With or without glycerin?

My boys love to bubble their milk. Whether that cup of creamy white drink was just used for dipping cookies or accompanies their favorite food, the meal usually ends with opaque bubbles rounding off the top of their cups. Joey and Ezra also love chasing soapy bubbles through the front garden or blowing them from the top of their play tower.

Recently - when the weather warranted short-sleeved shirts - we took soapy bubbles, repurposed styrofoam trays, and straws outside, so that they could create bubble mounds. Needless to stay, the boys loved this sticky mess (and I was glad we did this outside). We made observations about the bubble making process and the fluids we used, and even compared the result from soapy water to the results of trying to bubble milk, plain tap water, and honey. Although our "discussion" was low-key, as my oldest is only 4, this project could reveal some insightful scientific and mathematical conversations for older children. You could discuss the surface area of a sphere, for example, which is the shape a bubble takes for purposes of minimalization; the layering of a bubble's "skin" - including the hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions of a soap molecule; the hexagonal structure that bubbles make when they prolificate (this includes discussion of the 120 degree angle formed when bubble walls meet); etc. You can observe, journal, or draw the prism of color that forms across a bubble's sheen and discuss the physics of light. There are so many opportunities waiting for you in the common bubble!

I incorporated this love of blowing through straws with another of the boys' loves: paint (or in this case, food-coloring-tinged water). Joey and Ezra blew paint across paper, which we used for homemade thank-you and note cards once the paint had dried. They explored the saturation of color by dipping bright white cotton balls into the painted water and splotching the paint in trails across the paper, too. The boys quickly noticed the difference between blowing glycerin-infused water and colored tap water. And, this artistic endeavor can hold a wide-range of creative twists. Consider trying these projects and share how you incorporated it into your day.

And, have fun learning!