Guest Post: 5 Ways to make your own Bubble Solution

This is a guest post from Baby Sitting Jobs.   I know one activity that most kids enjoy is BUBBLES!  So instead of spending money on bubbles try making your own.  I think later this week we are going to give it a try.   Have you ever tried?  

"It’s no secret that little kids love blowing bubbles. But why would you buy the bubble solution from the store when you can make twice as much for half the price at home? Making your own bubble solution is a fun project to do with the kids and most of the products necessary are ones that you probably already have at home.  Each of the following solutions will yield a different quality and type of bubbles; try out all five recipes and see which you like best.

1. You probably have all of these ingredients at home.  This simple solution can be made at the spur of the moment for some bubble fun, and the recipe uses all household ingredients.  Just mix together ½ cup of dishwashing liquid (Dawn or Joy work best), 2 cups of water, and 2 teaspoons of sugar, then prepare to have hours of fun-filled family time spent blowing bubbles. 
2. Colorful homemade bubble solution can be yours.  Take 2/3 cup of Joy dishwashing liquid, 1 gallon of water, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerin and mix it all together.  Leave the bubble solution uncovered overnight and it will be ready to use the next day.  The bubble solution will work the first day you make it, but it works a lot better when you let it set overnight. You can also divide the solution up into a couple of different bottles or trays and add food coloring to the solution to make multicolored bubbles.  For a fun party craft you can lay out sheets of white paper on the ground and blow colorful bubbles over the top of them.  The bubbles will land and pop on the paper, resulting in some amazing artwork.
3. This is one “sweet” recipe, but don’t drink it.  The secret ingredient to this bubble solution? Corn syrup. It may seem like a strange addition, but something in corn syrup helps this bubble mixture to last longer than others.  Mix together 6 cups of water, 2 cups of Joy dishwashing liquid, and ¾ cup of corn syrup.  It’s important to store this solution in a covered container so as to not attract bugs.  Make your own bubble wands using pipe cleaners, paper towel tubes, plastic lids with the center cut out, cookie cutters and even string.  Put the bubble solution into a shallow tray and dip the end of a paper towel tube into it, then blow.  Work quickly because the cardboard does get soggy after using it for a little while.  With the string you can form it into a loop by tying the ends together.  Spread the loop into a rough circle and dip it into the bubble solution.  While in the solution grab the edges and lift up.  The bubble should form right from the tray of bubble solution.
4. Bouncing bubbles can entertain your kids for hours.  This inexpensive bubble solution creates some tough bubbles.  Start this recipe the day before because it will have to sit over night to gain its strength.  Stir together 1 cup of distilled water (the purer the water the better the solution), 2 tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing liquid, and 1 tablespoon of glycerin.  Allow the solution to sit overnight.  The next day you will need a pipette and a pair of inexpensive gloves.  The pipette is the straight part of a bubble pipe.  If you don’t have a pipette you can use an eye dropper by cutting off the bulb part of the dropper, forming a makeshift pipette.  Dip the pipette into the solution and blow a bubble that is about the size of a baseball.  Release it from the pipette and you should be able to bounce it gently in your gloved hands.  You can even try bouncing it off your shirt. 
5. Make giant bubbles and enclose your kids inside of them.  This makes a great party activity.  The day before the party fill a plastic baby pool with 5 gallons of distilled water, 10 cups of Dawn dishwashing liquid, and 1 cup of glycerin (or corn syrup).  If you leave it outside to set you’ll need to loosely cover the baby pool to keep things from blowing into it. It will need 24 hours to fully set.  Now put a hula hoop into the baby pool.  Have the child step into the pool and stand inside the hula hoop.  Shake the hula hoop around a little and then slowly draw it up over the child.  The bubble will come up, encompassing the kids inside of it along the way. The kids will love this good, clean fun."