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Bubbles

First written by Cindy Cech, Cristi Holtapp, Jessica Sebade, & Melissa Loetscher 

Twelve activities & plans with bubbles

There is nothing permanent except change.

Heraclitus

Introduction

Contents Overview
Giant bubble

A sequence of plans to facilitate a review and develop a deeper understanding of bubbles.

Bubbles come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be created using a variety of different objects. Their size, including circumference and diameter can be measured. In addition to coming in a variety of shapes and sizes, bubbles possess every color in the spectrum. Bubbles play a very important role in our world. They are used in a variety of products such as foam board and insulation. Bubbles are found all around us. They can be found in water and even things we eat!

Related topics of study:

Properties of air and gases activities & plans

Planning information

Learner background information

A plan designed for learners who have prior knowledge in cause and effect, use of observations to make inferences, models as explanations for observable and non observable events, relative position, and working in groups.

General information on planning

Intended learnings & learners thinkings

Content Big ideas, concept & facts, & outcomes
(Source concepts & misconceptions)

Big idea

A bubble is a thin film of liquid surrounding air or a thin film of air surrounding liquid.

Concepts and facts

  • Bubbles are found all around us.
  • They can be found in water and even things we eat!
  • Bubbles can have an important role in our world. They are used in a variety of products such as packing materials, foam board, insulation, and foam used to fight fire.

Outcome

Make bubbles, describe their properties, and how they are used.

Science concepts: physical, earth, life

Big ideas

A bubble is a thin film of liquid surrounding air or a thin film of air surrounding liquid.

There are three basic types of bubbles and three other types that are not very familiar.

The three basic types of bubbles:

  • Pockets of air under water,
  • Air trapped inside a water film, and
  • Bubbles that float in the air.

An anti bubble is the opposite of a soap bubble. There are three types of anti bubbles:

  • A falling droplet of water,
  • Water globule on the surface, and
  • Indubitable, which floats underwater. 

Related concepts

  • Bubbles have many observable properties, including color, texture, size, shape, mass, volume, density, and the ability to interact with other objects.
  • Bubbles come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
  • Their size, including circumference and diameter can be measured.
  • Bubbles can be measured with scientific tools and compared to a standard unit (linear, time, temperature, mass, volume, and density)
  • They can be created using a variety of different objects.
  • They reflect light and can create every color in the spectrum.

Outcome

  1. Make bubbles, describe their properties, and how they are used.

Anticipated learner thinkings & misconceptions

  • Bubbles are magic.
  • When bubbles pop they matter that created them ceases to exist.
  • Only a bubble wand can make bubbles.
  • Bubbles are only used for fun.

Inquiry, process, & cross cutting concepts & skills

Inquiry

  • When I experiment I collect observations that describe how different properties change (become variables) when objects and systems interact. This helps me make claims, explain what is happening, and to predict what might happen in the future.
  • Inquiry concepts
  • Process concepts
  • Perspective concepts

cross cutting

Big ideas: See also Concepts & misconceptions

  • Constancy enables people to understand the universe
  • Objects, properties, and events stay the same or happen in similar ways.
  • Almost anything has limits on how big or small it can be. 
  • Finding out how big or small something can be is sometimes as revealing as knowing what the usual value is. 
  • Drawing pictures, making charts, graphs, or taking measurements helps to see change. 
  • Properties and change of properties can be quantified.
  • Change can happen in a variety of ways (size, rate, color, texture).
  • Measurement helps in making more accurate observations.

Related concepts and facts

  • Observational data and reasoning is used to explain interactions. Evidence is something that is observed and can be used to understand what is happening and make predictions about future changes.
  • Models are structures that correspond to real objects, events, or classes of events.
  • Explanations are based on observation derived from experience or experimentation and are understandable.
  • Pictures or symbols represent objects.

Outcome -

  • Collect observations that explain bubbles and make a diagram to use as a model to s to explain the dynamics of bubbles.

Specific outcomes -

  • Explain a bubbles as a sphere of liquid with air on the inside and outside.
  • Describe properties of bubbles.

Other possible concepts

History of science and development of technology - perspective of science

See also Concepts & misconceptions also science, math, technology timeline

  • People have practiced science and technology for a long time.
  • Science develops over time.
  • Science investigators such as

Scoring guides suggestions (rubric)

(scoring guide)

Top level

  • Describe bubbles as a sphere of liquid with properties that creates a surface where the particles attract to each other to create a closed surface to trap air inside and flexible enough to expand as air is enclosed inside.
  • Describe bubbles as a sphere of liquid that expands with air on the inside and outside.
  • Describe bubbles as magic.

Lower level

Strategies to achieve educational learnings

Based on learning cycle theory & method

Pedagogical Overview

Activities Sequence to provide sufficient opportunities for students to achieve the targeted outcomes.

Make sure learners have the prior knowledge identified in the background information.

  1. Activity 1 - Bubbles in air
  2. Activity 2 - Under water bubbles
  3. Activity 3 - Bubbles on the water surface
  4. Activity 4 - Falling droplet of water & Water globule - on the surface
  5. Activity 5 - Anti bubble - floats underwater
  6. Activity 6 - Bubble pop
  7. Activity 7 - Hand Bubble
  8. Activity 8 - Bubbles using different objects
  9. Activity 9 - Measuring bubbles
  10. Activity 10 - What colors can you see in bubbles?
  11. Activity 11 - Wow! Really big bubbles!
  12. Activity 12 - Bubbularium

Focus question

Unit focus question:

What is a bubble?

Sub focus questions:

  1. How many different types of bubbles exist?
  2. What are the characteristics of bubbles?
  3. How big or little can a bubble get?
  4. How can we measure the change in bubbles?
  5. How do bubbles change?

Materials

  • T

Lab notes

Resources

 

Lesson Plans

Activity 1 - Bubbles in air

Materials

Focus questions:

  1. What is a bubble?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Explore bubbles and describe them as spheres with air inside and out.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put learners in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Explore bubbles and describe them as spheres with air inside and out.

Exploration -

  1. Put learners in pairs.
  2. Ask. What will happen to the bubbles after they are blown around the room?
  3. What are the bubbles made of? water and soap bubble mixture ...
  4. What is the shape of a bubble? sphere
  5. Are they all the same shape? don't know, or yes, or no ...
  6. If no or don't know, say. Let's find out ... or
  7. Ask. How come the bubble are all the same shape?
  8. Have students blow bubbles in to the air and observe what happens to the bubbles, think about what the bubbles are made of, and think how they keep their shape during the activity.
  9. Have them draw the shapes of their bubbles and share their observations with the class.

Invention -

  1. Discuss ...
  2. Make a conclusion about their observations. bubbles are spheres of bubble solution with air inside and outside air around them.

Discover

  1. Explore more bubbles ...

Activity 2 - Under water bubbles

Materials:

  • Bucket of water, glass
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

  1. What are underwater bubbles?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe underwater bubbles.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Submerge a glass with air trapped, explain what happens, release the air underwater, explain what happens.

Exploration

  1. Put learners into pairs or groups of three.
  2. Ask. What will happen if they submerge a glass underwater with the rim down?
  3. Ask. What will happen if they tip the glass?
  4. Have a group of learners demonstrate or let let the students explore in small groups.
  5. Submerge a glass of water in a bucket with the rim down and observe what happens.
  6. Discuss the results and reach a conclusion. the air is trapped in the glass. The water pushes it into the glass and it floats above the water and below the glass
  7. Tip the submerged glass and observe what happens.
  8. Diagram and explain their observations. 

Invention

  1. Recall and review
  2. Ask. What are the bubbles are made of?
  3. What different shapes are there?
  4. What causes the shape.

Discover

More activities with air and water

Activity 3 - Bubbles on the water surface

Materials:

Focus questions:

  1. What happens when bubbles touch the water?

Learning outcomes:

  • Describe what happens when bubbles touch the water.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Have bubbles interact with water and describe what happens when bubbles touch the water.

Exploration

  1. Put learners in pairs.
  2. Ask. What will happen to bubbles if they blow them over a bucket of water?
  3. Have a group of learners demonstrate or allow them to explore in pairs or small groups.
  4. Blow bubbles over a bucket of water and observe what happens.
  5. Diagram and explain their observations.

Invention

  1. Share diagrams and explanations.
  2. Describe what happens when bubbles touch the water.

Discovery


 

Activity 4 - Falling droplet of water & Water globule on the surface

Materials

Focus questions:

  1. What are drops of water and how do they interact in the air and with water?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe drops of water and how they interact in the air and with water.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Have drops of water interact with water and describe what happens.

Exploration

  1. Put learners into pairs or groups of three.
  2. Ask. What will happen if a droplet of water falls from an eyedropper?
  3. What is the droplet? accept all answers and don't mention what is or isn't ...
  4. Is it a bubble?
  5. How is like a soap bubble?
  6. How is it not like a soap bubble?
  7. How it is created?
  8. Have a group of students demonstrate or have groups explore drops of water falling from an eyedropper through the air and falling into water.
  9. Use an eyedropper and drop droplets of water fall into a glass.
  10. Diagram and explain their observations.

Invention

  1. Share diagrams and explanations.
  2. Ask What is the droplet?
  3. What do they think the droplet is made of and how it was made?
  4. Ask. How does it compared to bubbles in the previous activities?
  5. How does it interact with air?
  6. How does it interact with water?
  7. How is it like and not like a soap bubble?
  8. How is it like and not like an air bubble?
  9. How is it like an air bubble?
  10. How is it not like an air bubble?
  11. How is it like a soap bubble touching water?
  12. How is it not like like a soap bubble touching water?

Discover

Colored water drops

Activity 5 - Anti bubble floats underwater

Materials:

  • Large clear container or substitute, clean and empty squeeze bottle (such as an empty Elmer’s glue bottle), and dish washing detergent
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

  1. What is an anti bubble?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Make anti bubbles and describe how they interact in water.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Make anti bubbles and describe how they interact in water.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into pairs and groups.
  2. Ask. Can you create a bubble of water inside a container of water?
  3. What would the bubble be made of?
  4. Have a group of students demonstrate ... by placing a jar in a large container so that water can continuously flow into the jar, allowing the jar to overflow.
  5. Then add soap to the jar of water, stir well, and fill the squeeze bottle with some of the soapy water.
  6. Have them place the tip of the squeeze bottle near the water surface.
  7. Then give a gentle puff to create one droplet and then immediately give a longer squeeze.
  8. Observed what happens.
  9. Diagram and explain their observations.

Invention

  1. Share diagrams and explanations.
  2. Ask. Which activity is this similar to.

Discover

 

Activity 6 - Bubble pop

Materials

  • Safety glasses or goggles, Water (warm and cold), film canister or other small container with snap on lid, 2 Alka-Seltzer tablets, paper towels, paper, pencils
  • Lab notes -

Focus questions:

  1. What might happen with a lot of bubbles in a small place?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe how bubbles can pop a lid off a container.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Experiment with hot and cold water to make Alka-Seltzer bubbles and explain how bubbles can create pressure and the difference hot and cold water made on the chemical change.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into small groups or pairs.
  2. Ask. What do you think will happen when you add an Alka-Seltzer tablet to cold water and to warm water within a closed container?
  3. How could we do an experiment to find out just what happens?
    • Take two containers the same size and put the same amount of warm water in one and cold water. in the other.
    • Put the same size of Alka-Seltzer in each.
    • Close the container ... mark the time ...
    • Stand back.  ... mark the time ...
  4. Have students put on their safety goggles, get two film canisters, one half full of warm water and one half full of cold water. Next have students take an Alka-Seltzer tablet, drop it into the film canister with the warm water, immediately put the lid on, and stand back to observe. Then record their observation and repeat the procedure with another Alka-Seltzer tablet in cold water.
  5. Diagram and explain their observations.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups share their findings.
  2. Discuss what they observed.
  3. Say. Describe the bubbles.
  4. What did they look like?
  5. Do the change?
  6. Ask. Where at home would they be able to see the same results? when a balloon pops, or a plastic bag.
  7. How are balloons, plastic bags, car tires, … like the bubbles in the experiment?
  8. How are they different?
  9. How would you describe the change?
  10. Where else do they see change?
  11. How do scientists use change?

Discover

 

Activity 7 - Hand Bubbles

Materials

  • water, pail, bucket or wash basin, liquid dish soap, 1 cup measuring cup, 1/8 measuring cup, glycerin, spoon, rags/paper towels
  • Lab notes -

Prepare the solution with 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of liquid dish soap, and 1/8 cup of glycerin. Mix everything with a spoon. Stirring too vigorously will create unwanted foam. If foam does develop, remove it. Have plenty of rags. towels, and paper towels ready to use in case of spills. The bubble solution can be quite slippery, so it is necessary to wipe it up if it spills or drips.

Focus questions:

  1. What kind of bubbles can you make with your hand?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Make hand bubbles and describe them.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Make hand bubbles and describe them.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into small groups or pairs.
  2. Say. We are going to experiment with bubbles. 
  3. Ask. What devices or mediums are used to create bubbles? accept all answers.
  4. Show them where the bubble solution is they will be using.
  5. Say. Use your thumb and pointer finger, to make an Okay sign.
  6. Then they will dip the circle, created by their fingers, into the bubble solution and gently blow through the middle.
  7. Say. experiment with different blowing speeds.
  8. Example: See how bubbles are created when you blow fast and when you blow slower. Even try blowing at a medium speed.
  9. Diagram and explain their observations.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups share their findings.
  2. Discuss what they observed.
  3. Say. Describe the bubbles.
  4. What did they look like?
  5. Do?
  6. Change? …
  7. Discuss what happened by blowing bigger bubbles, and using different speeds.
  8. How would you describe the change?
  9. Where else do they see change?
  10. How do scientists use change?

Discover

 

Activity 8 - Bubbles using different objects

Materials

  • Bubble solution, straw, ruler, scissors, black plastic bag, different objects to use as bubble wands 
  • Lab notes -

Focus questions:

  1. How are different sizes of bubbles made?
  2. How does using different objects as bubble wands change the size and shape of bubbles?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe how different bubble wands change the sizes and shapes of bubbles made.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Explore how different sizes of bubbles are made and describe how using different objects as bubble wands change the sizes and shapes of bubbles.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into small groups or pairs.
  2. Ask. Is it possible to make the same size of bubbles?
  3. What sizes do you think are possible to make?
  4. Say. You are going to experiment with making different sizes of bubbles.
  5. First you will measure and cut out about a 12 inch square from a black plastic bag and lay it on a tabletop.
  6. Then you will take a straw and dip one end in the bubble solution, lift it out, and gently blow through the other end. 
  7. Blow bubbles and rest them on the plastic.
  8. Explore to find out if it is possible to make bubbles the same size.
  9. Is it possible to make a bubble inside another bubble?
  10. Can you make a chain of linking bubbles.
  11. What else can you discover about bubbles?
  12. What other objects can be used to make bubbles?
  13. An example might be a ring that is found on a canning jar.
  14. Straws that make different geometric designs.
  15. Can they make bubbles of different shapes?  
  16. Diagram and explain their observations.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups share their findings.
  2. Discuss what they observed.
  3. Describe the bubbles.
  4. What did they look like?
  5. Do?
  6. Change? …
  7. Is it hard or easy to get it to rest on the plastic?
  8. Ask. What objects do they have at home to explore and see if they could use them to make bubbles at home.
  9. Discuss their ideas.

Discover

Review what they do at home ... discuss ...

Activity 9 - Measuring bubbles

Materials

  • string, bubble solution, ruler, pencil, tape measure, paper, table or large flat surface
  • Lab notes -

Focus questions:

  1. How can bubbles be measured?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe how to measure a bubble's diameter and circumference.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Make bubbles and measure their diameters and circumferences.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into small groups or pairs.
  2. Ask. How could they measure bubbles? 
  3. Record all ideas on the board.
  4. Cut pieces of string about 10 and 18 inches long.
  5. Have a someone blow a pretty big bubble and rest it on the table.
  6. Leave it alone until it pops.
  7. Observe the ring that it left on the table.
  8. Record their observations.
  9. Ask. What measurement can be made from the pop? the diameter of a bubble
  10. Diameter is one way of measuring how big they are.
  11. What is the diameter of a bubble? the distance straight through the middle of a bubble
  12. Have them take the piece of string, measure the diameter of the bubble you blew.
  13. Next have them lay the string straight through the middle and mark with a pencil the end.
  14. Have them take the string and line it up against a ruler or outstretched tape measure to see what the diameter is.
  15. Use the longer string and measure the circumference of the circle or bubble print.
  16. This is the measurement of the line all around the outside of the circle or bubble.
  17. Mark the end point of the circumference and lay the string down next to the tape measurer to see what the circumference is of the bubble circle and print.
  18. A lot of things can be done with measuring bubbles.
  19. Have students chart different kinds of bubbles blown with different objects (short and long straws, canning jar rings) to see how big and how little their bubbles can be.
  20. When a bubble is resting on the table, you can use string to measure how high the bubble is, too.
  21. Or you can use your hand and note where the top of the bubble is on your hand and then use the tape measurer to see how tall it was.
  22. Bring the whole class back together and discuss what they observed.
  23. Discuss how you can measure a bubble and the units you use when measuring it.
  24. Ask them what the largest bubble was that they measured.
  25. Ask them what the smallest bubble was that they measured.
  26. Discuss why they think some bubbles are bigger than others.
  27. Diagram and explain their observations.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups share their findings.
  2. Discuss what they observed.

Discover

 

Activity 10 - What colors can you see in bubbles?

Materials

  • Black construction paper, tape, bubble solution, straw, piece of black plastic garbage bag
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

  1. What colors are in bubbles?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe the colors in bubbles and any patterns that they can see.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Make bubbles and a bubble house. Observe the colors in bubbles, make a diagram with the colors and any patterns seen. Explain their observations.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into small groups or pairs.
  2. Ask. What color exists in bubbles.
  3. Where do the color comes from>
  4. How are they created.
  5. Cut a rectangle out of black construction paper - about 12 
    inches long and 3 inches wide.
  6. Tape the two ends together so you form a circle.
  7. A bubble house has just been created.
  8. Use a straw, to blow a bubble and rest it on the plastic.
  9. Put the construction paper bubble house around the bubble.
  10. Look down at the bubble.
  11. What colors are seen?
  12. The bubble film will have all the colors of the spectrum or rainbow.
  13. Watch as the bubble gets ready to pop: just before it pops a little dark black circle will form in the middle.
  14. Bubbles are film and light reflects and refracts on and through the film so that we see all the colors that are in light.
  15. Discuss what they observed and why they saw the colored bubble.
  16. Ask. Do the colors appeared on the bubbles all mixed together or in a pattern,or some other ways?
  17. Ask. Have you seen something similar where light reflects. rainbow
  18. Have them draw a picture of the bubble including all the colors they observed on it and write a description.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups share their findings.
  2. Discuss what they observed.

Discover

 

Activity 11 - Wow! Really big bubbles!

Giant bubble

Materials

  • Small wading pool or very large tank, bubble solution, hula hoop, tape measure, tubing, cotton clothes line, brick
  • Lab notes -

Focus questions:

  1. Can you put a person inside a bubble?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe how to make a ginourmous bubble.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Make a human sized bubble and put a person inside it.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into small groups or pairs.
  2. Ask. How big do you think a bubble can get?
  3. Review the directions for making a big bubble and ask if they want to see if they can make them.
  4. Person in a bubble device
    • Get a small wading pool or very large tank,
    • Bubble solution - 8 gallons of water, 8 cups of liquid dish soap, and 1 cup of glycerin.
    • Remember - The bubble solution can be quite slippery, so it is necessary to wipe it up if it spills or drips.
    • Hula Hoops to make big bubbles.
    • A concrete block or couple of bricks to put in the middle of the swimming pool. for the person to stand on
    • A couple of people lower a hula hoop down over the person into the bubble solution.
    • Carefully bring the hula hoop up.
    • Have the person in the middle describe what it is like being in the middle while looking out of a bubble.
    • Take a picture inside a bubble to post.
  5. Big bubble maker wand
    • Making bubble wands or windows from pieces of tubing and cotton clothes line.
    • String the clothes line through the middle of the piece of plastic tubing and make squares, triangles, etc.
    • With another person to provide assistance, dip the big wand or window frames into the pool of bubble solution and carefully lift up and let some wind pass through.
    • If there is lack of wind, walk quickly to get air to pass through and "blow" a bubble.
    • How big of a bubble you can make?
  6. Measure the bubbles. measure any prints left on a sidewalk to find the circumference, diameter and height.
  7. Have them draw a picture of what it was like to stand inside of the bubble.
  8. Diagram and explain their observations.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups share their findings.
  2. Discuss what they observed.
  3. Discuss the various sizes of bubbles created.
  4. Discuss what it felt like being inside of a bubble.

Discover

 



Activity 12 - Bubbularium

Materials

  • small clear plastic lid (from yogurt or margarine container), clear plastic tape, flashlight that works, bubble juice, spoon, straw, room you can make dark
  • Lab notes -

Focus questions:

  1. What is a bubblearium and how do you make it?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe how to make a bubblearium.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Make a bubblearium and describe how to project some cool bubble patterns.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into small groups or pairs.
  2. Ask. What do bubbles look like when they are moving and floating?
  3. Have students tape the plastic lid over the end of the flashlight that the light shines from.
  4. Then turn the flashlight on and hold it so the light shines straight up.
  5. Dip a finger in the bubble juice and wet the lid.
  6. Put a spoonful of bubble juice on the lid.
  7. With a straw have them blow one big bubble and make a bubble dome that covers the whole lid.
  8. Turn off the lights and hold the flashlight so that the bottom of the bubble dome so it is just above their eyebrows.
  9. Have the students watch the swirling colors.
  10. If they put the wet straw into the bubble dome and blow very gently, they can move the colors around.
  11. Watch the colors.
  12. How many do you see?
  13. If you watch a bubble for a few minutes, do the colors change?
  14. What colors do you see right before the bubble pops?
  15. Do you ever see black and white polka dots?
  16. Ask them about the actions of the bubbles they observed.
  17. Record the observations on a big chart in the front of the room.
  18. Illustrate a picture showing the actions and motions the bubble underwent.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups share their findings.
  2. Discuss what they observed.

Discover

 

 

Lab Notes for activities

Lab notes 1 - Bubbles in air

Materials

  • Bubble solution, bubble wand
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

  • What is a bubble?

Challenge

Make bubbles and describe the results with diagrams and words.

 

 

 

 

Lab notes 2 - Under water bubbles

Materials

  • Glass, five gallon bucket, water

Focus questions:

  • What is an underwater bubble?

Challenge

Submerge a glass of air and release the air to make bubbles.

 

What are underwater bubbles? (Hints: What are the bubbles are made of? What different shapes are there? What causes the shape.)

 

 

Lab notes 3 - Bubbles on the water surface

Materials

  • Bubbles, bucket of water
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

  • What happens when bubbles touch the water?

 

Challenge

Describe what happens when bubbles touch the water.

 

 


Lab notes 4 - Falling droplet of water & Water globule on the surface

Materials

  • Eyedropper, water, glass

Focus questions:

  • What are drops of water and how do they interact in the air and with water?

Challenge

Describe drops of water and how they interact in the air and with water.

Hints to think about

  1. What is the droplet?
  2. What is the droplet made of and how it was made?
  3. How does it compared to bubbles in the previous activities?
  4. How does it interact with air?
  5. How does it interact with water?
  6. How is it like and not like a soap bubble?
  7. How is it like and not like an air bubble?
  8. How is it not like an air bubble?
  9. How is it like a soap bubble touching water?
  10. How is it not like like a soap bubble touching water?

Use diagrams along with explanations to describe drops of water and how they interact in air and water.

 

 

 

 

Lab notes 5 - Anti bubble floats underwater

Materials

  • Large clear container or substitute, clean and empty squeeze bottle (such as an empty Elmer’s glue bottle), and dish washing detergent
  • Lab notes

Focus question

What is an anti bubble?

Challenge

Make anti bubbles and describe how they interact in water.

 

Use diagrams along with explanations to describe anti bubbles and how they interact in water.

Lab notes 6 - Bubble pop

Materials

  • Safety glasses or goggles, Water (warm and cold), film canister or other small container with snap on lid, 2 Alka-Seltzer tablets, paper towels, paper, pencils
  • Lab notes

Focus question

What might happen with a lot of bubbles in a small place?

Challenge

Describe how bubbles can pop a lid off a container.

 

Procedure

Experiment with hot and cold water to make Alka-Seltzer bubbles and explain how bubbles can create pressure; and the difference, if any, hot and cold water makes.

 

Results - (Consider What changed and how it changed.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explanation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brain busters

Hint: balloons, plastic bags, car tires, … bubbles in the experiments ... how are the alike and different?

Where else is there change?

 

 

 

 

How do scientists use change?

 

Lab notes 7 - Hand Bubbles

Materials

  • water, pail, bucket or wash basin, liquid dish soap, 1 cup measuring cup, 1/8 measuring cup, glycerin, spoon, rags, towels, paper towels
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

What kinds of bubbles can you make with your hands?

Challenge

Make hand bubbles and describe them.

Hints

Describe the bubbles with diagrams and words.

What did they look like? Do? Change? …

How do you blow bigger bubbles? Smaller bubbles? Multiple bubbles?

How does different puffs and speeds change the bubbles?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where else do you see change?

 

 

 

 

How do scientists use change?

 

Lab notes 8 - Bubbles using different objects

Materials

  • Bubble solution, straw, ruler, scissors, black plastic bag, different objects to use as bubble wands 
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

How are different sizes of bubbles made?

Challenge

Use different objects as bubble wands and see how you can change the size and shape of bubbles.

 

Hints:

Start with a straw and see what different kinds of bubbles you can create and how you create them.

Try short puffs, long, puffs, different series of puffs.

Describe the bubbles. What do they look like? Do? Change?

Try different objects as bubble wands using the same techniques.

Draw and describe what you find with the straw and at least one other bubble wand (tool).

 

 

Lab notes 9 - Measuring bubbles

Materials

  • string, bubble solution, ruler, pencil, tape measure, paper, table or large flat surface
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

How can bubbles be measured?

Challenge

Measure and describe how to measure a bubble's diameter and circumference.

 

 

Lab notes 10 - What colors can you see in bubbles?

Materials

  • Black construction paper, tape, bubble solution, straw, piece of black plastic garbage bag
  • Lab notes

Focus questions

What colors are in bubbles?

Challenge

Make a bubble house, put bubbles in it and describe the colors and patterns you can see.

 

Hint:

A bubble house is a black dark chamber.

Consider things to change:

  • Change the kinds of bubbles.
  • Change the amount of light.
  • Color of light?

Diagram and explain your findings.

 

 

 

Lab notes 11 - Wow! Really big bubbles!

Giant bubble

Materials

  • Small wading pool or very large tank, bubble solution, hula hoop, tape measure, tubing, cotton clothes line, brick
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

How do you make a ginourmous bubble with a person inside?

Challenge

Make a ginourmous bubble with a person inside!

 

Describe your design, results, and suggestions to put a person inside a bubble.

 

 

 

Lab notes 12 - Bubbularium

Materials

  • small clear plastic lid (from yogurt or margarine container), clear plastic tape, flashlight that works, bubble juice, spoon, straw, room you can make dark
  • Lab note

Focus questions:

What is a bubblearium and how do you make it?

Challenge

Make a bubblearium and describe how to project some cool bubble patterns.

 

Support materials

 

 

 

 

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