Winter Kids Activity- Freezing Bubbles

Winter Kids Activity

Winter is here and every mom is faced with the same problem: boredom.  When the weather is nice the answer to the "Mom, I'm booooooored" complaint is usually the same, "go play outside" but now we're in the heart of winter and our go-to answer isn't so reliable anymore.  So here's an activity you can do outside even when it's cold out (in fact it only works when it's cold out!) and will mesmerize both kids and adults!  I know what you're thinking, you don't want to participate in cold weather activities.  But this doesn't require you to
A) get wet or
B) climb up sledding hills
You don't even need to leave your house or wear boots.  You do, however, need to bundle up!  If nothing else, you show your kids something cool, get their brains working and then you've earned that cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.

What is freezing bubbles?  It's exactly that, you blow a bubble using regular plain old bubble solution, the same kind we all have laying around our houses from last summer.  Blow a bubble when it's cold out, and watch it freeze.  It's magical when it starts to freeze because you can see the snowflake patterns the ice crystals make on the surface.  You can actually SEE them being created! When it freezes, it can stay that way for just a few seconds or minutes, I had one stay frozen once for about 15 minutes. Then when it pops it looks more like a tiny explosion happened and kind of resembles a cracked eggshell.  

Here are some helpful tips:

1. Outside temperature should at least be 20 degrees Fahrenheit (the colder the better)
2. Pick a day when there is no wind or pick an area that is sheltered from the wind (in my video I'm in an alcove on my front porch)
3. When blowing your bubbles, first trying blowing them onto flat surfaces.  Once you get the concept down, try experimenting with your kids and make observations and predictions about which types of surfaces will work best.  You might be surprised!
4. If you blow a bubble and it pops right away don't try again on the same spot, it works best on dry surfaces.
   
   Here's a video tutorial I made to help show you how to do it ; )
    

Since I am photographer and I clearly have a love affair for abstract contemporary art and my macro lens... here are some photos of bubbles that I froze on different colored metallic paper.  My light source= front porch light.

If you try it at home with your kiddos (there's still plenty of winter cold temps left!) share your photos. I want to see what you make and all the different surfaces you try!

Having trouble- drop me a line!