Bubble Fun
Bubble Recipe:
What you need:
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dishwashing detergent
(optional: 1/2 cup corn syrup)
Directions: Combine water and detergent. Stir well, but do not shake. For stronger bubbles, add ½ cup corn syrup or glycerin, or more detergent. Experiment with different brands of dishwashing detergent until you find one that works best for you. HINT: Playing with bubbles can be messy and slippery! Try blowing bubbles outdoors, near the kitchen sink, or in the bathtub! Watch your step so you don’t fall on slippery spills.
Make Your Own Bubble Machine:
What you need:
1 quart empty milk carton
drinking straw
clay
4 bubble blowing wands
scissors
clothespin
bubble solution
Instructions: To make a Bubble-Blowing Machine, take a straw and wrap some clay around the middle. Snip off a ring from one end of some store-bought bubble-blowing wands so that each wand has just one ring. Poke the ends of the bubble-blowing wands into the clay so that the rings stick out around the straw. Lay the milk carton on its side and cut a big window out of the side that's facing up. Cut two Vs across from each other on the long edges of this big window. Now place your straw in the milk carton so that the ends of the straws are resting in the Vs and the bubble-blowing wands are in the center of the milk carton. Put a clothespin on one side of the straw to make a handle for turning the straw easily. Fill the milk carton halfway with bubble solution. Turn the clothespin and blow into the rings as they come up out of the bubble solution. If your Bubble-Blowing Machine isn't working well, you may need to modify your design by making the wands shorter or longer. This machine saves you the work of dipping the wand each time you want to blow a bubble. You still have to blow the bubbles and turn the straw.
Plate of Bubbles:
What you need:
1 small plate
1 plastic drinking straw
2 drops dish washing liquid
tap water
Directions: Place two drops (that's all you need!) of dish washing liquid in the center of a plate. Carefully run tap water onto plate, pointing water over the dish soap to create some foam or bubbles. Carefully place the plate on a flat, sturdy surface, such as the kitchen table, and have your child point his straw into the water. To create bubbles, blow gently and slowly into the sudsy water. Not too fast, it won't work! Slow and steady will create huge bubbles!
Bubble Art:
What you need:
Tempera or poster paint in 3 or 4 colors
white or light-colored construction paper
bubble solution
bubble wand or drinking straw
3 or 4 small containers
a teaspoon
a cup
Directions: Spread newspaper around the area and wear an old T-shirt. Pour about one cup of bubble solution in each container. Add one teaspoon of paint to each container. Stir gently until mixed. Take turns blowing bubbles while your partner “catches” them on paper. As they break, you’ll get a design of brightly colored splotches! For darker colors, add more paint.
Bubble Sculpture:
What you need:
drinking straws
a shallow tray
bubble solution
Directions: Fill the bottom of the tray with about ¼-inch of bubble solution. Dip one end of the straw in the solution. Hold the straw slightly above the surface and gently blow a bubble. To blow bubbles within bubbles: Remove your straw from the bubble. Make sure the straw is wet and then gently insert it in the top of the bubble, so it enters at a 45° angle. Blow gently to form another bubble. Repeat to form more bubbles in bubbles!
The Square Bubble??
What you need:
quart size milk carton
bubble solution
1 shallow tray
Directions: Cut off both ends of a quart-size milk carton. This will be your bubble wand. Ask your friends what shape your bubble will be. They will probably guess “square!”. Pour bubble soluton into a shallow tray. Dip one end of the carton into the bubble solution, and gently blow into the other end. Watch your friends’ surprise when they see a round bubble! Secret: All bubbles are round, regardless of the shape of the bubble maker. They try to pull themselves into the shape that has the smallest surface area, which is a sphere.
The Unpoppable Bubble!
What you need:
bubble solution
saucer
glass of water
drinking straws
Directions: Place some bubble solution into a saucer. Have a glass of water nearby. Place the end of a drinking straw into the solution, and blow a big bubble. Now brag to your friends that you can stick your straw into the bubble without popping it! Secret: While you are talking, dip your straw in the water, without letting your friends see! Carefully poke your wet straw into the center of the bubble. It won’t pop! Now ask for a friend to try the magic. Blow another big bubble, but give your friend a dry straw. The bubble will break immediately! The straw must be wet. Dry objects pop bubbles!
Search here for more fun and easy bubble ideas:
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Contact Information:
Denise Stevens
dstevens@a-zfunforkids.com
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