Looking for some good clean summertime fun? Try making a batch of bubble solution and a homemade bubble wand. My favorite recycled bubble wands are those green plastic strawberry baskets that accumulate in the kitchen 'cause I hate throwing them away. For more tips on bubble blowing than you ever imagined, and a look at the science behind those magical multi-colored floating spheres, here are this week's site recommendations.
The Soap and Detergent Association presents a nice variety of bubble tips (Bigger Better Bubbles) and tricks (The Pop-Proof Bubble!) Navigate the bubble site by using the menu at the bottom of the page not the left-hand menu which will take you out of the Kid's Corner. Don't miss The Predictable Pop! which will show you how to amaze your friends by knowing exactly when a bubble is about to burst.
He's traveled the world, entertaining audiences with his bubbles, and now Professor Bubbles shares his secrets. I especially enjoyed his homemade bubble tools and appreciated his simple bubble solution recipes. The Questions section is a good place to start for bubble how-tos, history and science, but you'll need to scroll down the page to see the FAQs. For indoor fun, try the three online bubble games.
When the anonymous author of Bubble Town was a little boy, he discovered a paper bubble-blowing funnel in a cereal box that made much larger bubbles than the familiar plastic blowing rings. Learn how to make your own amazing bubble tube from two sheets of paper (see High Tech Bubble Tube) and learn why this simple device creates bubbles that are both bigger and longer lasting than other bubble wands (see Bubble Engineering).
"What is so fascinating about bubbles? The precise spherical shape, the incredibly fragile nature of the microscopically thin soap film, the beautiful colors that swirl and shimmer, or most likely, a combination of all these phenomena?" For an exploration of the science of bubbles, this San Francisco Exploratorium site is the bee's knees. And exactly what do beehives have in common with bubble foam? Go to "Bubble Meets Bubble" to find out.
Imagine studying soap bubbles for a living! That's what Maarten Rutgers does. For high school science students, and other serious science fans, this site goes far beyond what is covered in the other sites. Click on Fun/Bubble Details to learn that "a bubble is a film, but a film is not a bubble. Bubbles usually start as a film, for instance in a bubble wand. Once you have blown on this film, it will separate to form a free floating entity called a bubble. Soap films must be bounded on all sides, or their surface tension will pull them into tiny droplets."
Buy Bubbles Printable for $2.00
or try a FREE trial of the Printables ClubThe following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
Thinking Fountain: BubblesSoap Bubbles |
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