Make Soap Bubbles for Your Children

Watching bubbles float on the wind and burst is a summertime pleasure every child enjoys. You could buy a bottle of bubble solution and a wand at the store, but it's just as simple to make bubbles using materials you already have at home. Read on to learn how to make your own soap bubble solution and wand.

Steps

Making Bubble Solution

  1. Mix soap and water. Bubbles can be made using any type of liquid soap you have around the house. Some soaps make bubbles that last longer than others, so experiment with different types until you find one you like. Simply mix one part liquid soap and 4 parts water in a jar, cup or bowl. Try these different types of soaps:
    • Liquid dish soap. This makes a great bubble base, and it's something you probably already have on hand.
    • Body wash or shampoo. These may not be quite as sudsy as liquid dish soap, but they should still work fine for making bubbles.
    • All natural laundry detergent. Stay away from commercially-produced detergent, which may not be safe for kids to use. Chemical-free laundry detergent can be found at health food stores.
  2. Enhance your bubble solution. There are a few tricks you can use to make your bubbles stronger and more interesting than typical bubbles. Experiment with these ingredients until you've created a solution your kids will love:
    • Add a little sugar, corn syrup, or starch to the mixture. This causes the bubbles to be a little thicker, which results in longer-lasting bubbles.
    • Add some food coloring. You can separate the solution into a few different containers and make different colored bubbles.
    • Add some fun decorative ingredients. Have your kids find out whether you can make bubbles with glitter, small flower petals, and other tiny ingredients. Which ones make the bubbles pop?

Making a Bubble Wand

  1. Make a little bubble wand. The wands that you can purchase in the store are usually made from plastic, but any material with a hole in it can be used to blow bubbles. Look around the house for materials you can bend or shape into a bubble wand.
    • Bend the top section of a pipe cleaner into a circle shape, then bend the tip of the circle around the shaft of the pipe cleaner to create a wand.
    • If you have old egg-dying supplies lying around, you can use the circular egg dipper as a wand.
    • Bend a straw into a wand shape, and fasten the circular part with a piece of tape.
  2. Make a giant bubble wand. Blowing lots of little bubbles is fun, but you can also make a large wand to blow giant bubbles. You'll need a large wand shape with a piece of mesh or screen to cover it; this helps stabilize the solution so the bubble can form without popping.
    • Straighten out a wire coat hanger. You may need a pair of pliers to untwist the top of the wire.
    • Bend one end of the wire into a large circle shape, then fasten the tip of the circle to the straight part of the wire by bending it with pliers.
    • Wrap mesh or wire netting, like chicken wire, around the circle. Use the pliers to bend it in place.

Blowing Bubbles

  1. Blow little bubbles. First go outside, since bubbles look most beautiful when the sun shines through their iridescent swirls. Dip the small bubble wand you made into the bubble solution. Hold the circular part of the wand close to your lips and gently blow. Watch as bubbles stream from the wand and float away, then burst.
    • If you're using bubbles with food coloring, be sure not to blow them inside, since they may stain furniture and carpets.
    • To make lots of tiny bubbles, get a good amount of solution on the wand and blow with extra force.
  2. Make giant bubbles. Pour the bubble solution into a shallow tray. Lay the large bubble wand in the solution so that the netting is completely covered. Slowly lift the wand from the solution and check to make sure a membrane of swirling bubble solution is stretched across the blower. Gently wave the bubble maker through the air; a large bubble will form and separate from the wire.
    • Try running with the giant bubble blower to make a larger bubble.
    • Stand in a high spot, like at the top of your porch steps, and make a big bubble that floats gently to the ground. It will last longer this way.



Things You'll Need

  • Liquid soap
  • A small wire or straw to make a small bubble maker
  • A wire hanger and mesh to make a large bubble maker

Tips

  1. Instead of sugar, you can use glycerin to make bubbles lasts longer.
    • You can buy glycerin at most drug stores.
  2. Try making your bubble wand in different shapes or sizes. What works best?

Related Articles

  • Make Giant Bubble Mix

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