Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit

CONFECTIONER’S SUGAR (SUGAR, CORN STARCH), CHEWING GUM BASE, CORN SYRUP, NATURAL PEPPERMINT FLAVOR, NATURAL FRUIT FLAVOR.

Make your own chewing gum with chicle, the sap of the Sapodilla tree that grows in the rainforests of Central America. Everything is included!

As a former teacher, I think all 3 of the Verve Make-Your-Own kits are just so cool! While learning first-hand how some of kids' favorite treats are made (I am a huge fan of the show "How It's Made:!), kids also connect to historical traditions and global economies by understanding the history as well as the economies of these products, learn how raw materials are sourced and made, and learn new cultural traditions.

But mostly, these kits are just plain fun! Even adults (like me) can get into them!

These kits would make a great classroom activity, either for connecting to particular historical/ cultural units, or for a fun holiday activity. Having a Halloween party at your house? Why not have your kids make their own candy, providing fun, entertainment, and learning all at the same time.

All of the kits take about 20-30 minutes to complete, require a stove or microwave, and of course, we strongly recommend adult supervision. Makes a great gift for kids (ages 8 & up).

From the Glee Gum website, a bit about the unique experience these kits provide:

"Connect kids to the global community by tracing the origins of raw materials we encounter in our daily lives. Our gum kit uses natural chicle. Our chocolate kit includes organic cocoa butter from Costa Rica, and the gummy kit contains carrageenan made from seaweed from the Philippines.

Create something exciting and delicious. At Verve, we believe people learn by doing. By creating delicious edible treats with our kits, kids also create connections to each other, between various fields of studies, and to other communities and cultures.

Captivate kids' interest. Kids have always loved to stir, mix, touch and taste our great activity kits. Now children can make yummy treats while learning about: the rainforest, ethnobotany, chemistry, mathematics and measurement, ecology and environmental issues, home economics, nutrition, the oceans and more!"

 

STARS: 5 out of 5 stars for naturalness
COMMENTS: Glee Gum is made with all natural ingredients including: pure cane sugar, rice syrup, natural flavorings and colorings. Our gum base has super chewy natural chicle harvested from Sapodilla trees in the rain forests of Central America.

Glee Gum does NOT have: artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners (e.g. aspartame, saccharin or cyclamate).

A bit about Verve, the manufacturer of Glee Chewing Gum, from their website:

"In 1992, the concept for Verve was born when we visited an economically depressed chicle-producing community in Northern Guatemala. Up until then, we had never really thought about how chewing gum was made. When we realized its origins, we learned that prior to the synthetic resins, chicle was the basis of the entire industry. Our goal was to support chicle-harvesting by purchasing chicle.

Today, Verve provides a sustainable source of income for those communities while simultaneously offering fun, educational, and environmentally friendly activities for kids.

Verve's commitment to environmental and social justice is twofold; first, we closely monitor the environmental and social impact of our own business practices, and second, we create products and curriculum that help children think about environmental and social issues in innovative, interesting, and developmentally appropriate ways.

Our finished products are designed to help people think about where products come from, how raw materials and natural resources can be used responsibly, and how communities around the world depend upon one another to help build a healthier future."