They shimmer and glisten in the midday sunlight. What starts out as a clear pool of liquid in a bottle or shallow dish comes to life with a simple wand and a child's breath. For girls and boys alike, blowing bubbles is simply the perfect lazy summer afternoon pastime. Few sights match a group of kids making bubbles and chasing them down while they float across your yard. It's hard to believe that so much fun can evolve from such a basic set of materials and a child's imagination. From, "who can make the biggest bubble" to "whose bubble can last the longest," those perfect little iridescent spheres hold a magic all their own. This summer, why not incorporate the world of bubbles into a project for your child and some of his or her friends? With little more than the supplies of bubble-making, a little color, and some paper, they can magically capture a bubble on paper in a fun and unique piece of artwork.
Here's what you will need:
- Disposable aluminum pie plates or similar shallow containers. As an alternate method, you can use a larger shallow pan such as a cookie sheet with sides and increase the bubble solution accordingly.
- Disposable plastic bowl or container
- Tempera paint in various colors
- Dishwashing liquid
- Water
- Long drinking straws
- Clothespins
- Clothesline
- Safety scissors
If you want to do this project indoors, cover a large flat work surface with newspaper or plastic drop cloths to make cleanup easier. If you are working outside, setup a card table or picnic table as a workspace. If you want to protect the outdoor surface, cover it also.
Begin by cutting a square of white paper the finished artwork size that you desire (an 18 inch square is a nice size to use). If you want to make multiple paintings, cut the paper squares now to simplify the task. Have your child choose what color he or she would like their bubble painting to be. If you have various colors of tempera paint, it's fun to let your child experiment with mixing colors. In a disposable bowl, mix 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of dishwashing liquid, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup tempera paint to achieve the desired color. Stir with an old spatula or another old utensil to mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a shallow pie plate or another shallow container.
Using a drinking straw, have your child blow bubbles to fill the shallow container. Make sure that they do not inhale! Once the container is filled with bubbles, remove the straw. Gently hold a square of white paper by its corners and press it to the pile of bubbles so they leave an imprint. You can continue to lift the paper and turn it slightly to apply bubble imprints on more of the paper. If the bubbles deflate too much, simply insert the straw and blow to form a new supply. Once your child has applied all the bubble imprints he or she would like, use a clothespin, thumbtack, or paperclip to hang the paper up on the suspended clothesline so it can dry.
For some additional variety and creativity, use two or three containers (of the same size) and use a different tempera paint color in each mixture of bubble solution. Your child can have fun learning how the different colors blend to form new colors while they are wet on the paper.
As another option, choose a color and create a base layer of bubble prints and allow the first layer to dry. Once the paper has dried thoroughly, mix a second color bubble solution in a separate pan, blow bubbles as before, and apply the second color of bubble imprints over the paper with the initial color or bubble imprints. By allowing the paper and first print color to dry, the two colors will remain distinctive and stand out on their own to create a unique layered look.
Once the paper is thoroughly dry, it can take its place as a new piece of handmade artwork in your child's room or on the refrigerator gallery! Who would have thought that something as simple as a bubble could, with a little color, make something so creative, unique, and fun!
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