Giant Bubble Science
No matter your age, there is something mesmerizing about bubbles. Their shape, the swirling rainbows of color, the excitement of watching them pop. It’s all science!
What makes a great bubble? We have a recipe that creates the optimal surface tension for the perfect bubble. While all bubbles are fun there’s nothing quite like a GIANT bubble and we’ll teach you how to make a wand that delivers some whoppers!
The Recipe
What you need:
- Dish soap
- Glycerin (available at some drug stores or order online)
- Water
Mix together:
- ½ cup dish detergent
- 4 ½ cups water
- 4 Tablespoons glycerin
This is just one recipe. There are many different versions. Experiment and see which one works best for you. We have found those that use glycerin perform best.
Making the Wand
Just like bubble solution recipes, there are a lot of different ways to make giant bubble wands. Here’s the directions for one version from kitchencents.com:
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 3/8″ dowel rods – I bought 36″ long rods then cut them in half to make two 18″ rods.
- 0.8″ eye ring screws
- 1/8″ 100% cotton rope
- 2 small or 1 large washer
ASSEMBLING GIANT BUBBLE WAND:
Start with the dowel rods. I found it was cheaper to by a 36″ long rod then cut it in half to make two 18″ rods. 18″ long rods for the wand seemed to be an optimal length. If you’re making a larger quantities as a party favor or for a large group and you want to save some money, you can try making the wands with 12″ long rods.Once the wooden rods have been sized, add the eye ring screws to the end of the rods. You will need one eye ring screw for each rod. To make this process easier, we used a very small drill to create a guide hole. This allows the eye ring screw to twist in much easier and quicker.
Next, cut a piece of cotton rope. We cut ours to about 36″-42″ which made for a nice size bubble yet still easy enough to handle. Before tying the rope to the rods add the washer(s) onto the cotton rope. Don’t tie them on just string them on. You want them to be able to shift and move as the rods are pulled apart when making a bubble.
Tie one end of the cotton rope onto one of the eye rings attached to a rod. String the cotton rope through the other rod then back to the one with the tied end. Tie the second end of the rope to the same (first) rod.
That’s it! You just made yourself a giant bubble wand.
