GIANT BUBBLES
Who doesn't love bubbles - and giant bubbles are sure to bring smiles to everyone's faces. This makes a fantastic activity for a kids Birthday party.
Project Info
| Difficulty | Easy |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 hour |
| Age | Any |
| Submitted by | |
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Materials
- 1 cup of light corn syrup (e.g. Karo)
- 2 cups of joy dishwasher detergent
- 6 cups of water
- Drinking straws
- String
Instructions
- Mix the water and corn syrup in a large container until thoroughly mixed
- Slowly add the dishwasher detergent, and stir GENTLY taking care not to disrupt the mix and cause bubbles to form on the surface
- Optional: Cover the mix and allow to settle for at least an hour. Performing this step will help to ensure that you get the best success from your bubbles
- Cut a drinking straw in half. Cut a length of string about 24 inches long. thread the string through both straw pieces and tie a knot between the two ends close to the end. You should now have a circle of string with the 2 straws captured inside.
- Using the straws as handles, gently dip the string / straws into the bubble mix. Pull out slowly and open up the straws. Blow or wave your bubble wand in the air and a large bubble will form. Repeat over and over!
Tips
- It is important not to mix the dishwasher detergent too energetically, or to disrupt the bubble mix too much - if small bubbles form on the surface of the mix this will prevent you from making big bubbles. Similarly, take care not to allow dust and dirt into your bubble mix - these will pop your bubbles.
- Rotate the string through the straws until the knot is contained within a straw - I've found this helps to prevent the bubble from popping prematurely.
- Joy dishwasher detergent makes excellent bubbles, but you can try other detergents.
- Try these other bubble wands: Large soda bottles with the bottoms cut off, drinks 6-pack rings, wire hangers. For super giant bubbles attach metal rings to the ends of two wooden dowels, and thread a loop of string through both, threading several metal washers onto the string as you are doing this. Dip your wand into the bubble mix and pull out slowly. Open the dowels to make a triangle shape in the string and form a bubble by stepping backward!. It takes some practice but it's worth the effort when your giant bubbles are formed.
- As an alternative to corn syrup try substituting 5-6 drops of glycerin. You may need to experiment with quantities as the amount of detergent vs glycerin/syrup needed with vary based on the climate or weather. Alternatively you could try a different recipe - there are a few suggestions here: bubbleblowers.com
- Thumbnail Image: Giant_Bubbles_01.jpg Other Images: Giant_Bubbles_02.jpg, Giant_Bubbles_03.jpg
- Science Tip: This is a great activity to introduce older kids to the science of bubbles. The following websites have an excellent, detailed introduction: www.exploratorium.edu and www.wetrock.com
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