Recipe for Giant Bubble Solution - Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls (2024)

Many years ago, I mixed up a recipe for giant bubble solution that I saw on the PBS Zoom TV show. I was teaching science to homeschoolers at the time, and we had a blast making gigantic bubbles!

The secret to big bubbles is glycerin. When I was re-organizing the pantry in January, I found a bottle of glycerin that I didn’t realize I had. So yesterday, I finally mixed up some bubble solution for the boys.

To make our giant bubble solution, I mixed:

  • 6 cups of water
  • 1/2 cup of dishwashing liquid
  • 2 Tablespoons of glycerin

For best results, let you bubble solution sit before using. 24 hours is recommended. I let mine sit for about 3 hours, and we still had good results!

The other secret to giant bubbles is to make a bubble blowing frame out of straws and string. Simply thread a piece of string or yarn through two straws, tie the ends together, and you have a frame for blowing bubbles! Aidan made several of different sizes for us to use.

It was a really windy evening, so our bubbles kept popping right away. I’m planning to do this again when the air is more calm. Even with the wind, the boys had a blast blowing bubbles. They invited out the neighbor girls to see our awesome bubbles, and all five of them played until we were almost out of solution!

I saw an idea on Steve Spangler Science to use a plastic water transfer pipette to blow bubbles. Well, since we have MANY pipettes leftover from a science lab day, I thought we’d try it! It worked really well for the big kids! (The little boys couldn’t remember which end to blow on…) To do this, trim off the squeezing end of the pipette, and then dip that end in the bubble solution. Blow on the end where the water normally comes out.

Then we had to try the bubble snake that has been all over Pinterest! To do the bubble snake, simply cut the bottom off of a plastic water bottle. Slide a sock over the end that you cut. Dip the sock in the bubble solution, and blow!

It was pretty amazing!

Where to get the supplies:

You can find glycerin at most drug stores, or you can order glycerin from Amazon (affiliate link). A 4 oz. bottle will be plenty to mix up this bubble solution at least 3 times (I didn’t figure out exactly how many tablespoons are in 4 oz. – my math skills are lacking!) I have read that you can use corn syrup in place of the glycerin, but I haven’t tried it!

I also totally recommend ordering the plastic water transfer pipettes! We have used them for mixing colored water, coffee filter art, and a science experiment with disposable diapers. And I have another activity planned for tomorrow where we will use them again!

12 Comments

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  1. sarahelisabeth Apr 18, 2013

    I think we might be using this recipe, this summer!

    Reply
  2. JDaniel4's Mom Apr 18, 2013

    Wow! These look awesome. JDaniel would love them.

    Reply
  3. Jess T. Jul 8, 2013

    That's great!!

    Thanks for the ideas! I love them!

    Reply
  4. Ecig Sale Aug 9, 2013

    Hi everyone, it's my first go to see at this site, and paragraph is really fruitful designed for me, keep up posting these types of articles.|

    Reply
  5. Maria Jun 1, 2014

    Thank you so much for take the time to share, I have a childcare and preschool program in my home and looking for this summer camp for my boys who are coming back to have the summer here they are now in second grade, great ideas.

    Reply
  6. health information technology careers Jun 2, 2014

    It's like you read my head! You seem to comprehend a great deal close to this particular, just like you had written the ebook inside or something. I have faith that you only could possibly use a few % in order to pressure the solution household a lttle bit, nevertheless rather than that, this is certainly amazing web site. A fantastic understand. I will certainly backside.

    Reply
  7. Stephen Nov 30, 2014

    4 fluid ounces = 6 tablespoons

    So yeah, that's enough for three batches.

    Reply
    1. Stephen Dec 1, 2014

      Scratch that.

      4 fluid ounces = 8 tablespoons

      You should be good for four batches.

      Reply
  8. Monaliza Kiprawi May 19, 2015

    Here i want to tell,i how to do the giant bubble solution.

    Reply
  9. Amy Doubrava Apr 19, 2016

    Will this solution store well. Making some up for a church kids function, and would like to be able to store this for a later date like over the summer...

    Reply
    1. Sarah Apr 20, 2016

      Amy, I have never tried to store it, so I'm not sure!

      Reply
  10. JuliusBennet Mar 28, 2017

    I see your blog needs some unique & fresh articles. Writing manually is time consuming, but there
    is solution for this hard task. Just search for - Miftolo's tools rewriter

    Reply
  11. Thpmas Lee Boles Aug 14, 2020

    Could I make big bubbles to hug and squeeze before I break them? How long do they last and how loud is the pop? Some people say humidity makes a difference? Would the bubbles last longer or be stronger if occasionally sprayed with a fine mist?

    Reply
  12. Beth Harrison Mar 4, 2021

    I bought a bubble machine from Amazon. Would you used this recipe as is or alter it for use in a machine? Thanks for your time!

    Reply

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Recipe for Giant Bubble Solution - Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls (2024)

FAQs

How do you make cheap bubble solution? ›

The recipe for bubble solution is six parts water to one part dish soap. The easiest way to do this is to mix 6 cups water with 1 cup dish soap.

What is the best mix for giant bubbles? ›

1 cup Fairy dishwashing detergent. 2 1/3 cups water. 1/3 cup glycerine (available from pharmacies) Empty drink bottles with lids for storage of your bubble liquid.

Why add sugar to bubble solution? ›

Just adding a little sugar to your homemade bubble recipe will make your bubbles last longer. The sugar slows down the water evaporation, which in turn keeps the bubbles from drying out so they stay intact for a longer period of time (unless of course the bubble hits the ground - then all bets are off!)

What mixture makes the best bubble solution? ›

Measure 6 cups of water into your container. Then pour 1 cup of dish soap into the water. Slowly stir until the soap is mixed in, being careful to not let foam or bubbles form. Measure 1 tablespoon of glycerin or 1/4 cup of corn syrup and add it to your container.

How do you make giant bubbles without glycerin? ›

People Also Ask. How do you make bubbles without glycerin? We find that this basic recipe of 4 cups warm water, plus 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup blue Dawn dish soap works great without glycerin!

What makes the biggest bubbles? ›

Many homemade big bubble recipes recommend glycerin as one of the main ingredients. Glycerin, or glycerine, or glycerol is a simple sugar alcohol compound. Glycerin is very soluble in water and is hydroscopic in nature. That means glycerin can attract and hold water from the surrounding environment.

What liquid makes the most bubbles? ›

Tips for great bubble solutions
  • Glycerine helps soap bubbles hold water, so that they last longer. ...
  • The key ingredient: water, varies widely in its quality. ...
  • Johnson's® baby shampoo produces better bubbles than any of the dish soaps we tried, Dawn® dishwashing liquid (blue) was our soap of choice.

What are giant bubbles made of? ›

Directions. Stir water and corn syrup in a large bowl (at least 3 quart capacity). Add dishwashing liquid; stir very gently until well mixed, trying not to make any bubbles. To use, dip (do not stir) bubble wand into liquid and blow bubbles!

What is the kids bubble formula? ›

1 cup of dish soap (the brands Joy or Dawn work best) 1/3 cup of glycerin (substitutions: 1/3 cup of honey or 1/2 cup of corn syrup) 1 empty water bottle or pop bottle and a sock for bubble caterpillars. Bubble wands—anything that can hold soap film, like a slotted spatula.

What is a safe homemade bubble solution? ›

2 TBSP Dawn Soap. 1 Cup Water. Whisk until dissolved - Scale as needed. Never buy bubble solution again.

How do you make homemade bubble mixture? ›

How to Make Bubble Solution
  1. 1 cup water.
  2. 2 tablespoons light Karo syrup or 2 tablespoons glycerin.
  3. 4 tablespoons dishwashing liquid.
Nov 29, 2022

Can you make bubbles with just soap and water? ›

Mix 4.5 c (1.1 L) of water and 0.5 c (120 mL) of liquid hand soap. For a basic bubble solution, simply combine 1 part of liquid hand or dish soap with about 9 parts of water in a medium bowl. If you don't have liquid hand soap, go ahead and use liquid dish soap, or even liquid body wash, shampoo, or conditioner.

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