MAKING BUBBLES
When my children were young, we had many days of fun while making giant bubbles. It was a challenge to see who could make the biggest and it was so much fun to try and see how long it would last. The instructions I found from Home Science Tools are similar to those we used but our bubble making days were before the internet of today.
When my children were young, we had many days of fun while making giant bubbles. It was a challenge to see who could make the biggest and it was so much fun to try and see how long it would last. The instructions I found from Home Science Tools are similar to those we used but our bubble making days were before the internet of today.
How to Make Bubbles
You can blow bubbles with any mixture of soap and water, but add a "secret" ingredient and you'll get bigger and stronger bubbles! Just follow this recipe. What You Need: •Liquid dish soap (Joy or Dawn brands work best. Try to find one that doesn't say 'Ultra') •Distilled water (tap water is okay, but distilled water makes the best bubbles) •Clean container with lid •Glycerin or light corn syrup |
|
What You Do:
1.Measure 6 cups of water into one container, then pour 1 cup of dish soap into the water and slowly stir it until the soap is mixed in. Try not to let foam or bubbles form while you stir.
2.Measure 1 tablespoon of glycerin or 1/4 cup of corn syrup and add it to the container. Stir the solution until it is mixed together.
3.You can use the solution right away, but to make even better bubbles, put the lid on the container and let your super bubble solution sit overnight. (Note: If you used "Ultra" dish soap, double the amount of glycerin or corn syrup.)
4.Dip a bubble wand* or straw into the mixture, slowly pull it out, wait a few seconds, and then blow. How big of a bubble can you make? How many bubbles can you make in one breath?
*You can make your own bubble wand by cutting off the end of the bulb of a plastic pipet. Dip the cut end in solution and blow through the narrow end.
What Happened:
The soap mixture on the outside of a bubble is actually made of three very thin layers: soap, water, and another layer of soap. This "sandwich" that is on the outside of a bubble is called a soap film. A bubble pops when the water that is trapped between the layers of soap evaporates. The glycerin or corn syrup mixes with the soap to make it thicker. The thicker skin of the glycerin bubbles keeps the water from evaporating as quickly, so they last longer. It also makes them stronger, so you can blow bigger bubbles.
Bubbles That Don't Pop! After you make the super bubble solution and let it set for at least one day, try doing this cool bubble trick!
1.Set the lid of your bubble container on the table so that the part with the lip is facing up. Fill the lid with bubble solution.
2.Dip a straw into the bubble solution container so that it is wet half way up the straw. Touch the straw to the lid and blow a bubble on the lid. Slowly pull the straw all the way out of the bubble.
3.Now dip the pointed end of a pair of scissors into the container of bubble solution. Make sure they are completely wet. Poke the scissors through the wall of your bubble. Watch what happens. Try it again with other pointed objects (pencils, etc.), just make sure anything you touch to the bubble is wet. Can you stick your finger through the bubble?
What Happened:
You should have been able to push the scissors through the wall of the bubble without popping it. When something wet touches a bubble, it doesn't poke a hole in the wall of the bubble, it just slides through and the bubble forms right around it. The bubble solution on the scissors filled in the hole that would have been made. If you try poking dry scissors through your bubble, you will see it pop instantly! (If it popped when you put the wet scissors in, something was probably too dry. Try it again and make sure anything that touches the bubble is completely wet with bubble solution.)
Try a couple more tricks:
•Make a big dome bubble on the lid like you did above, then get the straw wet again, insert it into the bubble, and see if you can blow a smaller bubble inside the bigger one!
•Get one hand completely wet in the bubble solution then use the other hand to hold your bubble blower and blow a big bubble in the palm of your wet hand.
TAKING A ROAD TRIP
Over the years, we visited family during the summer, on the off season of school. During the long road trips taking us to their homes, we would have the kids look for specific things along the road. One of the favorites, still talked about to this day, is the dollar the first person would get who would see a moose. Not impossible, but definitely a challenge.
We also play plenty of silly games that rquire little equipment, other that our mind.
A couple of favorites are I Spy and Twenty Questions.
Over the years, we visited family during the summer, on the off season of school. During the long road trips taking us to their homes, we would have the kids look for specific things along the road. One of the favorites, still talked about to this day, is the dollar the first person would get who would see a moose. Not impossible, but definitely a challenge.
We also play plenty of silly games that rquire little equipment, other that our mind.
A couple of favorites are I Spy and Twenty Questions.
|
I Spy
This game can be used whenever it serves a purpose, but we used it while driving long distance. There are some rules to this game. Choose who will be “The Spy”, noncompetitive alternating of turns or rock, paper, scissors. For us it was usually it was the one who was first to say they wanted to play. You can play according to the way something is spelled, color, etc. We played with color. To start the game, the Spy silently selects an object that is visible to all the players and does not reveal their choice. They then say, "I spy with my little eye something beginning with ...", naming the letter the chosen object starts with (e.g. "I spy with my little eye something beginning with C" or "I spy with my little eye something blue”. |
The Spy cannot change the object once it has been chosen, and if the chosen object is only momentarily seen, it is invalid. We usually used things inside the car. Once the rules are established and the object is chosen the players then have to guess the chosen object. Take turns in asking questions, which can either be a guess in the form of "Is it ___?" or an attempt to narrow down the search such as "Is it on your left?". The Spy then replies "yes" or "no" to each question. The Spy can offer extra clues if the guessers are stumped. Once a guesser has correctly identified the object, they become the Spy for the next round and the game starts again. If playing with really young players the order of play should rotate and not depend on winning.
Twenty Questions
20 Questions is a classic game that has been played since the 19th century. One person thinks of an object and the others playing have 20 chances to guess what it is. A great game for long, boring car trips, study halls, or as a vocabulary expansion game for language learners. Establish the rules. The questioner asks:
•Is it an animal (alive and breathing)? A vegetable (does it grow?) Or mineral (isn't alive, doesn't grow, comes from the ground)?
•Is it a person, place, or thing?
The players can establish whether or not the object must be in sight. This is better for shorter games or those with goldfish-like attention spans.
•Responses can be a straight "yes" or "no" answer, or include adverbs like, "usually," "sometimes," or "rarely."
•Someone must keep track of the number of questions asked. This is usually whoever has their hands free to hold up the appropriate amount of fingers.
Twenty Questions
20 Questions is a classic game that has been played since the 19th century. One person thinks of an object and the others playing have 20 chances to guess what it is. A great game for long, boring car trips, study halls, or as a vocabulary expansion game for language learners. Establish the rules. The questioner asks:
•Is it an animal (alive and breathing)? A vegetable (does it grow?) Or mineral (isn't alive, doesn't grow, comes from the ground)?
•Is it a person, place, or thing?
The players can establish whether or not the object must be in sight. This is better for shorter games or those with goldfish-like attention spans.
•Responses can be a straight "yes" or "no" answer, or include adverbs like, "usually," "sometimes," or "rarely."
•Someone must keep track of the number of questions asked. This is usually whoever has their hands free to hold up the appropriate amount of fingers.
CAMPING
Nature instills a sense of wonder and awe. And it is a great way for families to bond. Here are some tips for camping with kids that will ensure everyone on the trip has a good experience. Check out these awesome tips I found from REI. You can see the original article here. If you have never camped before: •Practice camping at home, pitch a tent in the backyard, practice sleeping in a sleeping bag. •Before your overnighter, try a family day outing at a close-to-home park. •Write down reminders for future trips. |
|
Plan for your trip:
•Give children the responsibility to pack their own camping gear at home (using a list you've created). A parent should double-check a child's packing job before leaving home.
•Let kids bring some of their favorite playthings so the campsite doesn't feel entirely foreign to them.
•If it's a long way from your campsite to the beach or play area, it's faster (and more fun) to use a bike instead of walking or firing up your vehicle. Bikes keep kids entertained, too.
•Planning on a campfire? Before you leave home, make some calls to determine if campfires are permitted at your chosen campground. If not, make sure everyone in the family knows in advance. There's no bigger disappointment to a kid who has packed all the s'more fixings than to discover that a burn ban is in effect.
At the campsite:
•Be prepared to cope with inconvenience. Everything is in a different place. The bathroom is no longer down the hall, it's 6 campsites down the path. As an adult, you must lead by example with an upbeat, can-do attitude.
•Establish fixed locations for important items, such as, "The forks and spoons are in the blue tub," and "flashlights are in the green stuff sack."
•Kids like to be involved. Assign them some meaningful camp chores, such as gathering firewood or collecting water from the pump. Recognize their contributions with praise or a treat (or both).
•Your kids should always carry a whistle (teach them to blow it if they become separated from you) and have easy access to a flashlight or headlamp. Attach a lanyard to both the whistle and light and tie them to one of the child's belt loops.
•Ask park rangers about wildlife activity in the area you are visiting and safely coexisting with wildlife. Educate your children about the importance of not feeding wild animals (it negatively alters their food-gathering patterns) and treating wildlife with respect and caution so everyone stays safe.
While camping:
•Look for wildlife. Check out bugs. Examine rocks. Identify birds, flowers, clouds, constellations. Lead kids on a rock scramble. Show interest in things that interest them. Bring a field guide to help you identify and learn about the things they find.
•If you're camping at a state or national park, attend the ranger's evening talk.
•Geocaching: A GPS-guided treasure hunt engages kids physically and mentally. Check geocaching to see if any caches are hidden in the area you'll be visiting.
Great memories are one of the payoffs of a camping trip. Shakespeare must have been camping when he wrote, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
•Give children the responsibility to pack their own camping gear at home (using a list you've created). A parent should double-check a child's packing job before leaving home.
•Let kids bring some of their favorite playthings so the campsite doesn't feel entirely foreign to them.
•If it's a long way from your campsite to the beach or play area, it's faster (and more fun) to use a bike instead of walking or firing up your vehicle. Bikes keep kids entertained, too.
•Planning on a campfire? Before you leave home, make some calls to determine if campfires are permitted at your chosen campground. If not, make sure everyone in the family knows in advance. There's no bigger disappointment to a kid who has packed all the s'more fixings than to discover that a burn ban is in effect.
At the campsite:
•Be prepared to cope with inconvenience. Everything is in a different place. The bathroom is no longer down the hall, it's 6 campsites down the path. As an adult, you must lead by example with an upbeat, can-do attitude.
•Establish fixed locations for important items, such as, "The forks and spoons are in the blue tub," and "flashlights are in the green stuff sack."
•Kids like to be involved. Assign them some meaningful camp chores, such as gathering firewood or collecting water from the pump. Recognize their contributions with praise or a treat (or both).
•Your kids should always carry a whistle (teach them to blow it if they become separated from you) and have easy access to a flashlight or headlamp. Attach a lanyard to both the whistle and light and tie them to one of the child's belt loops.
•Ask park rangers about wildlife activity in the area you are visiting and safely coexisting with wildlife. Educate your children about the importance of not feeding wild animals (it negatively alters their food-gathering patterns) and treating wildlife with respect and caution so everyone stays safe.
While camping:
•Look for wildlife. Check out bugs. Examine rocks. Identify birds, flowers, clouds, constellations. Lead kids on a rock scramble. Show interest in things that interest them. Bring a field guide to help you identify and learn about the things they find.
•If you're camping at a state or national park, attend the ranger's evening talk.
•Geocaching: A GPS-guided treasure hunt engages kids physically and mentally. Check geocaching to see if any caches are hidden in the area you'll be visiting.
Great memories are one of the payoffs of a camping trip. Shakespeare must have been camping when he wrote, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."