Creating Soap Bubbles Directions: Work in Pairs to Perform This First Soap Activity

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Soap Science N A M E Unit 3—Activity 1 Creating Soap Bubbles Directions: Work in pairs to perform this first soap activity. Four students (two pairs) can share each tub. Take care with the measurements. Be as accurate as possible in measuring the ingredients for the solution and the lengths at the wires and straws.

Team Materials Soap-Bubble Solution (per tub) Other Materials • 4 ounces of Dawn® dish soap • thin, coated wire for each student • 2 ounces of glycerin or light cooking oil (at least 6" in length) • 2 quarts of water (distilled or tap) • rulers and tape measures • dish pan or bus tray • measuring cups • quart container • spatula or large spoon

Teacher Notes: If Dawn dish soap is not available, try Joy®. Do not use discount or dollar store dish soap. It tends to be too watery. Try distilled water if it is available. It seems to make longer lasting bubbles.

Prepare the Soap-Bubble Solution and the Wand 1. Pour 2 quarts of water into a pan or bus tray.

2. Add 4 ounces of Dawn dish soap to the water. 1" 3. Add 2 ounces of glycerin or 2 ounces of light cooking oil. 4. Bend the six-inch wire into a circle with a one-inch diameter. The remaining wire will be the handle for the wire wand. The handle will be approximately 3 inches long. 3" 5. Stir the soap-bubble solution thoroughly with the wire wand or a spoon.

©Teacher Created Resources 83 #3897 Stepping into STEM Soap Science N A M E Unit 3—Activity 1 Creating Soap Bubbles Working with the Soap-Bubble Solution and the Wand 1. Carefully, dip the wand into the solution and lift it out. Examine the “soap window” in the wire circle. What do you see? Is there movement? YES NO

If yes, list some descriptive words to describe the movement.

Are there different colors? YES NO If so, add the colors to the circle above.

2. Dip the wand in the soap-bubble solution. Gently press a dry finger through the soap film. What happens?

Wet your finger in the solution and try to put it through the soap film again. What happens this time?

3. Slowly wave the wand through the air several times. Describe what happens to the soap film.

What happens if you wave rapidly instead of slowly?

4. Repeat the activity above but blow the soap film in the wire circle. Describe what happens when you blow on the soap film in the wand.

Did you make one bubble or many bubbles? Does the size of the bubbles vary? YES NO If yes, how do the bubbles vary?

#3897 Stepping into STEM 84 ©Teacher Created Resources Soap Science N A M E Unit 3—Activity 1 Creating Soap Bubbles Smaller Wands 1. First, make the wire circle of the wand smaller. Try wrapping it around a marker to help you get a smaller circle shape. 2. Dip the wand into the soap mixture. Wave the smaller wire wand or blow into it. 3. Do the bubbles appear to be larger or smaller than the bubbles from the first wand? LARGER SMALLER 4. Did you get more bubbles, less bubbles, or about the same amount of bubbles using the smaller wand?

Larger Wands 1. Next, form a circle with the wire and make it as large as you can. (Note: If more wire is available, you might wish to make an even larger circle.) What is the new diameter of the circle you made with the wire? 2. Dip the larger wire circle into the soapy solution. Wave the bubble wand or blow on the film to make a bubble. Does the circle wand work without a handle? YES NO Which method works better, waving or blowing? 3. Which size wand did you prefer? 4. Describe the shape, color, and movement of the bubbles.

5. Look for two bubbles that are stuck together. Are the two bubbles the same size or is one larger? SAME DIFFERENT

Look Closely: See if you can find two bubbles that have a flat wall between them. Usually that means that the two bubbles were the same size when they touched. If one bubble is smaller, it should push into the larger bubble, creating an indent instead of a flat wall. Draw the combinations you saw on the back of this page.

©Teacher Created Resources 85 #3897 Stepping into STEM Soap Science N A M E Unit 3—Activity 1 Creating Soap Bubbles Wands of Different Shapes 1. Experiment with different-shaped wands. Bend a piece of 6"–8" wire into an irregular shape and twist the ends together. 2. In the sketch box, trace the shape you made. 3. Dip the new shape into the soap-bubble solution, lift it out, and blow gently on the soapy film inside the wire. 4. Did your shape wand work? YES NO Explain.

Did you get more than one bubble? YES NO What shape bubbles does your wand make? SPHERES CUBES OTHER 5. Compare your shape wand to the others in your group. Observe the bubbles each student can make. What do you notice?

6. Which type of designs do you think held the soap film best? What did they have in common?

7. Make one more wand based on your observations. Trace the wand in the sketch box. 8. Test the wand and describe how it worked.

★ SAVE THE SOAP-BUBBLE SOLUTION AND BUS TRAYS FOR THE NEXT ACTIVITY ★ #3897 Stepping into STEM 86 ©Teacher Created Resources Soap Science N A M E Unit 3—Activity 1 Creating Soap Bubbles Journal Entry 1. What did you learn about soap-bubble solutions in this activity?

2. Explain what iridescent means and give some examples.

3. What did you discover about bubble wands?

4. What shape wands seemed to make the best bubbles? Why do you think that shape worked so well?

5. Think about the bubbles you made using the two methods—waving and blowing. Was one method better for making bubbles than the other?

Explain.

Design Process Review—Creating Soap Bubbles Share your observations, journal entries, and other documentation about your bubble activity with your classmates in a discussion led by your teacher.