We have so many holidays, but one this Grandma did not know about was National Bubble Week. It coincides with the first week of Spring each year since it started in 2000. With the winter we are having in 2014, this is another reason to celebrate what we hope will be a great spring.
Of course, we know many holidays are made around the idea to sell something. This holiday was created by a company called Oddzon, manufactures of Koosh Bubbles. They say it is “The grassroots ‘bubblebration, ” to be inaugurated through events in markets around the country, was created to herald the first day of spring – the unspoken first day of the bubble-blowing season.” But all children, including babies, love bubbles. Why not have a special celebration!
Koosh bubble guns (I hate that they are called guns) are easy for even a grandchild as young as a toddler to use. The newest ones are transparent and light up. They already come with bubbles and batteries. As you guessed, they break easily.
There are many different varieties of bubble guns and bubble machines. They are all inexpensive fun. This Grandma keeps four or five on hand at any time.
However, the bubble fluid this Grandma uses is by Gazillion Bubbles. It is the best for making bubbles. I buy the biggest jug I can find to keep on hand to refill the bubble guns.
What this Grandma can caution other grandmas about are colored bubbles. DO NOT BUY COLORED BUBBLE FLUID. All manufacturers’ colored bubbles, including Crayola, leave a residue wherever they land.
Bubbles have history! According to Wikipedia:
17th-century Flemish paintings show children blowing bubbles with clay pipes verifying soap bubbles being used as entertainment for at least 400 years. The London based firm of A. & F. Pears created a famous advertisement campaign for its soaps in 1886 using a painting by Millais of a child playing with bubbles. A Chicago company called Chemtoy began selling bubble solution in the 1940s, and they have been popular with children ever since. According to one industry estimate, retailers sell around 200 million bottles annually.
There is a painting from 1630 of two boys blowing bubbles that we can show our grandchildren.
Bubbles are educational! According to Wikipedia:
Bubbles can be effectively used to teach and explore a wide variety of concepts to even young children. Flexibility, colour formation, reflective or mirrored surfaces, concave and convex surfaces, transparency, a variety of shapes (circle, square, triangle, sphere, cube, tetrahedron, hexagon), elastic properties, and comparative sizing, as well as the more esoteric properties of bubbles listed on this page. Bubbles are useful in teaching concepts starting from 2 years old and into college years.
Bubbles are good for our grandchildren’s development! According to Wikipedia:
A Swiss university professor, Dr. Natalie Hartzell, has theorized that usage of artificial bubbles for entertainment purposes of young children has shown a positive effect in the region of the child’s brain that controls motor skills and is responsible for coordination with children exposed to bubbles at a young age showing measurably better motion skills that those who were not.
The description of a bubble can teach our grandchildren new big words! But, first we have to memorize the words ourselves. According to Wikipedia:
A bubble is made of transparent water enclosing transparent air. However the soap film is as thin as the visible light wavelength, resulting in interferences. This creates iridescence which, together with the bubble’s spherical shape and fragility, contributes to its magical effect on children and adults alike. Each colour is the result of varying thicknesses of soap bubble film.
A man named David Stein holds the world’s record of the largest bubble ever created. It was 50 feet by 2 feet wide in diameter! Oppenheimer Toy Awards at www.toyportfolio.com gave the gold award to this great inexpensive visit present from grandma:
How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Unbelievably Big Bubbles ( by David Stein et al, Klutz $16.95) David Stein’s “Bubble Thing” does make monstrous, 10-20 foot big, amazing bubbles. An updated classic, with full-color photos and clear tips on how to get results. Our 9-year-old tester and her dad gave this a rave review! 7 & up.
From a simple wand to many complex wands with some soap water, we can have so much inexpensive outdoor fun with our grandchildren.
Now we just have to hope the next snow storm does not come so we can go outside and blow bubbles. But, we do not have to wait for National Bubble Week to blow bubbles. This Grandma cannot wait for the grandchildren’s next visit to Florida. Bubble guns and gazillion bubble fluid await with
Joy,
Mema
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