Basic Bubbles: Mix two tablespoons of dish soap with one cup of water. Ultra Dawn detergent seems to work best.
Magic Bubbles: To create larger bubbles, mix one tablespoon of glycerin with two tablespoons of dish soap. Add nine ounces of water.
Color Bubbles: Add one cup of liquid tempera paint to two tablespoons of dish detergent. Mix in one tablespoon of liquid starch. Be sure to use paints that easily wash out of clothes.
*Recipes from www.creativekidsathome.com

Create Your Own Wands

A Wand for Big Bubbles: Create giant bubbles at home with this simple trick. Cut two straws in half, making each section six inches long.  Cut a string 25 inches long. Pull the string through the straws, tie the string in a knot and hide the knot inside a straw. Place your hands on the straws and pull, creating a square or rectangle shape. Dip the shape into a pan of bubble solution and gently draw it through the air.

Budget-Friendly Wands: Bend a paper clip into a fun shape and dip in bubble solution. Use a fly swatter to produce lots of tiny bubbles or bend a coat hanger into a circle to make one large bubble. Hula-hoops are a good way to make large bubbles by simply dipping one in a baby pool filled with bubble solution.

Store-Bought Fun

How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Unbelievably Big Bubbles: This book teaches readers all about bubbles. It comes with the “Bubble Thing,” great for making long bubbles. Ages 8 and up. By John Cassidy and David Stein, Klutz: $16.95. www.klutz.com

Bubble Oodles: Five bubble ports create “oodles” of bubbles with this easy to refill wand. Ages 3 and up. $6. Gymboree, www.gymboree.com.

Gazillion Bubbles Bubble Machine: Blow 4,000 bubbles a minute with this small machine. Turn the machine on, and bubble solution automatically fills the machine, making hundreds of bubbles. Ages 4 and up. $15. Find at major retailers.

– Sarah E. King