Scientific Explorer Scientific Explorer Bubble Gum Food Science Activity Kit

by Scientific Explorer

Product Features

• Make gobs of gum with your bubble gum factory
• Create your own unique recipes by mixing and matching different flavors
• Over nearly two decades, Scientific Explorer has earned a reputation for creating science activity kits unmatched in the specialty retail market
• While it?s just as important for children to have as strong a foundation in science as they do in reading and math, test scores indicate that science knowledge is lagging
• Kit Includes citric acid packet, corn syrup, confectioner sugar, gum base, watermelon flavoring, blueberry flavoring, mint flavoring, 2 note cards, activity guide, plastic tin with lid

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 2.8 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0016M16W2
• Item model number: A257
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 - 12 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,805 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #22 in Toys & Games > Learning & Education > Science > Chemistry
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Make gobs of gum with your bubble gum factory. Create your own unique recipes by mixing and matching different flavors. Over nearly two decades, Scientific Explorer has earned a reputation for creating science activity kits unmatched in the specialty retail market. While it’s just as important for children to have as strong a foundation in science as they do in reading and math, test scores indicate that science knowledge is lagging. Kit Includes citric acid packet, corn syrup, confectioner sugar, gum base, watermelon flavoring, blueberry flavoring, mint flavoring, 2 note cards, activity guide, plastic tin with lid.

Product Description

Make gobs of gum with your Bubble Gum Factory. Create your own unique recipes by mixing and matching different flavors. Measures 12"L x 2.75"W x 10"H.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun but be sure to protect your surfaces, January 2, 2011

By 

StaceyB - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Scientific Explorer Scientific Explorer Bubble Gum Food Science Activity Kit (Toy)

My 6 year old received this kit for Christmas and was very excited to make her own gum. I really liked that the booklet had a very educational introduction. We were able to make 6 gumballs from one recipe so it is a little time consuming for such a small amount of product. I would maybe double or triple the recipe next time. However, my daughter was very pleased with how her gumballs turned out and enjoyed the taste. I had to help a good bit with the whole process because it is quite messy and when the gum gets thick, it is hard to stir. She was able to help a lot though with every step of the process.

The first step in the gum-making process is to gather all your ingredients for your particular recipe, to measure them out, and to put them into individual cups. This is a waste of time as it is just as easy to measure out the ingredients when you need them, you don't need all the powdered sugar that is told to be measured, and the corn syrup is nearly impossible to accurately pour back out of the cup and into the mixture. The only ingredient that needs to be measured out ahead of time is the gum base. Be sure to put this in a DISPOSABLE container as you will not want to have to scrape your dishes clean. Also, it is helpful to use a DISPOSABLE stir stick to mix up the gum. We used a disposable chop stick.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it takes MUCH longer to melt the gumballs than the recommended 10-20 secs. I believe we probably heated them a total of minute and a half before we actually got a gummy texture.

When kneading the gum, I found it helpful to lay down plastic wrap on the work surface so I did not have to worry about a sticky gooey counter top.

If you have some time, this is a fun project. Just be sure to take common sense precautions to protect your dishes and counter and you will have far less stress with it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very hands on and fun!, January 9, 2010

By 

S. Arndt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Scientific Explorer Scientific Explorer Bubble Gum Food Science Activity Kit (Toy)

My 6 year old son loves gum, so I thought this would be a good toy for him for Christmas. All 3 of my children ended up loving it. They each made their own flavor and it was very easy to do. It did take longer to melt the gum pellets than the instructions say, but no big deal. All parents tell their kids not to play with their gum, but with this kit, you get to play with it during the kneading process. After they were done, we rolled it in saran wrap. I've heard them proudly telling their little friends that they made their own gum :) It tasted pretty good, too.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what we expected, March 25, 2011

By 

M. Baker (Wilmington, DE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Scientific Explorer Scientific Explorer Bubble Gum Food Science Activity Kit (Toy)

My 9 year-old, 11 year-old and her friend and I did this together this afternoon. The gum base never got soft enough to stir together with the corn syrup. We ended up scraping out the mess onto a plate and then adding the flavoring and powdered sugar. It was almost impossible to knead, especially for a child. The taste wasn't great. We all agreed the watermelon flavor smelled like dill pickles. My nine year-old put it well by saying "That just flat out didn't work right". We enjoyed ourselves despite the fact that it was a flop, since the girls thought the gum base pellets resembled boogers. One upside; the gum does make nice bubbles. Overall- don't waste your money.