Submitted by Tina Morgan, Mississippi

Idea posted May 2, 2003

Question: I was wondering how everyone's Boomwhackers® look after a year of playing with different age groups. As I look at mine closely, I see nicks and some cresses. Do you think they are hitting them too hard and I should lay into this, or is it something that's just going to happen because they're plastic?

Answer: My Boomwhackers® (used with 5th and 6th graders) are dented, creased, scratched, scuffed up, etc. I figure that's just part of normal wear and tear.

At a workshop a year or so ago, we used Boomwhackers® that belonged to a teacher - and they looked brand-new. She said she'd had them for awhile, that she didn't let the kids hit them on the chairs. It LOOKED like she didn't let them hit them on ANYthing.

When I know we'll be playing a while, I let them hit the Boomwhackers® with rhythm sticks. I've also pointed out how hitting harder doesn't always mean that it's going to sound good - even the kids can tell the difference between a pitch and something that just sounds like... well, PLASTIC.