Bubble Blowers – Creative, Economical and Fun!

When you make your own bubbles it can be a fun activity for you and your children.  So what about some creative blowers besides the ones that come with commercial bubbles.  They work, but there are so many other ways you can send those bubbles into the air.  Here are some cost effective suggestions:

Soft Drink Holder

Dip a plastic six-pack drink holder into the bubble solution and twirl it around.

Straws 

Tape four to six straws together.  Dip one end and blow through the other end.

Pipe Cleaners

To create a bubble wand take one end of a pipe cleaner and bend it to form a circle approximately the size of a quarter or any size you desire.  Twist it together tightly so it stays locked in place.  This is a fun activity where you children can make their own wands.  Let them be creative, check to ensure they are together tightly and let the fun begin!!

Paper Cup

Cut a hole in the bottom of a paper cup.  Dip the larger end into the bubble solution and blow through the hole.

Wire

Bend a piece of wire into a loop.  (Be sure to cover any sharp edge with masking tape) Let your children dip the loop into the bubble solution and blow.

 

How to Make Bubbles……

Children love to blow bubbles and summertime is a great time for this outdoor science activity.  There are many recipes out there for making your own bubbles.  They are economical and really easy to do.  Just choose one that keeps your children’s safety in mind.

Basic Homemade Bubbles 

1 cup water

1 Tablespoon dishwashing liquid

Combine the water and dishwashing liquid in a cup, bottle or dish.  Stir gently and thoroughly to combine. Dip your bubble wand and get started with some fun!

Bubble Recipe

1 cup dish detergent liquid                                                

8 cups water

1 cup corn syrup

Mix all ingredients together.  Store in a closed container.                                                                  This bubble solution stores well.

Big Bubble Solution – makes it easy to blow really large bubbles.

3/4 cup liquid dishwashing detergent

1/4 cup glycerin  (can be found at drugstores)

1/2 gallon water

Mix all ingredients and pour into a shallow pan.  Excess solution can be stored in a sealed container. This solution works best it if is allowed to set for several days before use.

The Art and Science of Bubbles

American Cleaning Institute  has great resources for you to use.  Visit their website for recipes, riddles, science activities and more.  You can also make your own mini-book.

http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/art__science_of_bubbles.aspx

Bubble Experimentation

Bubble blowing naturally gives rise to scientific investigations.  Children will notice that not all bubbles look the same or even behave in the same way.  Let you children experiment with bubbles for several days.  They may discover answers to some of the following questions:

What happens if they blow softly?

What happens if they blow hard?

What color are bubbles?

Are all bubbles the same shape?

Are all bubbles the same size?

If you touch a bubble, what happens?

How long do bubbles last?

These activities can lead to many discussions and create lots of fun at the same time.  See future blogs for recipes to make your own bubbles and ideas of bubble blowers you can simply make.

 

 

Learning About Science for Baby/Toddler

Science is knowledge that comes from observation, study and experimentation.  We are always encouraging children to study and experiment with real objects to discover answers, and inspire their curiosity for future learning.

Even babies are budding scientists.  They learn by using their five senses.  You can provide materials of different textures, sounds and colors so babies can discover differences in objects.  Round balls, soft blankets, prickly plastic squish toys, large plastic beads, jingle toys or bells, rattles, brights scarves, wooden spoons or toy cars are a few examples.  Babies put objects into their mouths.  This is one of the ways babies learns.  Of course, another reason to thoroughly clean and sanitize all baby toys daily.

As they get older, babies and toddlers love to stack and dump things to see what happens.  Dropping an item from the high chair gives a toddler a great thrill.  To a toddler, dropping objects is a lesson in the forces of gravity, sounds and cause and effect.  It is a good idea to provide toddlers opportunities to stack and dump using buckets, containers, measuring cups and spoons.

Encouraging children to discover the properties of water and sand.  These activities help them learn about sinking and floating, temperature, and how water changes things.  Us lots of words to describe what is happening. (“That sponge is soaking wet,” or “The cold water will feel good on your bump.”)

Playing outdoors provides experiences in a natural environment.  During outdoor play they can see insects, trees, flowers, rain, animals, and soil.  These experiences enhance their interest in and knowledge of the natural world.

Look for future blogs on more science activities.

Come and Celebrate – My Plate Turns Five

There are many resources available to help promote healthy eating  following the recommendations of My Plate.  Get you children and families involved in promoting healthy eating.  Do some recipe demonstrations and taste testing…get your parents               involved.  Invite a local farmer to your classroom and discussing from Farming to Food on the Table.  Many children have only seen certain items in specific ways, such as baby carrots, how about the roots, stem, where they come from.  There are do many learning opportunities.  They tie it all together with a book and you can have the whole day planned with all activities celebrating the My Plate and food related activities.  From books, to guessing games, to taste testing, the ideas are infinite.  I hope you will share some on your ideas back to our site to share with other.

Downloadable MyPlate Mini Poster is available for printing and using in your classroom.

For More information on MyPlate and resources please visit:

http://blogs.usda.gov/2016/06/06/myplate-turns-five-celebrating-new-resources-in-2016/

Also celebrate your plate.  Take some pictures and share with us what you are doing in the classroom.

Help for Emotional Distress following Mass Violence

After a mass violence incident people may have feelings of helplessness, fear, concern, or confusion.  With all the social media, events may impact us, even when we have no personal connections to the event.  Our reactions and discussions can affect the children around us. So what do we do?

People dealing with emotional distress from the Orlando shooting or any other disaster are encouraged to use the Disaster Distress Helpline.

 From the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):

 “Call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 for support and counseling. The Disaster Distress Helpline is a national hotline that provides 24/7, year-round crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster.”

 This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Spanish-speakers should text Hablanos to 66746. English speakers in U.S. territories text TalkWithUs to 1-212-461-4635. Calls and texts are answered by trained, caring counselors from crisis call centers located throughout the United States.”

Incidents of Mass Violence (SAMHSA): http://1.usa.gov/1U3QJ3n

What is My Preschooler Learning From Music?

Young children love sound!  They enjoy making sounds and hearing them.  Music can be soothing and comforting to young children.  (Remember how babies love lullabies!) Including music in your program builds an appreciation of this art form and serves as a way to help with listening, language, and coordination skills.  Music is a great way to regularly signal a transition form one activity to another.

Playing with musical instruments allows children to explore cause and effect (if I press the keys, they make a sound).  It also helps them to focus on the difference in sound (these keys have a deeper sound than those).  You may even consider inviting a guest to visit your classroom and play and instrument and explain it to the children.

Finger plays (songs with accompanying finger movements) enhance finger control, which children need for writing and handling small objects.

Music can help children to feel and learn about emotions.  When you listen to classical music you might talk about how it sounds scary, sad or happy.  You might listen to cultural rhymes and talk about how they help people feel a sense of community.

Learning the lyrics to songs is a particularly effective way to enhance language.  Have you noticed how you can remember the words to old favorites.  Children’s brains, like yours, retain poetry better when it is used lyrically.

Music and dance are fun and help children be playful with their friends and teachers.  Let parents know if they have music favorites at home to bring them in and you can share them with all the children!  So let’s go make some music.