Prior to class, teachers should purchase a bag of assorted jellybeans and separate them into labeled containers according to flavor. During class, divide students into partners and instruct one partner to put on a blindfold. Tell the other student to hold a jellybean near the nose of the blindfolded person and ask him to identify it. Continue to hold the jellybean in front of the partner's nose, place another jellybean of the same flavor in the blindfolded student's hand and instruct him to eat it. Ask the student if it tastes like the flavor he identified. Record the number of correct and incorrect guesses. After 10 attempts, the teacher should give each sighted partner a note instructing the student to continue the experiment by giving the blindfolded student a jellybean to eat that is a different flavor from the one he is smelling. Continue recording the number of correct and incorrect guesses for another 10 attempts. Tell students to remove their blindfolds and discuss the effects of smell on the taste sense.
The melting point of a jellybean is an important piece of information for food chemists to know in preparation of Easter recipes, including jellybean fudge. Select two jellybeans of identical flavor and size. Place one on a cookie sheet and the other in a pot of water with 2 tbsp. of melted butter. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn on your stovetop to the low or "melt" setting. Start a stopwatch and carefully observe both jellybeans. Stir the water on the stovetop every five minutes and check the water temperature. If the oven jellybean does not appear to be melting after 10 minutes, increase the temperature by 50 degrees and repeat every 10 minutes as needed. Determine a safe cooking time and temperature to work with jellybeans in stovetop or oven recipes before they reach their melting point.
Teachers should prepare two large clear jars with the same number of jellybeans in each one. Place the jars in separate rooms. Divide a class into two groups. Bring all the members of one group into the first room and instruct them to work together to generate a collective guess as to how many jellybeans are in the jar. Give each person in the second group a small piece of paper and take them to the other room. Instruct the students to write on the paper how many jellybeans they believe are in the jar, then sign their names. Fold the paper without showing anyone else and turn the notes in to the teacher. Use the results to discuss the differences in individual and group problem-solving.
The hard candy coating on a jellybean makes it an ideal tool for comparing the acidity level in various liquids. Select 10 jellybeans of identical flavor from a bag and set the rest aside to enjoy later. Prepare 10 beakers or glasses by pouring 1 cup of a different liquid into each beaker or glass, such as water, soda, vinegar and fruit juice. Drop a jellybean in each container and hypothesize the pH order of the liquids from highest to lowest acid concentration. Observe containers daily to check for coating erosion. Measure the time elapsed until erosion to confirm or refute your hypothesis.