Nothing provides more entertainment at our house during warm weather than bubbles. And after three summers of blowing bubbles until I was breathless, Big M has hit an awesome milestone: she can now blow her OWN bubbles! However, this leads to Lil’ M wanting to as well, and mostly she just spills bubbles all over herself and the ground. After spending the last few weeks running through what was left from last summer’s bubbles, last week ended in tears with Lil’ M dumped the last of the bubbles on the ground. A trip to Target and the Dollar Store, and I have solved our bubble dilemma for good. Check out our DIY bubble recipe and tool kit to keep your kids endlessly entertained with bubbles all summer long!
Billions of Bubbles
Any time we need some easy outdoor entertainment or a change in the day’s attitude, I know bubbles are always a guaranteed hit. Last summer, I invested in a bubble machine when I couldn’t physically blow bubbles for hours on end. This summer, I’ve increased our arsenal yet again.
Build Your Bubble Arsenal
While cruising the outdoor play aisle at Target last week, I spotted something guaranteed to solve all our bubble woes.
Bubble Refill Station
Bottles of bubbles were problematic on two fronts: 1) now that Big M can blow her own, she’s constantly fighting to dig the wand out of her bottle and 2) Lil’ M holds a bottle, no matter how small, and dumps it either accidentally or intentionally almost immediately. As soon as I spotted this Dispenser kit at Target, I knew it was the answer. It comes with 6 refillable cups, a wide assortment of wands, and the dispenser itself. It holds a gallon of bubbles. I filled it up a week ago, and we’ve used about 1/3 of it in a week, including all of Lil’ M’s spills.
They’ve both really enjoyed trying all the different wands, especially the little pipe shaped one that you can blow through the straw with. You can definitely DIY a refill station with any beverage dispenser, but the cups and all the wands (33 total pieces) make this well worth the $10. I couldn’t find this set on Amazon, but it definitely is available at both Target and Wal-Mart.
Giant Wands
Even better than blowing her own bubbles, Big M is in love with these giant wands I found at our local Dollar Store. The bubble refill station makes adding bubbles to the wand trays super easy, and she has literally spent hours this week dancing with the wands, making giant bubbles.
The only trouble comes in when Lil’ M decides to flip the tray… which fortunately is now easily solved with our refill station!
Bubble Machine
Last summer’s bubble machine was a huge hit. However, by Fall, it had grown a bit sluggish. I thought maybe Lil’ M’s prying fingers had done it in for good, but a fresh set of batteries this week, and it was good as new. I found ours at CVS last summer for about $10, and recently saw a similar version at Target for about the same. This one from Amazon works great too, runs about $15 and includes a bottle of bubbles.
My cousin bungee cords hers to the top of their playscape to provide endless hours of amusement, while keeping it away from prying fingers. I am going to have to resort to the same, since Lil’ M can’t seem to keep her prying fingers away either! So far this summer, I’ve resorted to setting it up on top of the grill out of her reach!
DIY Bubble Recipe
The initial investment in the bubble machine ($10), refill station ($10) and giant wands (2 for $2), cost me $22 over the course of the last two summers. That’s the inexpensive part. It’s keeping us stocked in bubbles that can add up. A 100 oz. bottle of bubbles runs about $4-5, or about $6 per gallon. And frankly, I find the girls get frustrated with the store-bought bubble solution… it doesn’t work as well as the homemade variety, especially if they shake it up and it gets frothy. And I can assure you our bubble machine never made bubbles like these with the store bought stuff!
You can make your own using just three ingredients: Dawn dish soap, glycerine and water. We like this recipe from Red Ted Art. Her recipe makes 1/2 a gallon, so we doubled it to fill our refill station. This recipe will cost you less than $2.50 per gallon. You can find glycerine in the baking section of your grocery store or at the pharmacy counter. The bubbles it makes are definitely fantastic, and get better as the solution ages for sure!
Do your kids love bubbles as much as mine do? What are your favorite bubble tools? I’m going to have to save our next milk jug to keep a gallon mixed and ready to refill the station, since the girls now request bubbles daily!
After bubbles, the girls next most favorite outdoor activities are sidewalk chalk and water play. If you enjoy these posts, be sure to follow our Outdoor Activities board on Pinterest!
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8 comments
[…] bubbles with our homemade bubble solution has been one of the girls’ favorite summer activities. However, halfway through the summer, […]
[…] color theory. If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy our other favorite outdoor activity, Billions of Bubbles! You can find them both, along with all our favorite finds from around the web on our Outdoor […]
[…] money on bubble mixture by making your own using this recipe from Playground […]
I myself love to play with bubbles so this is great. I love the idea of just have fun. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks (me too!)… I think it may be the theme and activity for my youngest’s birthday this year. Affordable, fun and decorations and activity in one!
[…] block, help me water the plants, draw with sidewalk chalk in the driveway, or the current favorite, blow bubbles, they all work all the […]
Let the girls choose kitchen tools or objects around the house to create bubbles with too. I.e. Slotted spoon, colander, whisk, egg beater, fly swatter, etc… Bubbles are a great way to create rainbows. Rainbow colors Roy G. Biv
Great ideas!