Gum comes from a tree??? (Review and Giveaway)

If your children are looking for something to spend some of their Christmas $ on (Any left, now that it's February?)...
If you are looking for a slightly different take on a "Sweet Treat" for Valentine's Day....
If you are looking for an activity for February Vacation, OR  for your NEXT snow day, here's an idea!

Some time back I was offered a kit to Make your own Chewing Gum by the folks at  "Glee Gum" and VERVE, inc.  I had hoped to get right to it with my Middlest (The "gummiest" one in the family), and get my review (And a giveaway!) up before Christmas. However, illness and a variety of other "Bumps" in the road (And most lately snowstorms which require hours of shoveling) have taken over our lives.

NOW, however, with the advent of another "Snow Day" last week, and the fact that my DH had a snow day himself, (Which means I got a break from shoveling, Thank you, Dear!), we are at last going to record our experiences with our Glee Gum kit.

First a little information, and then on with the fun! :) 

• Ingredients: Glee Gum is all-natural, gluten free, and feingold approved. Confectioner's Sugar (sugar, cornstarch), Chewing Gum Base(chicle), Corn Syrup, Natural Cinnamon Flavor and Natural Cherry Flavor.
• Recommended for ages 8+
• Make Your Own Candy Kits  List Price $13

Speaking of "Kits".... Make Your Own Gum is just one of the 3 kits offered by VERVE, Inc. They also offer Make Your Own Chocolate, and Make Your Own Gummies kits. These activity kits are all-natural, educational, and eco-friendly. Each kit focuses on the history behind and the origin of these candies. For a captivating look into the educational aspect of each kit, as well as connections to the global community, click here to see where all these yummy things come from.


 Alrighty, then, on with the show review.... :D

Kit Unpacked

What's in the Box

Looks kind of like Rabbit Food! :)

Chicle boiling in provided container

Mixing in the corn syrup

Sticky Stuff! Time to Knead!

This is where the favors get added in
After kneading the "Dough", you "pull" it like taffy for awhile, till the texture is fairly smooth. Didn't get pictures of that because, well.... my hands were a little sticky~ I worked with the Cinnamon flavor, Middlest did the Cherry.

Hey, I think we've got it!

Rolled and sliced

Thoughts on the process... Fun, Sticky (But not bad). Interesting and educational. One note~ The flavor doesn't last terribly long (But long enough for MY jaws!). We are interested in trying this again, and using our own flavored oils~ might last longer than the included powdered natural flavoring. The gum reminds me both in "Flavor lasting" qualities and texture of the "JuicyFruit" of the 70's, when I was a gum-chewing kid. Interestingly enough, in my searching the internet for information on the original JuicyFruit, I stumbled upon this article~ read all the way through, and guess what gum is recommended? Glee Gum! :)

Wrapped with our own foil

So, where can you find Glee Gum? Clearly, Glee Gum can be found on the Internet~      www.gleegum.com     

Blog - Facebook - MySpace - Twitter

But you may also be able to find Glee Gum at a store near you.
And a note to my East Coast Friends, Glee Gum is centered in Rhode Island, so a purchase today will be at your house in shorter order than you might think! :) 
  
Now, on to the Giveaway~ (US addresses only, please)

Shiny or Matte?

Glee Gum has graciously offered to send the Candy Making Kit of your choice to you~ Chocolate Making, Gum Making, or Gummy Making. I will keep this giveaway open until 12 noon EST on Tueasday, February 15.

Madatory entry~ (2 part... you need to do BOTH to be entered!) 
1. Follow my blog in GFC AND visit the Glee Gum website, then comment telling me which flavor of Glee Gum you want to try(And note if you are already a follower)

Additional Entries
2. Share about this Giveaway on Facebook (comment with a link to your FB post)
3."Like" Glee Gum" on facebook, and let them know that "Lis" sent you!
4. Post about this Giveaway on your blog(comment with a link to your blog post)
5. Comment telling me which kit you would like to choose.
6. Adding one more~ Tell me where you heard about my giveaway... helps me know where to spend my time posting! :) 

On Feb 15 I will draw via random.org, and contact the winner and post here. (Make sure I have a WAY to contact you~ ) I will need to hear back from you within 2 days with your mailing address, so that Glee Gum can get your package sent right out to you.

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about Glee Gum and our gum-making experiences~
Now for something fun~ Say "Do you like Glee Gum" five times fast! :) 

Blessings~





Disclosure~ I received this kit free of charge in return for my honest review. The opinions in this review are my own.