Bubble Building – Research-Backed At-Home Activities – Bay Area Discovery Museum

Bubble Building

Take bubble blowing to the next level with these DIY bubble wands! While it may seem like a fun break, during this activity, your child will be flexing their curiosity muscles and using their experimentation skills as they come up with ideas and try them out.

Learning Goals

  • Be Curious
  • Come up with ideas and try them out

Materials Required

  • Pre-made bubble solution
    • You can use store-bought, or make your own by mixing:
      • 2 cups warm water
      • 1/3 cup dish soap.
      • 1/4 cup corn syrup if you have it on hand.
  • Plastic containers or trays to hold the bubble solution
  • Bubble wands in different shapes and sizes (optional)
  • A variety of household items such as slotted spoons, funnels, lids, and cookie cutters
  • Materials for creating homemade bubble wands, such as pipe cleaners, string, hangers, or plastic cups or bottles

Instructions

  • If you have them, take a closer look at one of the store-bought bubble wands to determine its major components. Or just imagine bubble wands you may have used in the past. What parts do all the wands have in common? How are they different?
  • Use the household items and other materials to create homemade bubble wands. When making your own, think about all the components before transforming the materials. Could an old hanger be bent into a new shape? Could a hole be poked into the center of a bottle cap?
  • Put your new tools to the test and start blowing bubbles!

Tips for Adults

  • Ask children if they can create a bubble wand that will make a bubble shaped like a square? A triangle? What happens?
  • Encourage children to use descriptive language to narrate what they are observing (e.g I see a large shiny bubble, I see lots of drips onto the floor)
  • Experiment with different types of bubble solutions (more soap, with and without corn syrup) to see how this affects the bubbles. Do some last longer than others?
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Bay Area Discovery Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing children with research-backed early learning experiences that inspire creative problem solving. We need your help now more than ever.

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