Frosty Bubbles
Don’t let a cold snap keep you from staying active outdoors. Turn a wintry setting into a magical moment with icy orbs—it’s easy to make frozen bubbles to add a splash of wonder and natural décor to your day!
All you need is an outdoor temperature of -10C or low, no wind, a spirit of curiosity and a few materials to get this experiment bubbling.
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Materials Needed
- Bowl and spoon
- 200 ml warm water
- 2.5 Tbsp corn syrup (for thickness)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (for crystallization)
- 2.5 Tbsp dish soap (for bubble formation)
- 1 straw
- 1 plastic bottle (500ml)
- Sealant (like Playdough or modeling clay)
- Container with lid
Instructions:
Building Phase (30 minutes):
Frosty Bubble Mixture
- Mix warm water and corn syrup until the liquid becomes clear.
- Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Add the dish soap and mix gently—you want the ingredients to combine, but don’t create bubbles too soon by over-stirring.
- Place a lid on the container and let the mixture chill (not freeze!) for 30 minutes.
Scout Tip: Add food colouring to your mixture to give your frosty bubbles a vibrant hue!
The 'Bubbler'
- While your mixture is cooling, begin building your bubbler (the tool you’ll use to blow the frosty bubbles).
- Drill a hole in the lid of your bottle (ask an adult for help to do this if you are not experienced with safely using a drill).
- Place the lid back on the bottle and stick the straw through, 3 inches deep into the bottle.
- Secure the straw in place using the sealant.
Here is an example.
Assembly and Decoration (20 minutes):
- Bring your frosty bubble mixture and bubbler outside.
- Dip the end of your bubbler straw into the mixture and squeeze the bottle to make your bubble.
- To avoid breaking the bubble when removing it from the bubble, squeeze the bottle to make the bubble and then release the bottle onto a surface (snow, patio railing, etc) so that the bubble detaches before it begins to freeze. The bubble will detach onto the surface and will begin to crystalize with the low temperatures.
- See how long it takes for your frosty bubbles to form crystals and freeze into little orb sculptures!
(Photo Credit: Run Wild with my Child)
Review:
Congratulations, you’ve blown frosty bubbles! Take a beat to reflect on the activity—what worked, what didn’t, and were there areas for improvement? Was it hard to create bubbles without them breaking?
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