Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Summertime fun...
Tomorrow is offically the first day of summer and the recent warm weather that we have been having has provided some great opportunities for outside adventures. And what can be greater fun in the summer outdoors than blowing bubbles....
Everyone loves bubbles. Maybe it's because they float, or shimmer with amazing colors, or maybe it's just because they look magical. Blowing bubbles can interest almost any age group, and work with any size group of kids.
Bubbles are educational... they are scientific, can enhance observation, don't take bubbles for granted. They can be an elaborate activity or extraordinary or can be very simple and low cost... Try bubble art, make bubble snacks, play bubble games, and sing bubble songs. A child may even grow up to be a bubble professional.
The art of bubble blowing has long been a fascination of children around the world. Unfortunately, it can also consume a great deal of money. But it doesn't have to, making your own bubble solution is easy... The ingredients are readily available in nearly all households, and the method is fairly simple. In order to create hours of bubble fun (and have the kids stand in awe because you know how to magically whip up a whole new batch of bubbles at a moment’s notice), you will need to have a few things available to you. The most precise bubble intructions come from Bubble Town, but you can follow these simple directions for bubble solutions...
First, you will need a plastic container (an old bubble bottle or even a Dixie cup will work) to hold the solution.
Then you will need a bubble wand, or anything else with a hole in one end for blowing the bubbles. A straw works fairly well if you can't find anything else. Just be the kids don’t suck the solution! Or make a wand out of wire. Try bubble wands using clean flyswatters, old tennis or badmitten rackets, or strawberry baskets.
You will also need a liquid dish detergent (I suggest Palmolive Ultra for Dry Skin because it is clear and won't cause an allergic reaction in children who are sensitive to dyes.)
And don’t forget a little water to thin the dish detergent.
Mixing the ingredients is a fairly simple task. The trick is to make sure you get just the right consistency of water vs. detergent. Too much water will thin the detergent to the point where bubbles burst before leaving the wand. Too little water will cause the bubbles to be too heavy to float. The best method is to add 2 tablespoons of dish soap to 1 cup of water and detergent. Be sure to add the water first. After adding the dish soap to the water, gently stir with the wand until the mixture appears to be well blended.
Now that you have made your bubbles, all that is left is to surprise the kids with it. Watch their faces light up as they are now free to blow (or spill, whichever the case may be) as many bubbles as their little hearts desire. A word of warning, now that they know you know the secret of how to make bubbles, you’ll find yourself whipping up a batch every time you turn around.
Here are some optional recipes to play with...
Tomorrow is offically the first day of summer and the recent warm weather that we have been having has provided some great opportunities for outside adventures. And what can be greater fun in the summer outdoors than blowing bubbles....
Everyone loves bubbles. Maybe it's because they float, or shimmer with amazing colors, or maybe it's just because they look magical. Blowing bubbles can interest almost any age group, and work with any size group of kids.
Bubbles are educational... they are scientific, can enhance observation, don't take bubbles for granted. They can be an elaborate activity or extraordinary or can be very simple and low cost... Try bubble art, make bubble snacks, play bubble games, and sing bubble songs. A child may even grow up to be a bubble professional.
The art of bubble blowing has long been a fascination of children around the world. Unfortunately, it can also consume a great deal of money. But it doesn't have to, making your own bubble solution is easy... The ingredients are readily available in nearly all households, and the method is fairly simple. In order to create hours of bubble fun (and have the kids stand in awe because you know how to magically whip up a whole new batch of bubbles at a moment’s notice), you will need to have a few things available to you. The most precise bubble intructions come from Bubble Town, but you can follow these simple directions for bubble solutions...
First, you will need a plastic container (an old bubble bottle or even a Dixie cup will work) to hold the solution.
Then you will need a bubble wand, or anything else with a hole in one end for blowing the bubbles. A straw works fairly well if you can't find anything else. Just be the kids don’t suck the solution! Or make a wand out of wire. Try bubble wands using clean flyswatters, old tennis or badmitten rackets, or strawberry baskets.
You will also need a liquid dish detergent (I suggest Palmolive Ultra for Dry Skin because it is clear and won't cause an allergic reaction in children who are sensitive to dyes.)
And don’t forget a little water to thin the dish detergent.
Mixing the ingredients is a fairly simple task. The trick is to make sure you get just the right consistency of water vs. detergent. Too much water will thin the detergent to the point where bubbles burst before leaving the wand. Too little water will cause the bubbles to be too heavy to float. The best method is to add 2 tablespoons of dish soap to 1 cup of water and detergent. Be sure to add the water first. After adding the dish soap to the water, gently stir with the wand until the mixture appears to be well blended.
Now that you have made your bubbles, all that is left is to surprise the kids with it. Watch their faces light up as they are now free to blow (or spill, whichever the case may be) as many bubbles as their little hearts desire. A word of warning, now that they know you know the secret of how to make bubbles, you’ll find yourself whipping up a batch every time you turn around.
Here are some optional recipes to play with...
- Optional recipe
1 cup liquid detergent (or no-tears baby shampoo)
3 cups water
Food coloring (optional) - Sweet Bubbles
1 tblsp corn syrup
2 tblsp dish soap
1 cup water - Magic Bubbles
1 tblsp glycerin (note: glycerin is inexpensive and can be found at most drup stores)
2 tblsp dish soap
9 oz water - Color Bubbles
1 cup liquid tempra paints
2 tblsp dish detergent
1 tblsp liquid starch - Giant Bubbles
1 cup liquid detergent (or no-tears baby shampoo)
1 cup glycerin (or corn syrup)
3 cups water Food coloring (optional)
Round bubble blower made of thin wire (6-8 inches in diameter)
** using a wading pool and a hula hoop, you can even put the kids inside bubbles!
- More bubble recipes at Recipe Goldmine
- The Activity Idea Place
- Tooter 4 Kids
- Geocities
- Child Fun
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 4:12 PM 
