How to Have Fun-Make Big Bubbles

We all have memories we love of fun times we’ve had. I’ve always loved playing with bubbles, but I remember my first time making really big bubbles. Do you know the ones I mean? Bubbles that are big enough to engulf you. If you have not played with this type of bubbles you are missing an incredible amount of effervescent fun.

The first time, for me, was at my cousins’ house. They had a large disk filled with bubbles and a giant round wand. The road wound around their front yard going up a hill. How we laughed when we stopped traffic with bubbles. We may have been teenagers, but playing with these bubbles was hilarious fun. We spent the afternoon making them.

Another time was when my daughter was young, before my son was born. We went to the Science Spectrum in Lubbock, TX. The Science Spectrum is a very cool place. I think I had more fun than the kids. We went with a friend and her daughter. There are more than 250 hands on science exhibits. Hands on mean you can touch, push buttons, turn knobs, jump, crawl and have a ton of active fun. No wandering looking at displays, bored to tears, the Science Spectrum is fun!

My favorite part was standing inside the giant bubble. There is a ring filled with bubble liquid, and in the middle a small pedestal to stand on. Someone on the outside pulls the wand up around you, and presto! You are standing inside a giant bubble looking out. I must have made my poor friend do this 20 times.  I could not get enough of that bubble!

Standing inside the bubble never lost its charm for me. Every time we returned, I stood in the giant bubble. As my kids grew older, they became bored with the Science Spectrum. It is more geared for preschool and younger elementary children (and me). Oh well, I have not stood inside the bubble for quite a few years now.

My attraction to bubbles has never abated. I love blowing the small ones with the kids and then trying to catch them. Watching them float, sparkling in the sunlight fills me with joy. I tried to find a giant bubble maker, but not all giant bubble makers are created equal. I almost despaired of finding one that would work consistently.

We were on vacation in Cape May, NJ when I found the giant bubble maker I now use. Cape May is a beautiful Victorian town. The colors and architecture of the houses makes it a very pleasant place to walk around. I had found a condo over the stores at the corner of Jackson and Beach Streets. The location was probably the best place to stay in the town.

The mini golf was across Jackson Street and the arcade and beach were across Beach Street. There was a great hot dog place downstairs. They had an amazingly large variety of hot dogs. I could give the kids a couple of dollars and they could each have a dog of their choice. The owner and his wife were wonderful people. We enjoyed talking to them; they were always cheerful and friendly.

So, I guess you get the picture; we were on one of the busiest corners in Cape May. We had a balcony that looked out over Beach Street. You could sit and watch the dolphins jump in the ocean across the way. There were several small shops below us also. Guess what I found in one of them. That’s right a Bubble Sword! My new favorite giant bubble maker and the one I always keep on hand. And, yes, I have one in the closet right now.

We bought the Bubble Swords, one for each kid and one for me.  (Of course I wasn’t going to be left out of the fun!)  We went back to our balcony.  The sun was just beginning to set and we started making bubbles.  This was my children’s first experience making giant bubbles around unsuspecting bystanders.  They loved the ooohs and aaahs they heard from the kids in the crowds.  How we laughed when the giant bubbles stopped traffic on Beach Street. 

My daughter may have been a teenager and my son 8 or 9, but it was hilarious fun!  We made bubbles every night for the rest of the two weeks.  We amazed crowds of people, stopped traffic and laughed like hyenas.  Not one person yelled at us.  There is something about bubbles that brings out the best in people.  Perhaps it reminds them of the amazement of childhood.

I was searching the web today and saw that you can get colored bubbles now. “Colored bubbles!” I thought to myself. “Ooooh, that sounds like fun!” I looked up the site. The bubbles are called “Zubbles” and are available in Presto Pink or Blazing Blue.

It seems that for years we could not have colored bubbles because when they popped they left a stain on clothing. Tim Kehoe, the inventor, has solved this problem. The bubbles are like disappearing ink. They stain initially, but the stain disappears in about 15 minutes when it dries. What wonderful fun will the world think of next? I cannot wait to get my “Zubbles” and make Pink and Blue giant bubbles!