For many kids, summer fun just wouldn’t be fun without a big outdoor bubble party! But before you go out and buy a pricey bubble-blowing machine, why not give making your own bubble formula a try? It’s cheap, easy and may even make bigger bubbles than the storebought kind. You just need three ingredients: water, dish soap, and glycerin or corn syrup. You may have to do a little experimenting based on your water type, climate and how long you want it to last. For example, soft or distilled water makes the best bubbles – a high concentration of iron makes for short-lived orbs. The best brand of dish soap may take a little experimenting, but most “bubble-ologists” swear by Joy or Dawn. And while corn syrup is cheaper, glycerin makes stronger bubbles and doesn’t attract bugs like sweet syrup will. Glycerin can be found at the pharmacy. Most recipes call for one part soap, 10-15 parts water and up to 1/2 part glycerin or corn syrup. It depends on how much you want to make as to how much you use, and the best bubbles may take some trial and error. It helps to let the mixture sit in the fridge or the garage overnight until you’re ready to use it, and the mixture is better stirred, not shaken – you don’t want foamy bubbles.

Feel free to blow bubbles with the regular plastic wands that you might have laying around, or make your own wands for gargantuan orbs. A wire clothes hanger can be bent into a circular shape, then used as a wand to make huge bubbles. If you want to do bubbles on a HUGE scale, mix up a giant batch in a kiddie pool. Put a small stepstool in the middle and stand the child on it. Use a hula hoop as a bubble wand, and envelop the child in his very own bubble! Make a “snake bubble” with an empty bottle of water. Just drink the water, then cut the bottom of the bottle off carefully. Take an old piece of thin fabric – a cut-up t-shirt works fine – and cut it to fit around the bottom of the bottle, secured with a rubber band. Soak the cloth end in your bubble mixture and let the kids blow gently from the other end of the bottle. Have a contest to see who can make the longest bubble snake! Bubbles are a cheap, easy way to get kids having fun in the great outdoors, so give it a try!