Blowing bubbles is one of those childhood pastimes that has appealed
to and endured in the hearts of children since its beginnings. Bubbles
are light, airy and transparent and have a shiny tiny ladder on their
balloon-like structure. Like dew drops, they present themselves in
a silent jubilation of glory and then quickly disappear. Bubbles fascinate
anyone who has a moment to be fascinated: mainly children. Watching
bubbles sailing through the air inside the kitchen, bathroom or out
of doors is challenging because the ellusive bubbles usually burst
very soon after contained. This is similar to children. Once we understand
them or the particular stage that they are going through, they suddenly
pass on to a new and equally demanding situation, in a different form.
Or, seen from the sunny side, each stage of their development is so
brief, that one must capture and savor it before the child moves on
towards adulthood.
Bubbles hint of the temporary bounciness and curiosity that is characteristic
of childhood. Perhaps the wonder of bubbles for children is related
to their short life span. Just as bubbles appear in their vibrant
form, inviting play, and quickly pass on, so does the length of days
of childhood. For adults, the joys and trials of raising children
may seem endless, but any grandparent will tell a young parent that
this doesn't last forever. The children do grow up and childhood -
all too soon - becomes a memory. If we look back on our own childhood,
many will say that it seemed a short period of our lives, compared
to the days of our adulthood and the obligations to control ourselves
and our senses. Fortunately, our job is to grow inward and outward,
and to wean ourselves from material desires beyond our needs. In the
meantime, we can enjoy the simple physical pleasures of childhood
while we prepare bubbles to blow with our children and watch their
momentary excitement while the bubbles are still in the stage of getting
bigger. Enough of philosophizing on this fascinating phenomenon which
can evoke so many concrete examples of life in general. Let the children
enjoy the activity, and we'll leave the lessons for later in life.
The bubble pipe activity is indeed fantastic fun. The children watch
the empty cup suddenly fill with one bubble that immediately becomes
a cluster. The bubbles continue to pile up over the cup until they
spill over the sides in a complexity of geometric shapes that are
connected to a steady growing unit. It is similar in structure to
beeswax in that the connecting sides become flat and hexagonal, but
is fluid, rather than solid. Outdoors, in sunlight, the bubbles shine
in all colors of the rainbow - another lesson in science.
Blowing bubbles has a practical side to it (besides keeping young
children preoccupied and delighted). Speech therapists claim that
repeatedly pursing the lips helps articulation by making the lips
and their adjoining facial muscles stronger. It also helps breathing
out from the lips for children that need help with this.
Homemade Bubble Solution
* 1/4 cup clear liquid dishwashing detergent
* 1/4 - 1/3 cup glycerin (available in pharmacies. This is usually
not kosher and should be handled appropriately.)
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 tablespoon sugar
Directions:
Make a bubble hoop by bending a thin metal coat hanger or use other
pliable wire (electrical fuse wire) that keeps its shape. Make a variety
of shapes and sizes. Or use a plastic kitchen funnel dipped into the
solution and blown through the small end to produce extra large bubbles.
Old fashioned keys with large holes are also good, old eyeglass frames
without the glass - let your imagination loose. At a birthday party
or for a relaxing after school activity, have a bubble race to see
who can blow a bubble and keep it from popping until they reach the
finish line. Bubbles carry very nicely on plastic spoons.
Or, on a nice spring day, take the paraphernalia to a park and let
fly.
Bubble Pipe
* 1 plastic cup
* 1 straw
* 2 teaspoons liquid dish detergent
* 2 teaspoons water
* Optional: 1 tsp. salad oil and/or a drop of food color
Directions:
* Poke a pencil one inch (2 cm.) from the bottom of cup
* Push a drinking straw through the hole.
* Place a tray or large plate under cup to catch drips.
* Pour in liquid bubble ingredients.
* Blow through the pipe as mounds of bubbles pile up, over and out
of the cup.
* Provide extra cups and spoons for pouring, mixing and measuring.
Explain about pouring and measuring.
* Optional: move the bubble pipe equipment to the bathtub. Enlarge
on the bubble play activities with additional bubble solution, cups
and spoons.
Note: these bubbles are stationery. Not for blowing in the air. Also:
make sure small children do not DRINK the solution through the straw!
Colored Bubble Pipe
Materials:
* 3 plastic cups and 3 straws
* Liquid dishwashing detergent
* Red, blue and yellow goache or tempera paint, liquid or dry
* Plastic covering for table
* Paper
Directions:
* Cover table with plastic.
* Follow directions for making bubble pipe from a cup and a straw.
* Pour in 1/4 cup liquid dishwashing detergent in each cup.
* Mix in a small amount of liquid goache or tempera pain. Or, mix
a small amount of water into powdered paint.
* Add to dishwashing liquid. Adjust color by adding more paint.
* Blow through straw and watch the colorful bubbles appear and spill
over onto the table.
* Spoon colored bubbles onto a sheet of paper in a variety of arrangements.
* Wait for bubbles to dry.
Have fun. It's Adar! You'll welcome this as an outside activity for
the children in Nissan, too!
Devora Piha, our Creativity Expert, offers consultation, lectures,
crafts groups and instruction for individuals and institutions on
creativity and art. She can be reached at 02-9931-592. Creativity,
as you have seen, affects all areas of our lives, and should be used
to enhance and heighten it.
