How do you make giant bubbles at home?

Tie a length of shoelace between two sticks — straight branches from the yard work perfectly. Dip it into a tray of dish liquid solution and lift slowly. The bigger the loop, the bigger the bubble. We used a large plastic pot saucer as the tray.

What is a good homemade bubble solution?

6 cups water, 1 cup dish liquid and ½ cup glycerine (or corn syrup). Mix gently and let it rest for an hour — resting makes stronger bubbles.

What are easy bubble wands to make with kids?

The simplest is a pipe cleaner twisted into a loop with a handle — done in ten seconds. You can thread alphabet beads onto it to spell each child's name, or add pony beads along the handle for grip. For a cluster of tiny bubbles, line up short pieces of straw on double-sided tape, roll them into a cylinder and wrap the outside with clear plastic.

What happens at a Year 0 and Year 1 outdoor day in New Zealand?

At Jin's, the children rotated through activities by class on a wide stretch of grass — dress-up relays, cardboard sleigh races, keepy uppy and bubbles with a parachute. For children who've only just started school, it's about building basic motor skills through play.

Giant Bubbles With Kids: DIY Bubble Wand and Solution

MHJ LIFESTYLE Lunchbox

Lunchbox of the Week

Friday — two boxes, same base, different sides.

Curry spiced chicken drumstick on rice. One box with mandarin, the other with cherry tomatoes and capsicum. Snacks, cream cheese, and yoghurt on the side.

MHJ LIFESTYLE DIY

4 Ways to Make Bubbles at Home

From simple to spectacular — all with things you already have.

1. Pipe cleaner wand: Twist a pipe cleaner into a loop with a handle. Done in 10 seconds. The easiest starting point for little hands.

2. Upgraded wand: Thread alphabet beads onto the pipe cleaner to spell each child's name, or add pony beads along the handle for grip and weight. Makes it personal — and sturdier.

3. Giant bubbles: Tie a length of shoelace between two sticks — straight branches from the yard work perfectly. Dip into a tray of dish liquid solution and lift slowly. The bigger the loop, the bigger the bubble.

4. Multi-bubble blower: Cut straws into short pieces, line them up on a strip of double-sided tape, roll into a cylinder, then wrap the outside with a piece of clear plastic (a cut-up bottle or cling film works). Blow gently for a cluster of tiny bubbles all at once.

Bubble solution: 6 cups water + 1 cup dish liquid + ½ cup glycerine (or corn syrup). Mix gently, let it rest for an hour. Resting makes stronger bubbles.

It was a very New Zealand kind of week. It began under a blazing sun, passed through thirty-three hours of rain and howling wind, and ended with the sky pretending nothing had happened. Every school run came with a mumbled "this weather is insane" — some days I came home soaked in sweat, others soaked in rain.

Thirty-Three Hour Storm

Our youngest is in her third week of school, and this week brought her first school event. It was an outdoor day for Year 0 and Year 1 — and because she's still finding her feet, I went along as a parent helper. On a wide stretch of grass, the children rotated through activities by class: dress-up relays, cardboard sleigh races, keepy uppy (yes, the famous Bluey game!), and bubbles with a parachute. For children who've only just started school, it's all about building basic motor skills through play — and most of it feels exactly like play. The shore breeze joined in as the kids tore across the field in the sunshine. Jin was completely taken with the giant bubbles, and made me pinky-promise we'd do it again at home.

Clear Skies, Giant Bubbles

The fun had barely settled when Wednesday brought a different kind of weather altogether. The rain thickened fast, and the wind went from nuisance to genuinely dangerous — flipping umbrellas inside out, making it hard to walk in a straight line. By Thursday things had worsened, and just after one o'clock the school sent an alert asking parents to collect their children early. PeNnY and I drove to pick them up, and in the few minutes it took to park at the gate and walk two children back to the car, we were drenched through our rain jackets. Min, who goes to a different school, had stayed home sick that day — which turned out to be a stroke of luck.

By Friday morning the sky was clean and still, as though the storm had never happened. This time it was Jin's turn to stay home — a little under the weather, but not enough to keep her indoors. So we kept our promise. I tied spare shoelaces between two straight sticks she'd picked up on a sunny walk home, poured dish liquid into a large plastic pot saucer, and we were in business. Every time a giant bubble lifted off and floated across the yard, she squealed with delight — her first morning alone with Mum since school began.

한국어 요약

정말 뉴질랜드다운 한 주였다. 뜨거운 햇볕으로 시작해 서른세 시간의 비바람을 지나, 하늘은 아무 일도 없었다는 듯 끝났다. 입학 3주 차인 Jin에게 첫 학교 행사가 있었다. Year 0·1 야외 활동의 날이라 학부모 도우미로 따라갔다. 넓은 잔디밭에서 반별로 돌아가며 옷 갈아입기 릴레이, 종이상자 썰매 경주, keepy uppy(Bluey에 나온 바로 그 놀이), 낙하산 비눗방울을 했다. Jin은 커다란 비눗방울에 푹 빠져 집에서도 또 하자며 새끼손가락을 걸었다.

수요일부터 날씨가 완전히 바뀌었다. 비가 굵어지고 바람은 성가신 수준에서 정말 위험한 수준이 되어 우산을 뒤집고 똑바로 걷기도 어렵게 했다. 목요일에는 더 심해져서 한 시가 조금 넘자 학교가 아이들을 일찍 데려가 달라는 알림을 보냈다. PeNnY와 차를 몰고 가 교문에서 아이 둘을 데리고 차로 돌아오는 몇 분 사이에 비옷 속까지 흠뻑 젖었다. 다른 학교에 다니는 Min은 그날 아파서 집에 있었는데, 오히려 다행이었다.

금요일 아침 하늘은 폭풍이 없었던 것처럼 맑고 고요했다. 이번엔 Jin이 조금 아파 집에 있었지만 밖에 못 나갈 정도는 아니어서 약속을 지켰다. 집에 오는 길에 주워 온 곧은 나뭇가지 두 개 사이에 남는 운동화 끈을 묶고, 큰 플라스틱 화분 받침에 주방세제를 부었다. 커다란 비눗방울이 떠올라 마당을 가로지를 때마다 Jin은 환호했다. 입학 뒤 처음으로 엄마와 단둘이 보낸 아침이었다.

Yussi

Writer · Social work student, Massey University

A mother of three girls and a Korean immigrant making Mairangi Bay home — writing about starting school, home learning and everyday life on Auckland's North Shore.

More about Yussi →

Frequently asked questions

How do you make giant bubbles at home?: Tie a length of shoelace between two sticks — straight branches from the yard work perfectly. Dip it into a tray of dish liquid solution and lift slowly. The bigger the loop, the bigger the bubble. We used a large plastic pot saucer as the tray.
What is a good homemade bubble solution?: 6 cups water, 1 cup dish liquid and ½ cup glycerine (or corn syrup). Mix gently and let it rest for an hour — resting makes stronger bubbles.
What are easy bubble wands to make with kids?: The simplest is a pipe cleaner twisted into a loop with a handle — done in ten seconds. You can thread alphabet beads onto it to spell each child's name, or add pony beads along the handle for grip. For a cluster of tiny bubbles, line up short pieces of straw on double-sided tape, roll them into a cylinder and wrap the outside with clear plastic.
What happens at a Year 0 and Year 1 outdoor day in New Zealand?: At Jin's, the children rotated through activities by class on a wide stretch of grass — dress-up relays, cardboard sleigh races, keepy uppy and bubbles with a parachute. For children who've only just started school, it's about building basic motor skills through play.