HOUSTON – If you’re pulling your hair out because you’re all out of ideas to keep the kids entertained, you are not alone!
Here at Houston Life, we always have you covered.
If you have water, dish soap and corn syrup, we're answering your prayers!
Scientific Sally with Mad Science of Houston is sharing the science behind the 3 ingredient homemade bubble recipe, that’s an easy set-up, clean up, and most importantly, will help the kids pass the time, all while learning and having fun.
HOW TO CREATE GHOST BUBBLES
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- Dish soap
- Corn syrup
- Water
- Pipe cleaner
- Spoon
- Measuring cup
- Marker
- A cup or a jar
EXPERIMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1: Pour 1 cup of dish soap, ½ cup of corn syrup, and ¼ cup of water into a cup
Step 2: Slowly mix the three liquids together with the spoon. Do not mix quickly, otherwise bubbles will form
Step 3: Wrap a pipe cleaner end around a marker to make a bubble wand. Slide the pipe cleaner off the marker, and twist the stem on itself
Step 4: Dip the wand loop into the solution. Wait for five seconds the first time you do this to let the bristles soak up the solution
Step 5: Remove the wand from the solution and blow through the loop. What do you see? What happens when the bubbles pop?
WHAT’S GOING ON:
Water molecules are attracted to each other. They pull on each other. When water meets air, the water molecules stick together in a layer at the surface. This is because they are more attracted to each other than to the air molecules. We call this surface tension. Normal water has too much surface tension to make bubbles. Adding a detergent like dish soap weakens the surface tension so bubbles can form. When the water in a bubble dries up, or evaporates, the bubble bursts. Corn syrup slows down this process, so the bubbles are stronger and last longer. When the water finally does dry up, the bubble pops, leaving a ghostly film of corn syrup and soap.
For more fun experiments, check out Mad Science of Houston!