If you are the aunt of a school-aged child, chances are they are caught up in the Silly Bandz craze taking over across the country. What exactly are Silly Bandz? Exactly what they sound like: small bands that are created in an array of shapes. Kids can wear, share, and trade them - and they are doing exactly that. These Silly Bandz cannot only be a collectible craze for kids, but one where you can build an afternoon of fun for your nieces and nephews.Here's how:

The party theme can be trading Silly Bandz. Find a way to have an organized swap, perhaps by drawing numbers.

After the swap, take a series of photos of the kids wearing their Silly Bandz – they’ll love it. Have them pose any way they like together and on their own and snap those pictures. And, with their parents’ permission, you can upload these to the Silly Bandz site and see if you make their weekly fan collage.

Yes, the kids wear and share their Silly Bandz, but what other uses are there for these Silly Bandz? Have the kids come up with unique ideas for the bracelets that they may not have thought of before. Divide the kids into teams of two to figure out something new and present to the group.

Create a Silly Bandz song - this goes along with the photo session. Put on a karaoke tune that the kids love and have them create an ode to Silly Bandz. Record it and have fun playing it back again and again. Perhaps have a Battle of the Silly Bandz and have teams of kids come up with different songs.

Make up a batch of cookie dough, and roll it out thin. Place the Silly Bandz on the dough and using an exacto knife or other cutting tool, cut out Silly Bandz shapes (this part of the activity should be well-supervised), then bake up your Silly Bandz cookies and enjoy your treat.

For your party favor, what else? Send them home with additional packs of Silly Bandz!

Lisa Kothari is the founder of Peppers And Pollywogs.

Photo: SillyBandz.com
Published: June 10, 2010