Jelly Bean Love

Although Easter has neither come nor gone yet, I am already dreading the moment when jellybeans have to be peeled from parquet, carpet, and tile. Also, I have to admit, the squelch they make as they are being trampled underfoot is ... well ... not my favourite sound.

So this year I'm preparing myself psychologically for the sight of leftover jellbeans running amok in my house - and being proactive.

"But whatever can you do with jellybeans?" I hear you ask.

Apparently quite a lot.

*nods*

You can ...

Have your little ones sort them by colour (guaranteed to keep them occupied for a while). Older ones (if so inclined) can then take that information and make a bar graph.

Put them in a pretty glass container, ask guests to guess the number of beans as they walk through your door, and then force .. um ... reward them with the jar as they leave.

 Have a jelly bean hunt!

Assign a point value to the different colours and then hide the beans. Rarer colours should have more value, and all beans should be placed next to an item of like colour. Cheapo I spy .. but a pretty effective one at parties.

(my house is currently too messy to support photo-taking of that kind)

Guess-and-Gobble 
Place a jelly bean on top of a napkin and cover it with a cup. Have the child guess the colour, and reward said child with the bean. Plenty of variations on this, so let your imagination run wild.

Make Jelly Bean Fudge

I'll pass on experimenting, but here's the recipe (from Ms. Billings)

• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 (16 ounce) container vanilla frosting
• 2 cups jelly beans

Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and grease lightly.

Melt the chips according to the package directions or in a heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted and smooth. 

Add the frosting and stir until the mixture is smooth.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Add the jelly beans and stir well to incorporate evenly. 

Spread the fudge mixture into the prepared pan and cool to room temperature. 

Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

Remove the foil /fudge from the pan and place on a cutting surface. 

Carefully remove the foil and cut the fudge into small pieces.

Make (or simply admire) jelly bean art.

I picked President Reagan because he, reputedly, always had a bowl of jelly beans on his desk when he was in office - but there is some gorgeous jelly bean art out there.

Play Bean Run! 
This will work for older kids (and inebriated adults) - and here's how it goes.

Two teams.

Bowls full of jelly beans at one end of the room (or garden) and empty bowls at the other end.

Everyone gets handed a plastic spoon.

The objective is to get as many beans transferred within a set period of time.

Inebriated adults seem to favour playing with their hands behind their back and the spoon in their mouth ... but we won't go there.

And finally ...

Celebrate National Jelly Bean Day  - by putting all of your leftover jellybeans into small bags and handing them out to all the people who didn't know it was NJD!

Mark your calendars: April 22nd!