I love getting to teach and share about Jesus in the Chapel setting at our school.
I have been presenting this Jellybean Chapel during the Easter season for over 10 years now and it never fails to be a hit with the kids and adults!
For this Chapel you will need…
- A bag of Jelly Belly jellybeans
- Large sheets of construction paper in the colors black, red, white, yellow, and green. Cut the construction paper into large jellybeans. Laminate, if you have time!
- The PowerPoint presentations (see bottom of post for links)
I take some time to separate out the following flavors from the bag of Jelly Belly jellybeans before the presentation begins.
- Buttered Popcorn
- Green Apple
- Toasted Marshmallow
- Blueberry
- Watermelon
- Licorice
- Pear
- Cotton Candy
- Peach
- Strawberry Jam
I also make sure to have them organized on a plate on the stage in advance.
I come to the stage and start by asking about everyone’s favorite Easter candy. Usually I hear chocolate bunnies or eggs, Reese’s, etc., but someone will usually also call out jellybeans.
I throw out a few fun facts about jellybeans such as there are 16 billion jellybeans made every year for Easter. It takes 7-21 days to make one jellybean. Former President Ronald Reagan LOVED jellybeans and had them with him at all times. They even put a special jellybean holder on Air Force One for him. When the Challenger was launched into space in 1983, Reagan sent the astronauts with jellybeans as a treat. In addition, the jellybean company knew how much the president loved jellybeans, so they decided to send him some in red (cherry), white (coconut), and blue for his inauguration. However, they did not have a blue flavored jellybean at the time, so they created the blueberry jellybean in his honor!
Speaking of flavors…
After the fun facts, I invite 10 volunteers to the stage to be my taste testers.
I tell the audience that the taste testers have to close their eyes during the tasting and try to guess what flavor jellybean they are eating. While each volunteer’s eyes are closed, we show the PowerPoint slide with the picture of the correct flavor. I tell the audience not to say anything until after the volunteer has guessed. This can get pretty comical and creates quite a good time.
You can also grab some of the really gross flavored jelly beans from the game Jelly Belly Bean Boozled (affiliate link) to make things extra exciting.
The volunteers sit down after the taste testing is done.
Next, I say that jellybeans aren’t just for eating. They are actually a great way to help us learn about the Good News of Easter.
I then invite another group of volunteers to the stage – only 5 this time. I have them stand in a line.
We go through the special “Jellybean Prayer” following the poem below.
Black is for our sins –
the wrong things we have done.
Red is for Jesus’ blood –
He shed for everyone.
White is for a clean heart –
when in Jesus we believe.
Gold is for the streets in heaven –
promised when Jesus we receive.
Green is for growing;
hide God’s Word in your heart.
Put your trust in Jesus –
give your life a brand new start!
With each new color, I bring out my large, construction paper cut-out jellybeans that match the color of the part of the poem we are sharing. I give each volunteer a colored paper jellybean to hold and we recite the poem together, reviewing it each time we add a new color.
At the end, we say a prayer for the sweet gift of Jesus.
Would you like to do this Chapel for your own classroom, Sunday School, or large group setting?
Click below for the PowerPoint presentations.
Guess the Jellybean PowerPoint
Jellybean Prayer PowerPoint
You could also plan to pass out small bags of jellybeans with the Jellybean Prayer Tag attached to all of your students!
I will be presenting this Chapel on Wednesday morning to my preschoolers! I covet your prayers for their little hearts to know and remember what Jesus did for them.
Joyfully,
Julie
