Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere

Hi all,

This week’s topic is bubbles.
Blowing bubbles has always been an exciting experience for all children.  Usually there are bubble blowing resources available at most centres, but this cannot be guaranteed.
As a casual I want to ensure that I have all the resources that I need and with this in mind I have been shopping for bubble blowing devices.
I was amazed at the variety of these devices that are available.

• Small wands of all shapes and sizes
• There are large wands of all sizes from 10cm to (my favourite) 45 cm with 24cm extension.
• Mechanised bubble blowing machines and
• Bubble pans that make it easier for children to make giant bubbles.

Lastly there is the home made bubble blowers made with pipe cleaners and cookie cutter to mould shapes. These and other ideas can be found at http://babyparenting.about.com/od/activitiesandplay/tp/bubble-wands.htm

I have settled on two giant bubble wands, one hundreds of bubbles wand, small individual wands and soap bottles bought in bulk for weddings and the pipe cleaners and cookie cutters  for the older children.

Next came the selection of the bubble soap that I call bubble juice. This ranges from the most inexpensive dishwashing detergent to commercial preparations.  There were also 7 home made recipes at http://www.babysavers.com/how-to-make-bubbles/ worth a look.

Generally I use the commercial soap for the older children and a recipe using baby shampoo and glycerine for the babies.

But why use bubbles as an experience for pre-schoolers and early learners?

They enjoy the experience and are engaged during that time. Yes!  But what else? Are there any developmental outcomes from this experience?

I will start you off:

Fine motor skills; early learners: popping the bubbles (poking with index fingers, grabbing bubbles with whole hand or using two hands to clap the bubbles). Pre-schoolers: opening and closing the bubble juice bottle, coordinating two hands; one to hold the bottle and the other to dip the wand.  Twisting the pipe cleaner when creating the wand.

Gross motor skills: Reaching up high, standing on tippy toes, squatting down, running, jumping, stomping and kicking.

Please leave a comment outlining your experiences with bubbles and the developmental outcomes that you achieved.