Maker Monday: Bouncing Bubbles

This week’s Maker Monday project is so cool! Kids love Bouncing Bubbles on their hands like slow-motion jugglers!

First, a bit of science: Bubbles are made from air wrapped by three layers — two layers of soapy film with a layer of water molecules trapped in between. Adding glycerin helps extend the life of a bubble by slowing the evaporation of water, which makes a bubble pop.

Wearing a knit glove or clean sock prevents oils and impurities from easily breaking the bubble, giving it the bouncing ability. Using distilled water also keeps limits minerals from popping the bubble too soon.

A few tips: The glycerin required for the recipe can be found in craft stores that sell cake decorating supplies. We recommend Dawn dishwashing soap because it is highly concentrated, and so it tends to work best. If your knit gloves are already packed away for the season, use a sock on your hand instead.

Supplies:

1 cup of distilled water

2 tablespoon Dawn dish liquid

1 tablespoon glycerin

Bubble wand

Knit glove, mitten or clean sock

Measure the dish soap and glycerin into the water and stir to mix.

Pull on a glove. Dip the wand into the liquid and gently blow a bubble. Aim the bubble upwards so it can be easily caught on the glove and bounced. Watching the bubble move up and down is truly mesmerizing!

For more Maker Monday projects and other fun stuff for kids, visit the Kidsburgh Activities page.