Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

A couple of years ago- I saw this great post from The Chocolate Muffin Tree about bubble prints.  When they did this activity, they used colored bubbles.  I thought, we could try it by coloring our own bubbles with paint. Just so you know, it does take a bit of tinkering to get a good mixture together that will be successful.  We did attempt a few prints with food coloring in the bubbles-  and we did make some of our own "bubble" with dish soap. We did find that we have GREAT dishsoap- so great in fact that it was fabulous at taking care of the color we added with the paint or food coloring. Thus- it was not good for making prints...  However- the best option was to use store bought bubble solution and liquid tempera. (We have since done this with liquid watercolor and food coloring. I would recommend using either of the paints over the food coloring in order to have a nice print) The children absolutely loved this activity...

With the beautiful weather we have been spending as much time as possible outside, and over the past few days we have been testing our outdoor bubble blowing! What does it take to make the best bubbles? First, we use a homemade bubble solution. (I've had this recipe for years and to be honest, I never measure...)  I only ever use Dawn dish soap for this recipe. The other soaps just don't seem to cut it, and make sure that you use the original without any of the added extras. 1/2 c light corn syrup 1/2 c dish soap  2 1/2 c water Heat your water and corn syrup (either in the microwave or on the stove top). Corn syrup is very thick and takes time to dissolve in room temperature water. Using hot water or heating it will allow for better mixing. Then add your dish soap, mix well and enjoy! Then, having a wide selection of bubble blowers is ideal. Here are a few of our favorites: "Foam"erators make fantastic long strings of bubbly snakes. Sometimes they break and ...

I know, I usually post a photo memory series on Mondays, but I've been gone for a bit and wanted to share some of our bubble fun with you this morning! (and a little bit from yesterday afternoon when we were testing out our bubble blowers!) I found this great idea through Teach Preschool on Facebook .  The link that Deborah shared for the "Super Foam-erator" originally came from Betz White. All you need is a water bottle, a piece of cloth, a rubber band, and some bubble solution. We found that the stronger the plastic bottle the better. If the bottle is too flimsy, it is difficult for the children to use. We also found that the bottles with a sipper top work best for younger children. The ones without it are more difficult to get a good seal for blowing into. For these reasons, we found that funnels work exceptionally well. They are constructed with a thicker plastic and generally have a smaller opening to work with. The children had a great time experime...