’s pretty chill around ours and it’s going to be a very cold and rainy one tomorrow. So online church and cozy family time it is.

Stay healthy, stay sane.

Over and out.