Fidget spinners flying off shelves in Windsor-Essex

Fidget spinners have been flying off of shelves across Windsor-Essex, but whileparents swear the toys calm their children some schools are already banning them from classrooms.

• Tool or toy? Why fidget toys may be hurting as many kids as they help

Initially marketed forchildren who need help focusing, fidget spinners are plastic triangular-shaped calming toys that are being used by anyone who can get their hands on them.

"It's become more than just [something]for people on the autism spectrum or with ADHD,"
said Rachel Honey, whose two kids use fidget spinners. "It's for everybody ... to help focus and relax them."

One of Honey's children is on the autism spectrum and uses the toy to keep him calm.

"After a long day at school ...he needs some downtime to distress, so he uses the fidget and it really helps him," Honey explained.

There are no studies to show whether fidgets toys such as the spinnersactuallyrelieve stress or help with focus, but Honey said they work wonders for her kids.

She bought both spinners at Scholar's Choice in Tecumseh.

The store is sold out of the tool, but is now pre-ordering them for people who come in looking for the latest trend the initialshipment of more than 100 flew off shelves inless than two hours.

"We get calls, e-mails, constant flow of traffic in the store just looking for fidget spinners," said DanielleRussette, store manager at Scholar's Choice, who has started using one herself.

"It keeps your hands busy," she said. "I even use it to help with my concentration."

Scholar's Choice isn't the only store benefiting from the latest craze.

Showcase in Devonshire Mall has sold about 800 fidget spinners in the last two weeks, even prices ranging from $30 to $35 a piece.

"People are going crazy, we have line-ups outside of our stores during the weekends ... kids are just clamouring for them," said DonnaLynd, the manager of Showcase."They can't get enough of the spinners. We just can't keep them in stock."

Lynd added the store is getting a Canada-themedshipment in next week to celebrate the country's 150th birthday.

Schools banning fidget spinners

The Greater Essex County District School Board said the latest fad of the fidget spinner can cause distractions in the classroom.

"It's up to each teacherand school to decide what is the best course of action with them, whether to allow them in the school and the classroom," said board spokesman Scott Scantlebury.

According to Scantlebury, some schools have already decided to ban students from taking them out in class, a decisionRussettehopes teachers will reconsider.

"Once you educate the student or teacher on what it's supposed to be for, then I think the classroom would be a great place to use it," she said.