The weather’s been gorgeous recently, and the gypsy moth caterpillars have finally metamorphosed (and are being lured in by our pheromone traps), so we’ve taken the opportunity to spend some time outside, enjoying the relative calm that is our backyard.

We’ve done a few related bubble activities that have been big wins with the whole family.

1: Catching Bubbles

The kids had a BLAST with this, were creative in exploring what they could do, and it was also great for practicing some important skills like light touch and hand-eye coordination.

We started with a homemade bubble solution similar to this one – the glycerin makes the bubble nice & strong, and used a bubble wand from the dollar store. We also filled our water table so we had a good reservoir of easily accessible water to keep the hands wet.

I coached the kids on how to cup their hands, and reminded them to keep them wet. This went on for a good 1/2 hour. They were testing bubbles against one another, catching on arms and backs of hands, stomping those that made it on to the wet part of the deck. 

2. Bubble Clusters

These bubble clusters are so fun!

We take a plastic water bottle, cut off the bottom, and cover it with a cheesecloth (mesh or even threadbare socks work too!)

Dip the cheesecloth/ mesh end in a shallow dish of bubble solution, and blow.

The results are dramatic and easy even for kids. We were catching these clusters in cups & bowls. We’ve also “painted” with them. 

3. Medicine syringe blowing/bubble play

Today, my kids needed a bit of variety in their play. I pulled out 3 of these outer parts of medicine syringes, and we used them instead of bubble wands. They’re really good for practicing blowing, because it’s much less likely a child will inhale with one of these as compared to a regular straw or the water bottle in part 2. 

I was blown away (pun intended) by how creative the kids got. They each discovered something new. 

E discovered that she could put diluted bubble solution in a small medicine cup and could blow a cascade of bubbles out of it.

A discovered that she could blow bubbles onto the water table and they would float. (That’s E in the picture)

J discovered that he could pass the syringe through the floating bubble (on the water table) without breaking it. 

For an amazing 20 minutes or so, the kids were all discovering, sharing their delight, and building on each others’ discoveries. 

I sat back and thought, “They’re getting it!” They’re asking questions, trying new things, talking about it, and sharing the experience with each other. I wish you could have heard the giggles. It was priceless.