Bubble activities are fun and motivating for children. The way bubbles float in the air seems magical and they are so pretty. Popping them is fun too! It’s easy to make shapes for wands and make bubble solution with simple items.
Safety note: Be sure to explain safety precautions to children. These experiments use soap. Eye protection should be used. Before and after this experiment, be sure to thoroughly clean hands. Disclaimer: All information provided on this site is for entertainment and education purposes only. Using any information from thecasabouquet.com is at your own risk.
The basic set up is a wand, a soapy solution, and a way to blow the solution through the wand into the air.
These 9 bubble activities encourage children to ask questions about surface tension, collect data, analyze, and share their findings.
Fun Bubble Science Projects from ThoughtCo.
The Science Behind Bubbles from Kids Discover
Bubble activities for kids from Happy Hooligans
Bubble-ology from Science Buddies
Blow the Biggest Bubbles from Scientific American
Science of soap bubbles from MIT Blossoms
Homemade bubble recipe for kids from Crystal and Company
Bubbles from the Exploratorium
Making bubble wands from household items from Verywell
When trying bubble activities, I always encourage children to make it into an experiment. You can change variables in several areas.
Bubble solution: The traditional ingredients for bubbles are detergent and water. Try soap and water, or compare adding glycerin versus corn syrup.
Wand size and shape: Try straws, shaping a wire loop (such as coat hanger), string loop, cardboard tube, pipe cleaner, straws with strings, or straws and pipe cleaners to make 3D shapes.
Bubble colors: Observe the colors in the bubbles. Are they related to size or thickness? How are they similar to rainbow colors?
Speed of blowing: A traditional bubble technique is using your mouth to blow through a small round wand. Try changing how fast you blow into different wands or tubes. You can use your arm to swish wands through the air. Also you can try using a fan to blow.
What is the science?
Content: chemistry, surface tension, elasticity, reflection, refraction, fluid mechanics
Bubbles are made by blowing a thin film of soapy water into a closed shape. Air is trapped inside the soap film. Adding glycerin to the soap solution allows the bubbles to last longer by slowing down evaporation.
Resource links for bubble activities
- http://www.flinnsci.com/teacher-resources/safety/general-laboratory-safety/
- General Lab Safety resources from Flinn Scientific. Be sure to check out the Student Safety Contract.
- http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/8117sci3.html
- Soap Bubbles from Chemical and Engineering News
I’ll be looking for comments below, or contact me at lisa[at]casabouquet.com.
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
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Stay safe!
Kids love bubbles! Thank you for sharing these fun ideas that connect the science learning too. I love doing these kinds of activities with my kids. I’m visiting from the Over the Moon linkup today. Have a great week!
Hey Marielle, I hope you enjoy. I have lots of science activities here on the blog.
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
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Super fun = love bubbles. The simplest of activities = the best memories!!
Thanks for sharing at reader tip tuesday. Can’t wait to see what you have for us this week: http://www.jodiefitz.com/2017/09/05/reader-tip-tuesday-weeks-craft-recipe-party-2/
Hey Jodie, Thanks so much! Bubbles are fun, but are also full of science content!
Fabulous ideas Lisa! I’m definitely trying these with my grandson. Thanks so much for sharing at #overthemoon link party.
Hey Sue, It’s always easiest to learn new things while you are having fun! As my grandson says, “bubbles! bubbles!”
There is so much fun to be had with just a bottle of bubbles isn’t there? We tried freezing bubbles one winter; that was so much fun.
Hey Joanne, I’ll have to think about freezing bubbles! They are full of science concepts that are fun to explore!
We have seen and done some of these, but some of them are new to us. What fun… and you are making memories that will last for years. 🙂
Thanks so much for reading! Bubbles are definitely fun! A great activity for children and grandchildren!
What a fun way to learn!
Hey Donna, Thanks for reading. Even adults should get out and play with bubbles!