What’s better than a room full of 8-12 year-olds on a summer afternoon? A room full of 8-12 year-olds making their own chewing gum!
That was the scene yesterday at the Springfield Library in Springfield, Oregon. It was part of their Tween program that offers kids a variety of events during the summer. I was honored to have been invited to share my gum research and the book – Chomp! A Chewer’s Guide to Gum – that resulted from my work.
Chomp! is not my first encounter with gum. My very first book for kids, published by Dillon Press in 1989, was The Chewing Gum Book. It was the first kids’ book written on the topic. Chomp! is the updated version. It’s got more information, color, and variety. It’s more reader-friendly.
I shared some gum history with the kids, including the story of how the first modern gum came to be with the help of General Santa Anna from Mexico as well as the American inventor, Thomas Adams. I also talked about how gum has helped save lives, solve crimes, and inspired art.
In addition to making gum (there are kits available for this – see http://www.gleegum.com/make-your-own-gum-kit.htm) I led them through the process of creating gum art. We made a sculpture out of chewed gum. When sealed, the sculpture will be on display at the library. Beautiful!
Chewing gum is a worldwide phenomenon that is rich with possibilities for the classroom. I am currently finishing up with activities that can be used with Chomp! with third to fifth grade classes. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, check out the pics from the library event.
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