homemade bubbles
Mix this up the day before you want to go out and blow bubbles. These bubbles are so good, you won’t mind waiting.
What do you need:
Empty half-gallon milk container, water, a measuring cup, liquid dish soap, measuring spoons, glycerin or corn syrup, shallow bowl or disposable pie pan, scissors, and bubble blower.
What do you need to do:
Rinse the milk container and fill it with water, then pour in 1/3 cup of water. Add 1/3 cup of liquid dish soap and 2 tablespoons of glycerin or corn syrup to the milk container. Close the container and turn it over a few times SLOWLY to mix it up. Don’t shake it! Let it rest for 24 hours. Then, pour some of the mixture into a shallow bowl or disposable pie pan. Submerge the bubble blower in the solution and blow. You’ll make nice thick bubbles that float longer than store bought ones.
Try making your own bubble blower:
Chenille sticks (pipe cleaners) easily bend and twist to form a hoop. Make heart shapes, moon shapes, experiment and find out what works and what doesn’t. Be resourceful and recycle objects. Cut a circle out of a margarine lid container, glue a stick to it for a handle, and see how that Try the plastic ring from a six-pack of canned soda.
take it to the next level
These bubbles are so strong that you can make them bounce. Yes, bounce.
What do you need:
White cotton gloves available at most arts or crafts stores, 4 straws, and a goad (about 4 feet long). Thread the straws through end to end and tie a knot where the stingers meet, creating a square. Dip that square into the bubble solution and gently pull it out. Hold it up and have a partner blow bubbles onto the trampoline and watch them bounce. Then try putting on the white cotton glove and let the bubble bounce off your gloved hand. It might take a bit of practice like the trampoline, but it works!
Magic Railroad
Young children seem to be fascinated by trains, as evidenced by the popularity of characters like Thomas the Tank Engine.
What do you need:
Sidewalk chalk and a sidewalk.
To do:
Bring your bucket of chalk outside and get everyone involved in building a railroad. Draw a complete railway with stations, water towers, cities, towns, whatever your imagination wants to visit on this railway. Add lakes, crossings, bridges, tunnels. Draw trees and flowers along the sides, paths for the cars to cross… Then when you’re done, get everyone on board and ride the Magic Railroad. Let them get off their posts and play.
Children’s paper mural
What do you need:
Large paper roll (48 inches tall by 50 feet wide) Try Fadeless paper rolls available at Michaels and any online craft store for about $16, crayons or markers (wide tips work best), masking tape
To do:
Take the kids to the park or backyard with the roll of paper and the wide-tipped markers and crayons. Tape it against the building or spread it out on hard ground. Have everyone pose in a very dramatic way against the paper. Children, working with partners, take turns tracing each other. Then everyone fills in the details of their own faces, clothes, shoes, etc. The rough and sandy cement of the building or the ground creates the most interesting textures. They can turn it into a mural by adding pictures, words, and whatever comes to mind.
Note:
The papers come in white and colors and even patterns such as clouds and landscapes. Be sure to choose a lighter background that can be easily covered with markers or crayons.
soda fountains
Do you want something more explosive and messy?
Try this in your backyard.
What do you need:
A 2-liter bottle of soda (not diet), Funnel, Tablespoon and Salt.
To do:
Open the soda bottle, insert the funnel. Throw in the tablespoon of salt, remove the funnel and come back! The soda bubbles up and makes a big mess!
take it to the next level
This gets really messy, but it’s so much fun that you might want to double your supplies so you have enough on hand for a second go.
What do you need:
Outdoor space that is okay to get dirty. Unopened 2-liter bottle of soda (non-diet), a plastic straw, and a packet of Wintergreen Lifesavers.
To do:
Open the soda bottle and place it in a clear spot on the ground. Open the Lifesavers and push the straw through the centers. Put them all in the straw. Now carefully place one end of the straw into the opening of the bottle and all at once, for all the mints inside. Return! The contents of the bottle will shoot several feet into the air.
Here are some ideas to try with your own children this summer. Hang out with them and be a fun parent. Get dirty, have fun!
