Freezing Bubbles In Winter - Little Bins For Little Hands
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What happens to bubbles in freezing temperatures? This fun and easy freezing bubbles winter science experiment lets you find out! Grab your bubble solution, bundle up, and head outside to explore how cold weather transforms ordinary bubbles into delicate, icy creations.
Freezing Bubbles Recipe
This is a fascinating way to combine play and science while learning about the unique properties of bubbles and the effects of temperature. Let’s get started!
💡 See how to make bubble solution with glycerin as an alternative to corn syrup!
YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons of corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons of dish soap
Add all the ingredients to a container and mix gently. Try not to create bubbles while mixing the solution. Find plenty of bubble solution tips here.
How to Make Bubbles
💡 Note: It can be difficult to achieve a photo-worthy frozen bubble. The temperatures and surrounding conditions need to be just right! It’s the fun and experimenting that counts.
Freezing Bubbles: A Cool Winter Experiment
Have you ever wondered what happens to bubbles in freezing temperatures? We decided to find out! With the temperature on our back porch at 19°F, we grabbed our bubble solution and headed outside to experiment.
Like indoors, we could blow large masses of bubbles. But outside in the cold, we noticed something fascinating—they began to freeze! Over a few minutes, a delicate icy layer formed on the bubbles’ surface.
However, freezing wasn’t instant, and the wind presented a challenge. A gentle breeze would often pop the bubbles before they entirely froze. A calm, windless day would allow the bubbles to freeze completely for the best results, creating beautiful, fragile ice spheres.
Science Behind Freezing Bubbles:
- Temperature and Surface Tension: Bubbles are made of a thin layer of water and soap. In freezing temperatures, the water starts to solidify, forming ice crystals on the surface.
- Time and Wind: Because freezing takes time, wind or movement can pop the bubbles before the ice layer fully forms.
This is a fun and simple way to explore the effects of temperature on water and see science in action—perfect for a winter day!
You could see the freezing bubbles change, though, which was pretty cool. Instead of the very transparent sparkling of the indoor bubbles, they became a bit cloudy.
Watching Bubbles Freeze: A Winter Science Discovery
You could actually see the bubbles freezing as they formed a delicate shell. When a frozen bubble popped, it left behind tiny, partially frozen fragments—evidence of the freezing process in action!
We repeatedly tried blowing and freezing bubbles, captivated by what might happen next. The hardest part was waiting for the bubbles to freeze completely, especially with the occasional breeze cutting our experiment short. Eventually, the cold got the better of us, but it was a fascinating experience while it lasted!
💡 Tip for Success: Choose a calm, windless day for this experiment to give the bubbles time to fully freeze before popping. The results are worth the wait!
How Do Bubbles Form?
A bubble is a super-thin layer of soapy water filled with air. But did you know that its structure is made up of three layers?
The bubble’s film consists of a thin water layer sandwiched between two layers of soap molecules. Each soap molecule is uniquely oriented: the polar (hydrophilic) head faces the water layer, while the hydrophobic tail points away from it.
This unique structure gives bubbles their iconic spherical shape. Why a sphere? It’s the shape that minimizes surface area and requires the least amount of energy to maintain. No matter how a bubble is formed, it will always try to settle into a sphere!
Read more about what happens when bubbles meet.
Blowing Bubbles in Winter
Bubble science is real and fun! Read more about the science behind bubbles below. If you like, you can draw a snowman on a large cup (see below) and explore bubble science indoors first!
💡 CHECK OUT: Winter Science Activities
More Fun Winter Activities
- How Do Polar Bears Stay Warm?
- Frost On A Can
- Snowy Owl Craft
- What Makes Ice Melt Faster?
- Ice Cream In A Bag
- Winter Weather Activities
Printable Winter STEM Pack
Even if you don’t live in a snowy winter climate, there are many ways to explore the season!
WHAT’S INSIDE? You’ll find 250+ Pages of Winter theme projects for science, STEM, and art!
- 25+ Winter science activities and STEM projects for kids that are easy to set up and fit into the time you have available even if it’s limited! NEW: Observation sheets for activities.
- Printable winter theme STEM activities that are simple but engaging for home or classroom.
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