Jelly Beans at Easter

As Easter rolls around, one of my favorite candy treats hits the shelves… jelly beans!

Traditional, sour, theme-flavored – I like almost all of them (well, maybe except those weird flavored ones and black licorice).

But jelly beans are so much more than candy when it comes to Easter and a great way to share the jelly bean prayer with your kiddos.

The jelly bean prayer was written in 1990 by Shirley Kozak and has gained much popularity in the church community to inspire the kiddos around Easter.

The Jelly Bean Prayer

Red is for the blood He gave.

Green is for the grass He made.

Yellow is for the sun so bright.

Orange is for the edge of night.

Black is for the sins we made.

White is for the grace He gave.

Purple is for His hour of sorrow.

Pink is for our new tomorrow.

A bag full of jelly beans,

Colorful and sweet,

Is a prayer, is a promise,

Is a special treat.

May the joy of Christ’s resurrection

Fill your hearts and bless your life.

Of course, you can find variations, but all have the same message, the love of our Lord Jesus who rose that special day to save our lives from sin.

Grab a bag of jelly beans this Easter to share the amazing story of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior.

While you have a bag of jelly beans, incorporate them into your learning. For younger kiddos, have them separate them by colors or size, count them out, create a jelly bean rainbow. For elementary-aged kiddos, create a graph on the amount of different colors, create math problems, do a taste test with everyone in the family. For everyone, a jelly bean science experiment!

Let’s dissolve some jelly beans (before they get eaten)

What you’ll need:

• A bag of jelly beans
• Small glass or plastic jars
• Warm water
• Rubbing alcohol
• Vinegar
• Cooking oil
• Pencil and paper or science journal

Let’s have some science fun:

Step 1: Place a few of the same colored jelly beans in each jar (Example: pink in one jar, red in another, etc.)

Step 2: Label each jar with liquid you are pouring in the jar so you can track differences.

Step 3: Make your predictions, what will happen to the jelly beans in each of the liquids.

Step 4: Pour liquid into each coordinating labeled jar.

Step 5: Observe what happens in each jar.

Step 6: Document and discuss what happened to the jelly beans in the different liquids.

Step 7: Eat some un-dissolved jelly beans.

Add another layer of flavor with a Jelly Bean Snack!

Jelly Beans Nest Eggs

My kiddos enjoy the ever-famous Rice Krispie treats. One way to have a little extra fun with those jelly beans and celebrate the spring season is making jelly bean nests!

Whip up a batch of Rice Krispie treats, and when you are able to handle the mixture, create little bird nests (you can use cocoa or original rice cereal). Once “nests” are formed and cooled, have the kiddos place jelly bean “eggs” into the nest. This is a great way to incorporate some spring bird lessons into your baking. Chat about birds, go on a nature hike and see if you can spy any nest, or birdwatch in your backyard and see if you can identify them and so much more.

Who knew jelly beans could be so educational! From science to math and of course Jesus, jelly beans have a little something for every subject in your home.

Abi (a little bit crazy) Frazee, is a sort of newish, homeschooling momma with three little crazy Frazees. Abi, her husband, Justin & kiddos reside in the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and enjoy spontaneous field trips.  Abi has a BA in Early Childhood Education, a MS in Special Education, and is a Certified Labor Doula; she uses her education, with past and present experiences to cultivate a love of learning & sharing. Love, Learn, Have Faith, Smile (& drink coffee!)