*I received product(s) mentioned in this post for free in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% my own.*
Not too long ago I was asked if my family would love to try out and review some products from Glee Gum. One of the products I was sent was a Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit. My son was really excited and couldn’t wait to make his own gum! Other Glee Gum Kits include a gummy candy kit and a chocolate kit. Not only are these kits fun, they are educational. There’s even a story with some history on the back if the instructions. Glee Gum is a natural gum and is made from natural rubber/latexes from trees. My son thought it was pretty interesting to learn about Sapodilla and Rubber trees that grow in the rainforest. These trees can be tapped instead of chopped down. And learning about how to make chewing gum was pretty cool too.
Before we started, we took everything out of the box and read through the instructions first. That way it was easier to remember what we were doing as we referred back to the instructions as we went along. The age recommendations are for ages 8 years and older. I definitely recommend following the age recommendation for this one. There is boiling water involved so parent supervision is advised.
We started by preparing everything. First we sprinkled some of the confectioners sugar that was included on a cutting board. There’s a packet of corn syrup that needs to sit in a cup of boiling water so that it liquefies. So you want to have it sitting in the boiling water right from the beginning. Next you want to boil at least 3 inches of water in a larger saucepan.
After the water in your pan starts boiling, you can open up the package of gum base and put it all in the little pan that is provided in the kit. Then you can place the pan in the boiling water and let it float like a boat. At this time I turn the heat down to medium and covered the pan. That way it didn’t start boiling too much and get water inside the floating pan. Then just keep checking to see if all the gum base is completely melted. I have glass lids so I was able to see it without constantly removing the lid. Once completely melted, remove the pan.
I used tongs to remove it so I didn’t burn my fingers on the still boiling water when I removed it. The pan itself cooled really quickly. Not even 30 seconds later, I was able touch it and it was cool to the touch.
Once you remove the pan, you can add the corn syrup to the gum base. Since we had it sitting in a cup of boiling water right from the start, it just poured in like liquid. Then just stir and mix the gum base and corn syrup. Warning – it is really sticky! As you stir it becomes stickier and stickier. I personally recommend using a spoon that you aren’t going to miss because the gum base will be stuck all over it. I used an old spoon that I wouldn’t miss so I just tossed it because I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it off my spoon.
After it is mixed, you place all of it on the sugar coated cutting board and then start folding and kneading the mixture like you would bread. I was wondering how this was going to work because it just came out of boiling water. But to my surprise it really wasn’t that hot. It was warm, but not hot. As I was kneading it, I had my son add a little more sugar. A little at a time. At this point it was really sticky. Imagine your hands being covered by melting bubble gum (well, it is gum) but you get the idea.
The longer it’s kneaded and more sugar is added, eventually it less and less sticky. By the time it wasn’t that sticky anymore, we divided up the gum into two pieces. At this time I just put some sugar down on the counter because I wasn’t worried about it getting stuck to my counter anymore. This is the point that I let our son take over.
Now it was time to add the flavor. There were two flavors that came in the kit. We had cherry and grape. I worked on one flavor while my son worked on the other. At this point it was time to start stretching and pulling the gum while kneading as well. We added a little of the flavor and sugar to it as we pulled and stretched it. Until we were comfortable that we got all the flavor and remaining sugar mixed in during this process, it was time to roll it.
We rolled it fairly thin and then after I brushed off the excess sugar, I cut it up into little chickle size pieces. We ended up with quite a bit of it!
I thought the gum was pretty good. I think it could have used a little more flavor but that could have been because we didn’t get the flavor mixed as well as we could have. Don’t get me wrong, the flavor was still good. I loved the texture of the gum too. It’s really great for chewing. My son loves this gum. Our other son does too. He was at a friend’s house when my youngest and I made it or he would have helped.
This kit was so much fun! From start to finish it probably took us about an hour and a half. Which gave me and our youngest to have some fun in the kitchen. I love the educational factor in this kit too. Not only do kids get to make their own gum (which our youngest thought was the coolest thing ever), they also get to learn some of the process and a little history as well.
We love it! And because we love it, look for it on my upcoming Holiday Gift Guide!
Buy It: You can purchase a Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit for $13.95 on their website. They also have a store locator you can check out. If you buy online, see below for a discount code!
Discount: Currently you can use the following discount when making orders online on the Glee Gum website. Save 15% on EVERYTHING at GleeGum.com! Coupon code: DustinNikki (Offer only valid on web-store orders placed at GleeGum.com. Enter coupon code in the lower left of your shopping cart & hit “apply coupon.†One time only; one coupon code per order. Offer ends 12/31/17 at 11:59 pm ET.)
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Links and other information about Glee Gum: More details on each product, including nutrition facts & ingredients, can be found at GleeGum.com.
– The webstore for those who’d like to order online (there’s a store locator at GleeGum.com as well)
– Glee Gum’s Facebook (Glee Gum), Twitter (@gleeguy), Pinterest (Glee Gum) accounts, and Instagram (glee.gum)
– The sign-up for our monthly e-newsletter with exclusive deals & offers
Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. However, I received free product mentioned in this post from Glee Gum in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are 100% my own.
