We’ve done Silly Bandz, Squinkies, Hex Bugs, and so forth over the past few years. But my daughter seems to have captured the leading edge of a new trend in her elementary school: collecting little bottles of hand sanitizer, and fancy holders for them. She begged me to take her to Bath & Body Works, and spent her allowance on 17 bottles of variously scented hand sanitizer, along with a couple winter themed carry cases. She was still slightly dissatisfied because her friend Addy has 50 or something.
She has explained to her father that she isn’t buying them to use, per se. It’s clearly about obtaining, collecting, playing with the bottles, and most importantly, bragging about how many and what kind you have.
Is this just a local thing, or is it catching fire across the country? I did notice that the Justice store had a bunch of hanitizers and carry cases, so I’m suspecting it’s beyond our little town.
My 7 year old doesn’t seem to be too interested in them, and she’s pretty fad-prone. I did get her one in a neat little clip holder that went on her backpack when school started, but it appears to have gotten lost and she hasn’t asked for a new one.
So I don’t think it’s a Thing at our (Chicago) school, no.
Not a thing at our school, either. My boys each have one holder and one bottle (that has lasted for a suspiciously long time). I asked if maybe the girls were collecting them. Six year old: “No. Lindsey has some. Just one.” Nine year old: “Who cares what the girls are doing.”
I asked my daughter, and she says it’s not a fad at her middle school, either. She has one small bottle of generic hand sanitizer in her backpack, given to her by a teacher who noticed she tends to cough and sneeze a lot. The teacher apparently doesn’t know about her allergies.
When I was that age (end of grade school, I’m assuming), I bought a lifetime supply of keychains from Claire’s, for the exact same reasons. I didn’t even own keys.
Hmm. I wonder if it’s just something she and a friend have latched onto, or if it’s a school thing. It’s weird, but sure, no weirder than any other fad. I suppose any cheap object available in multiple colors, scents, or permutations has potential to become a kid collectible.
(I confess I bought three for myself, one just because it was glittery!)
I don’t think it’s a thing here, but I have a grade-school boy who is only interested in Minecraft, so I don’t think he is the target audience for this type of fad.
Anyway, this brings up a Gripe I have about his elementary school. Apparently they don’t wash their hands any more, they use hand sanitizer before lunch. What about the DIRT? If you squirt alcohol on your hands and rub them together, all you get is dirt-smeared (though bacteria-free) hands. :dubious:
