Make Your Own Bubble Wands

Make Your Own Bubbles and Wands for Some Good Clean Fun! Ages 5+

Using some simple craft materials, children can make their own bubbles and bubble wands.

Why?

Playing with bubbles is a great engaging activity for children that helps them develop on many levels!
– Blowing bubbles can be a simple way to introduce them to cause and effect concepts.
– Learn more about identifying shapes when blowing bubbles – circle vs. sphere.
– Chasing bubbles in the air encourages them to walk, run, reach, clap and point.
– Counting the bubbles in the air is great math practice.
– Holding a bubble wand and blowing helps develop dexterity.
– Watch bubbles float and shine different colors to help learn about rainbows and wind directions.

Vocabulary:

• Bubble
• Float
• Shapes
• Circle
• Sphere
• Wind
• Rainbow
• Blow
• Pattern

Materials:

For Your Bubble Wands

• Floral Wire, art wire, or pipe cleaners
• Pony beads/other decorations

For Your Bubbles

• 1 cup water – distilled is best
• 2 Tbsp. dish detergent- Dawn or Joy
• 1 Tbsp. glycerin or corn syrup

Directions:

To Make Wands

1. Take the end of a piece of wire and form into a round circle, about 3 inches in diameter.
2. Twist the end to close the circle.
3. Next, pull the other end straight down for the handle, make this as long as you would like and snip off the end.
4. String the beads on the wire handle (play with your designs, patterns, whatever you want). 
5. After you are finished with your design, twist the end of the wire to secure the beads an snip off any extra wire.
6. Now go bubbling!

Recipe For Bubbles

1. Mix Dawn dish detergent (Joy is good too) and water. (Depending on the relative humidity we may add more or less water)
2. Add glycerin or corn syrup
3. Stir gently
4. Grab your wand and start bubbling!

Whats Happening?

Bubbles are round — spherical — because there is an attractive force called surface tension that pulls molecules of water into the tightest possible groupings. … In a bubble, the inward surface-tension forces of the water film are exactly balanced by the outward-pushing pressure of the air inside. Bubbles pop mostly because of evaporation. The soap cannot form a bubble all by itself. It needs the surface tension of water to stretch into a sphere. The water gets sandwiched in between layers of soap molecules. When the water evaporates, the bubble will pop. What else can pop a bubble?
The more moisture that’s in the air, the better bubbles will form and last. Hot, dry, summer days are not the best bubbling days. Try bubbling a foggy morning.