Gummy Bear Craft Ideas

Many kids and adults enjoy the fruity, chewy candy known as gummy bears, however, they may not think to incorporate these gelatinous treats into a colorful project. These tiny rainbow colored bears, first made in Germany, actually make a versatile medium that can be used in a variety of ways for edible and inedible crafts.

Since gummy bears are made to be eaten, it's only logical to create an edible craft. Use a needle and elastic thread to create gummy bracelets and necklaces for your kids. Thread the needle with the elastic thread, push the needle through the middle of each gummy bear from one side to the other and use a square knot to secure the necklace and bracelet once you're done.

Alternatively, create a gingerbread house, ice it and decorate it with a multitude of gummy bears. Use a prepackaged kit available in grocery stores around the holidays or make your own from scratch at any time of year.

Create a board game and use gummy bears as the playing pieces. Use magic markers to draw a path of connecting squares or circles that wind their way around a piece of poster board from start to finish. Cover the board with clear contact paper. Give the kids a pair of dice and let them use gummy bears to keep track of their progress around the board until someone wins.

For a simpler game, use four licorice sticks to create a tic tac toe board on a paper plate. Secure them to the plate with a line of icing. Give each child several gummy bears in matching colors. Let them use the gummy bears in place of "X"s and "O"s to play a rousing game.

Make a festive wreath using red and green gummy bears for the Christmas holiday. Purchase a foam wreath, several packs of straight pins and several packs of gummy bears. Push a pin through each bear, and secure them to the wreath in a decorating pattern of alternating colors. Spray the finished wreath with shellac, and hang it high enough so little ones can't remove the bears and sample them.

Create a Halloween pumpkin with orange gummy bears. Cut eyes, a nose and a mouth into a paper plate, and glue it to a piece of black construction paper that you've cut into a circle the same size as the plate. Glue orange gummy bears to the plate, then tie a black ribbon through a hole you've punched in the top and hang it out of reach of children.

When you know an adult who is partial to gummy bears, create a gift he can place on his desk and enjoy every day. Cover the bears with a clear preservative and allow them to dry. Choose a picture frame with a wide, flat frame and glue gummy bears to the frame. Give the decorated frame as a gift for a birthday or holiday.

Create a matching desk lamp in the same fashion. Preserve the gummy bears first with a coating of shellac. Allow them to dry, and glue them to the shade of a small lamp for a fun, funky look for the office. Choose a lamp that uses a low wattage bulb to avoid any risk of damage to the bears from the associated heat.