MOLINE, Illinois -- It's time for Agriculture in the Classroom again. On Wednesday, October 17, Rock Island County Farm Bureau Manager DeAnne Bloomberg showed us how to make gumdrops.
According to Ag in the Classroom, "The average American today consumes approximately 130 pounds of sugar each year. Sugar can also be used by nonfood industries: mixing cement, tanning leather, making plastics, medicines (to disguise or enhance taste). Sugar comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. "
Materials Needed:
- Jello® powder (one teaspoon per child)
- Water
- Paper Plates
- Sugar
- Eyedropper
- Directions:
Make Your Own Gumdrop
1. Pour a teaspoon of Jello® powder on a paper plate.
2. Add drops of water to the powder while you mix it with your finger.
2. Roll the mixture into a ball.
4. Next roll the gumdrop in some sugar.
5. Pick it up with your fingers and enjoy!
Discussion Questions:
1. Where does sugar come from?
2. What are some non-food uses of sugar?
Lesson Extenders:
1. Ask your students to research the top five countries that eat the most sugar confectionery per
capita and create a graph to represent the data found.
2. Ask the students to research the life of Andreas Marggraf and write a short biography.
3. Ask your students to research the process of making sugar in a factory and draw a flow chart on a
piece of poster board showing the process.
4. Ask your students to research where sugar beets grow in the U.S. and mark the locations on a
map.
