DIY Halloween Ghost Bubbles Activity
Here’s a free Halloween themed DIY STEM activity that is easy to do and really quick. At 17 / 25 points, take 15 minutes and have fun making ghosts and learning the chemistry behind bubbles. Thanks for sharing Little Bins for Little Hands!
What: DIY Halloween Ghost Bubbles Activity
Rating (out of 25): At 17 Points, the rating is Do IT if you’re short of time because it only takes 15 minutes! (Fun = 3 + Confidence & Curiosity = 3 + STEM Aligned = 4, + Time Value = 2, + Cost = 5
Cost: Free (if you have the materials)
Age: 3+ (adult supervision required and needed to ensure dish soap doesn’t get in eyes or consumed).
Supplies:
Water
Corn Syrup
Dish soap
Mixing Container
2 white or clear cups
1 black marker
Straws
Instructions:
Gather your materials.
Mix: 1 cup of water, 2 Tablespoons of corn syrup, and 4 Tablespoons of dish soap in container and mix together.
Have your child help with the mixing and observe how each ingredient changes the mix.
Take your paper cups and make fun ghost faces on them! Add in a little solution to each cup and straws.
Make your predictions! What do you think will happen once you mix it? What happens if you change the ratios of water, soap or corn syrup? Can you adjust size of the bubbles with air?
Start to blow bubbles. The experiment is a success when the ghost cups are overflowing with ghostly bubbles of all sizes!
STEM Lesson: Bubbles are made up of a thin wall of soapy film that fills with air. When water meets air, the water molecules stick together in a layer at the surface. This is because they are more attracted to each other than to the air molecules. We call this surface tension. When bubbles of different sizes meet, one will become a bulge onto the larger bubble. Normal water has too much surface tension to make bubbles. Adding dish soap weakens the surface tension so bubbles can form. When the water in a bubble dries up, or evaporates, the bubble bursts. Corn syrup slows down this process, so the bubbles are stronger and last longer. When the water finally does dry up, the bubble pops, leaving a ghostly film of corn syrup and soap.