Bubbles are fascinating for children and a great way to wile away a summer day. For something a little bit different, try some unique art projects made with bubbles and a few other household items. These activities are fun for older children and safe even for toddlers with adult supervision.
Suggested Bubble Art Supplies
- Small plastic bowls
- Bubble solution – either purchased or made at home from a recipe
- Food coloring
- Straws
- Safety pins
- White construction paper
- Bubble wands – either purchased or homemade
- Packing or Duct Tape
- Disposable pie plate or roasting pan
- Old newspapers to place under bubble solutions and sop up spills
Over the Top Bubble Prints
First, prepare the “paint” by pouring about ½ cup of bubble solution in a bowl. Next, add several drops of food coloring to the bowl and stir it until fully mixed. Colors will appear lighter on paper than in the bowl, so feel free to add more food coloring if necessary.
Use a safety pin to poke a hole into the straw so that children cannot suck up the bubble solution. Then, show children how to use a straw to blow bubbles until they rise over the top of the bowl. Gently place a paper on top of the bubbles to make a print. Repeat the process with other colors or to cover paper with prints.
Popping Prints
Tape construction paper to a tree, fence, or other outdoor structure. Put about ½ cup of bubble solution in a bowl. Then add several drops of food coloring to the bowl and stir the solution. Show children how to dip a bubble wand into the solution and blow toward the paper. When the bubbles pop against the paper, they will leave their coloring behind. Try one color or several different colors for an abstract painting.
Bubble Sculpture
Pour about ½ inch of bubble solution into a pie plate or shallow tray. Show children how to use a straw to blow a bubble that rests on top of the solution in the tray. Gently remove the straw. Wet it in the bubble solution, and then insert it into the top of the bubble at a 45 degree angle. Blow again to form another bubble inside the first one.
Children may experiment with similar processes to form bubbles on top of another or next to each other in a number of different sizes. They can repeat again and again for many layers of bubbles in a sculptural shape. For a truly memorable sculpture, try inserting a small plastic toy or block into on of the bubbles.
Bubble art is fun, easy to set up, and a great outdoor art activity for the summer. When they are done, children may want to use their bubble art as wrapping paper, to fold into homemade cards, or just to decorate the refrigerator. For more creative art ideas, read the article, “Summer Outdoor Art for Children.”
