Frozen Bubbles
We first froze some bubbles a few years ago as a family, and we had a lot of fun doing it. Since then we’ve done it at least a couple more times. This post has been on my to-do list for a long time, but I was waiting for a cold enough day to get some updated pictures and videos. Looking at our 10 day forecast, I was not expecting this to be my morning, but it was! My youngest and I got to have a little (cold) fun out on our deck. After getting to play in the snow yesterday, this was a nice bonus.
I’ve already written one bubble post, but that one was during the spring/summer. You can do that any time. This one is a little different but no less fun. All you need is a bottle of bubble solution and a very cold day. It helps if it isn’t too windy. A little patience also doesn’t hurt.
It was 16 degrees when I first went out this morning. By the time I was able to take my son out, it was 25 degrees. It was even colder the first couple of times we did this. Single digits even. The colder it is, the faster the bubbles freeze. I definitely saw a difference between 16 and 25 this morning. Of course, if you’re going to go out in weather that cold, make sure you bundle up! Also, don’t plan on spending much time outside. Brrrr.
We didn’t use any special bubble solution for this; just a random assortment we already had. I actually grabbed the first two bottles I found. Both worked well. (Does bubble solution ever really go bad? I think we use some of the same bottles year after year.) You could also make your own if you’d like.
Our first bubbles popped as soon as they landed. If we caught one on the end of the bubble wand, they’d usually stick around for a while. I actually got some good photos and videos by setting the bubble wand down with a bubble on it.
Eventually—I’m guessing here—the bubble solution cooled down enough so that the bubbles were able to stick elsewhere. They stuck to the table, the deck railing—even the snow! We enjoyed spotting the ones we hadn’t seen land. Some of them were frozen and still right where they landed when we came inside.
When you watch them freeze, sometimes they just get cloudier and cloudier until they break, but if you’re lucky you’ll see the frost pattern forming from the bottom up. This is *amazing* to see. So so cool. You’re more likely to see this the colder it is. I saw some frost forming when it was 16 degrees, but my best pictures are from the other times I did it, when it was even colder.
If your kids are like mine, they’ll be thrilled just to see bubbles stuck in different places. You can even touch the frozen bubbles and pick up the pieces of the broken ones. It is a lot of fun.
As much fun as we had this morning, I’m hoping for an even colder day to get back out there. I never thought I’d be hoping for colder weather, but between wanting to freeze bubbles and capture more snowflakes, it has felt almost too warm here this winter. Be careful what you wish for, right? My list of fun winter activities just keeps growing, though…
If it’s cold enough where you live and you get to try this, let me know! I’d love to hear all about it.
