How to Make Homemade Bubble Solution

Blowing and chasing bubbles with your kids will get you outdoors and enjoying healthy exercise. It's a fun activity for ages from 4 to 104. You don't have to spend money on store-bought bubbles. Making the solution at home will not only save money, it will introduce your kids to how to use the kitchen, including measuring and a little easy math. It also teaches lessons about reusing and repurposing materials, sparking your child's imagination.

There is definitely a science to the process of making good bubble solution. Water by itself has a high surface tension and plain water bubbles are small and quickly burst. Adding soap or detergent to the solution lowers the surface tension and allows larger bubbles to form. Glycerin and corn syrup help the bubbles last longer, slowing down evaporation that causes them to burst. Here are some recipes that are successful. Try them out and then experiment on your own.

When making homemade bubbles, it is best to do it in large batches. Use either a clean bucket or a washed-out milk gallon container. Then store the leftover bubbles in the milk container or a large plastic pitcher.

To use the bubble solution, pour it into cleaned out, cylindrical-shaped frozen juice containers or even just empty store-bought bubble containers. You'll be continuing the lesson on reusing items.

This is a simple recipe that produces basic and good bubbles. Many people suggest just using water and dishwashing liquid, but the addition of Karo (liquid corn syrup) or glycerin holds the solution together to make nice, round, solid bubbles. Here's the recipe.

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons light Karo syrup or 2 tablespoons glycerin
• 4 tablespoons dishwashing liquid

Stir together until everything is dissolved.

Yes, regular bubbles have a nice sheen of their own, but adding a few drops of liquid food coloring to the mixture really makes a big difference.

A note, though, make sure you make this one outside, away from anything that you don't want stained (cars, patios, decks, etc.). While the food coloring usually washes away, you don't want to take any chances.

• 1 cup granulated soap or soap powder
• 1 quart warm water
• Liquid food coloring

Dissolve soap in warm water. Mix in the food coloring until you get the shade you want. This is also a chance to discuss how colors combine with your child, as well as how to play with colored solution safely.

Adding sugar also seems to produce bubbles that are bigger and slower to pop. If you are having a bubble-blowing contest, that could be your secret advantage. Here is a recipe:

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons liquid detergent
• 1 tablespoon glycerin
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all ingredients together until sugar dissolves.

If you happen to have bubble wands from store-bought bubbles lying around the house, you can use those. But experimenting with different household items can also be a lot of fun. You can find things that you are either getting rid of or serve a different purpose but are a good fit for bubble blowing. Involve your kids in looking for items that have holes that could serve as bubble wands. You'll be exercising their creativity. Here are 10 ideas to get you started:

• Straws
• Fly or bug swatters
• Cookie cutters
• Colanders (for this one, you need a big bowl to dip, and instead of blowing the bubbles, move your arms back and forth so the force of the wind does the work for you)
• Plastic slotted spoons
• The top end of a salt shaker or spice container
• A ball with holes in it like a Wiffle Ball
• Plastic baskets that hold berries (again, you can try blowing, but moving your arms might be less tiring and leave you less winded)
• The top end of a plastic bottle (like a water bottle)
• Make your own using pipe cleaners

Enjoy bubble blowing and encourage your kids to get lots of healthy movement and play.