For 3-5 year olds
Equipment:
Book about bubbles, such as Pop! A book about bubbles Kimberley Brubaker Bradley, 10-50ml syringes, 5-8' table, chopsticks, tray, giant bubble wand (2' sticks, cotton twine, weight), markers, goggles, magnify glasses, water jug, small cooler, large sealable plastic tub
Supplies:
3 oz plastic cups, 16 oz plastic cups, roll of paper towels, distilled water, dishwashing soap, glycerin, dry ice, milk, straws, disposable tablecloth, nametags
I'm a Scientist:
goggles, magnify glass, touch, smell, ask questions. Prompt observation behavior at each bubble stage.
Order of Events:
Welcome, names, nametags
Story
Blow bubbles in tap water and milk
Make soap bubble mix
Blow bubbles with bubble wands
Blow bubbles by straw
Dry ice inflated bubbles
Giant bubble demonstration
Clean up
Snack
Hints:
Dry ice doesn't last very long, buy it the morning of your party
Cover your supplies with a cloth or have them on a tray on the side table so kids aren't distracted during the story. Try to resist preschoolers' curiosity about everything and keep the various activities a surprise until they happen
A semi-enclosed outdoor space is ideal, something that is ok to get messy, can be hosed down afterwards, but is out of the wind and even small breezes
Blowing milk bubbles will overspill quickly. Do this with a tiny amount of milk and/or in large cups
Pour soap into small cups for kids to suck up with a syringe. Teach how to use a syringe with two hands. Limit the number of syringes to the number of adults, and give one-on-one assistance putting glycerin and soap into their mixing cups.
Stir mix with sticks, not with straws, or they will blow bubbles into their soap mixture, making it much harder to get a good film on a bubble wand
Premake or buy a guaranteed-to-work bubble solution. The Exploratorium's page on bubbles has some hints, including make it the day before and let it off gas some of the volatiles in the dishwashing soap. Particularly to use with giant bubble demo
Dry ice can be picked up by chopsticks. Break it into pieces by dropping the bag on the floor, stomping on the block, or hitting it with a hammer. Bouncy ball sized pieces work well in a 16 oz cup of bubble fluid. Don't let the kids touch it. It will eventually freeze the surrounding water at the bottom of their cups. Don't touch that ice block either, it has a dry ice core that is still dangerously cold.
PRACTICE making giant bubbles. There's a bit of technique to it, particularly in closing off the bubbles before the film pops. Up, Out, Air, Close, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. Luckily it is addictively fun.
Too much dripped/spilled bubble mix on the floor can become slippery.
Don't try to explain too much. Science for this age is about experiencing the wonders and variation of the natural world, building up a personal catalog of observations.
Milk and cookies makes a nice snack. You have the milk on hand already.
1:2:5 glycerin:soap:distilled water. You can skip the glycerin if you can't find it. This may be too thick, but it is much easier to add more water in a controlled way than more glycerin or soap.
Don't fill any cup more than half way at any point. They'll spill over anyway.
Collect all liquids for sink disposal in the water jug
Toss everything in the sealable tub and bring it home to sort out and wash later
Today's menu:
chocolate chip pancakes
leftover tarragon chicken, garlic potatoes, and asparagus
beet greens and mushroom frittata, green salad with white beans and avocado, matzo
