Kids love to blow bubbles! So could you imagine the fun of making your own and having a contest to see who can come up with the biggest bubble! What a wonderful end of the year project!

Below are some wonderful web sites to help you measure, explore, and learn all about bubbles before actually doing these activities. Then go to the recipe part of this page.

Poems on Bubbles

Activities

 The Bubbles Theme Page

Mrs. Elliot's Second Grade  - Lesson Plan: bubble making activity for the week

The Art and Science of Bubbles - great site

Bubbles Activities and Games

Bubble Geometry - making different shaped bubbles

 Bubble-ology and Bernoulli experiment

 Bubble Art
 

 Secret Bubble Solutions
  

 Bubbles from the Exploratorium -
     http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/bubbles.html
     http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/soap_bubbles.html

 
 James' Soap Bubbles, Slime, and More Page  

  The Bubblesphere
      

 Bubbles from Jerrie Cheek, Kennesaw State University
      

 ProTeacher - Bubble Lesson Plans

           
 Brian Carusella's Bubbles Page
     

Floating Soap Bubbles 
          

Bubbles Links, Activities, and Vocabulary
              

Bubble Recipes

All of these bubble recipes make great bubbles for kids.  The Magic Bubble recipe makes bigger bubbles that last a bit longer. 

 ~This part is directly from:  http://www.creativekidsathome.com/activities/activity_5a.html

Hints for making bubble solutions

• Mix up the recipes the day before for best results.

• Glycerin is inexpensive and can be found in most drug stores.  The children think that the bubbles are so much better that it is worth keeping a small bottle on hand.   

• Do NOT use the Sweet Bubbles recipe if you have bees or wasps in your yard.

• Color Bubbles can be a bit messy.  Be sure to use paint that can wash out.  You can add a little water if the mix is too thick.

Bubble Wands

Children are often surprised when they realize they can do a craft project to make their own bubble wand.  A basic bubble wand can made from a stick with any type of loop on top.  Use any materials you have on hand, or try one of these ideas.  Once the children have seen the options, let them experiment with the craft supplies to make their own wands.

• A 12 inch piece of coat hanger with 10 inch piece of string tied in a loop on one end.

• Cut the center out of a plastic lid (yogurt or margarine container) and thumb tack it to a wooden chopstick.

• Cut the top and bottom off a can of tuna, creating a 1 inch tube.  Check for sharp edges before letting the children have it.  Put the bubble solution in a pie plate to make it easy to dip the can.

• Buy a set of 10 inch bubble wands and keep them from year to year.

Here are some ideas sent in by our visitors.

• "We have had great luck making giant bubbles by using cotton string and straws to make wands. Cut two sections of straws, about 6 inches long. Cut a string about 24 inches long. Pull the string through the straws, tie the string in a knot, and hide the knot inside a straw. By putting your hands on the straws and pulling, you create a square or rectangle. Dip this form into the pan of bubble solution, and gently draw it through the air. Voila, a giant bubble."

• "We made bubble wands using twigs found in our back yard. Have the children look for pine twigs that have recently fallen (flexibility is the key). Wrap the twig tightly with yarn starting from about 1/3 of the way up and wrapping to the tip. Bring the tip around to your starting point, making a circle, and tie it down by wrapping around where the twig crosses itself. The longer the twig, the bigger the circle, the larger the bubbles. Use any of the bubble recipes and enjoy. We used this as a children's birthday party craft (for older children or adult assistance for younger children) and found it a nice way to bring all the kids together on a sunny day."

• "At our preschool I purchased fly swatters for the children to use as bubble wands. Even the toddlers have great success making millions of bubbles."
   

• "Use a fairly rigid drinking straw, the fancy reusable ones work best. (You want straws with a fairly small diameter hole.) Have the child insert both ends of a 12" length of chenille into one end of the straw and form the loop into a 2-3" circle. You can make 20 - 50 bubbles from one dip of bubble mix!"
   

• "Those little green baskets that strawberries come in make excellent bubble blowing tools. You can't blow very big bubbles, but kids can make lots and lots of little bubbles. Plus, it's recycling!"
   

• "We had a lot of fun using plastic cookie cutters to blow bubbles. My daughter is fascinated by Count Von Count on Sesame Street, so we used big and small numbers. We tried lots of bubble solutions and had a blast in the back yard."
   

No Wands Needed

Here's an interesting idea for blowing bubbles sent in by one of our visitors.

After watching the clowns at the circus make bubbles with their hands, my son and I went home and tried it. It took a little practice, but now my 5 year old child does it with ease. You dip your hands in the bubble solution (shampoo in the bath is the cleanest) lock your two thumbs then slowly spread them to make a circle. Blow gentle and you will get massive bubbles.