Make your own chewing gum with chicle, the sap
of the Sapodilla tree that grows in the rainforests of Central
America. Everything you need is included in this kit and it's
easy! You can make your own gum on the stove or with a microwave.
Great for class room activities, scout troops, birthday parties,
home school, or after school groups. Adult supervision is recommended.
Makes a great gift for kids (ages 8 & up)!
Inside each Make
Your Own Chewing Gum Kit you'll find: chewing gum base
(containing natural chicle), confectioner's sugar, corn syrup,
natural peppermint and fruit flavors, a pan for softening
the chicle gum base, instructions and the story of chicle.
And it's really easy: Soften the chicle gum
base, either in the microwave or on the stove. Then you add the
sugar, corn syrup, and the flavor packets, knead it a little,
and WOW! You've made your own gum!
Each Chewing Gum Kit makes enough for 50 pieces!
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Now
Once all chewing
gum was made from chicle. That's the sap of the sapodilla tree,
which grows in rainforest in Central America. Men
called "chicleros" climb up the tall trees, and with
their machetes, cut criss-crosses in the trunks so that the sticky
sap flowed out. Then the chicle was processed and turned into
gum.
Today, most
chewing gum is made from synthetic stuff, but the gum base in
this kit includes real chicle. So now, chicleros have a reason
to harvest the chicle once again and protect their trees.
For more information
on sapodilla trees visit: sapodilla
trees or chicle.
Eduardo is a chiclero. That means that he taps
Sapodilla trees and collects the sap from them. That sap is called
chicle, and it’s the stuff that used to be used all the time to
make chewing gum. Nowadays, the gum we buy in stores is made from
chemicals and synthetic gum bases, not chicle. That means that
there is less work for people like Eduardo.
He lives in the Northern part of Guatemala,
in an area called the Peten, which is a rain forest. It’s hard
to imagine how different life is there from life in the United
States, but you can get an idea by thinking about the rain forest,
filled with loads of different kinds of birds, animals, and trees.
Because it rains so much, everything grows very quickly and there
are plants everywhere. It is very beautiful with all sorts of
different colors and sounds.
The problem with living in a rain forest is
that it is difficult to make a living there, and it’s hard to
get around because there are only really bumpy dirt roads, and
only a few of them. There are not many jobs, and many people are
very, very poor. They chop down the trees in the forest to make
gardens to grow some food, and some of them chop down the trees
to sell for lumber. And, pretty soon, if all that chopping continues,
there won’t be a forest left at all.
The Sapodilla trees grow wild in the rain forest,
and in order to get the chicle, chicleros tap them every 4 or
5 years; they do not chop them down. If more people chew gum made
out of chicle, like in THE GUM KIT, the people who live there
would have a real reason not to cut down trees. It would make
more sense to protect the trees, and tap them for the chicle they
produce.
So that is where THE GUM KIT comes in: The
more gum you chew made from chicle, the more you help keep Eduardo
employed in protecting the rain forest. The whole world thanks
you!!!
Want to learn more?
NUTRITION
FACTS:
| Serving
Size 1/10 oz (3.0g) |
1
stick of gum |
| Servings
Per Container |
about
61 |
| Amount
Per Serving |
|
| Calories
10 |
|
| |
%
Daily Value* |
| Total
Fat 0 g |
0% |
| Sodium
0 mg |
0% |
| Total
Carbohydrates 3 g |
1% |
| Sugars
3 g |
|
| Protein
0 g |
|
*Percent
Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your
daily values may be higher or lower based on your calorie
needs. |
INGREDIENTS:
CONFECTIONER’S SUGAR (SUGAR, CORN STARCH),
CHEWING GUM BASE, CORN SYRUP, NATURAL PEPPERMINT FLAVOR,
NATURAL FRUIT FLAVOR. |
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Only $13! |
Hi, and welcome to the sticky business
of making chewing gum! It’s going to be fun! And, easy - just follow
these instructions. Make sure you do this with an adult because
you have to use heat. Oh, and one more thing, turn this paper over
and read about chicle and chewing gum. We bet you will learn something!
First, find a clean table top for
making the gum. Next, find all of the parts of THE GUM KIT:
chicle gum base (the stuff that
looks like pellets)
confectioner's sugar
corn syrup
2 flavor packets (peppermint and tutti fruiti)
pan (for microwave or stovetop)
Note: the chicle gum base is very
sticky stuff when it melts, which is why we have given you a pan
to use when you heat it. Do not use one of your own pans- you will
find it very difficult to remove the chicle gum base afterwards.
And, here goes...
1) First, stand the pouch of corn
syrup in a teacup and pour in enough boiling water so that the water
level is about the same level as that of the corn syrup. It will
flow out more quickly when it's hot.
2) Sprinkle about 1/2 of the confectioner's
sugar onto the table in a small mound.
3) Melt the chicle gum base, either
in a microwave or in a pot on your stove top. For either method,
pour the chicle gum base out of its plastic bag and into the black
pan. (Do not use the transparent plastic cover)
If you are using a stove: fill
a 2 quart pot with about 3 inches of water, and place the pan in
the water so that it is floating like a little boat. Cover the pot
and boil the water until the chicle gum base is entirely melted.
(This can take as much as 20 minutes.) Then, remove the pan.
If you are using a microwave: BE
CAREFUL- even though the pan is made for microwaving, it may melt
if it gets too hot, so make sure to remove it as soon as the chicle
gum base is gooey. Since all microwaves are different, we suggest
setting the timer initially to 100% power for 1 1/2 minutes. Then
stir the gum base and see if it is soft enough to work with. If
it isn't, continue putting it back in for 30 seconds at a time and
stirring to see if it's done.
4) Now cut the end of the pouch
and squeeze the corn syrup into the chicle gum base. Stir up the
mixture and empty it onto the sugar on the table. IT'S REALLY STICKY
STUFF, ISN’T IT?
5) Knead it (a rolling and folding
motion) just like you would with bread dough, and then divide the
gum into two parts on the table. Add the contents of one of the
flavor packets into each part.
6) Mix in the remaining sugar to
both parts-keep pulling it, tugging it, and poking it, kneading
it, whatever! It's worth the hard work!
7) Roll it out, just as you would
with cookie dough. You can use anything, a rolling pin, of course,
or even a can or bottle you have around the house. Just make sure
it’s clean, and sprinkle a bit of the sugar on it so that the gum
won’t stick to it.
8) Cut the gum into whatever size
pieces you wish and chew a piece or two (or ten!)
9) Wrap up the remaining gum in
aluminum foil or wax paper so that you can save some for later.
10) Clean up— If by chance you
get some chicle gum base someplace it does not belong, do not panic.
Try dissolving it in melted butter (not margarine) or using a commercial
solvent.
Now that you know how easy it is
to Make Your Own Chewing Gum from
scratch, we know that you're going to want to make more!
Order a new kit for your friends, class, scout
troop or your next birthday party: Order
Now for only $13!
They also make great gifts for kids (ages 8 and up)!
You can also order a Chewing
Gum Refill Kit for only $6 (enough chicle gum base to make twice
as much gum as was in the KIT and a new black pan to soften it)
And, if you liked our Make Your Own Chewing Gum
Kit, you'll also like the Make
Your Own Chocolate Kit and the Make
Your Own Gummies Kit.
We'd love to hear about your Make Your Own Kit
adventures. Email your stories, photos or questions to: info@gleegum.com
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