Instrucciones en Español

Materials

Plastic bottle
Dish soap
Water
Food coloring (four pack)
White paper (or try watercolor paper)
Small sock
Duct tape
Tray
Bowl
Measuring cup and spoons
Scissors

Instructions

1. Use water and soap to make bubble solution in the bowl. Mix one cup of warm water with two tablespoons of soap, or experiment with amounts until you find a good recipe.
2. Use the scissors to cut the bottom of the bottle off. Discard the bottom part and keep the top part of the bottle, the mouthpiece end.
3. Stretch the sock over the cut end of the bottle and use tape to secure it to the bottle.
4. Place several drops of food coloring on the sock end of the bottle. Remember to be careful with the food coloring, it may stain.
5. Dip the sock end of the bottle into the bubble solution.
6. Create a bubble snake on the tray! Blow through the mouthpiece of the bottle. Use the tray to catch all the bubbles.
7. Hold the paper with two hands in a pincher grasp and "stamp" the paper into the bubbles that are sitting on the tray. Let the paper dry.

What's Happening?

The H₂O molecules in water hold together tight; this is called surface tension. When soap is added to water, it lowers the surface tension of the water allowing the surface to stretch. Blowing air into soapy water stretches the surface enough to creating bubbles. If we had a microscope, we could see that the outside film of a bubble looks like a sandwich with the soap molecules on the outside and the water between.