The first time I saw giant bubbles, they were floating above a lakeside park near our apartment in Northern California. We had just sat down on our balcony for a Father's Day brunch, but finished it quickly and rushed around the lake to see if we could trace the undulating rainbow orbs to their source. When we arrived at the top of a hill, we saw a man and a few other families dipping long wooden bubble wands into a row of soapy buckets, lifting the wands into the air, and watching with glee as the wind carried each bubble into the sky.

It was the work of "The Bubble Guy," a hobbyist who goes around to parks in the Bay Area trying out his latest bubble recipes and techniques and, incidentally, bringing wonder to everyone who sees his results. That Father's Day was an unexpected joy, as our family spent the next few hours making giant bubbles and chasing them around the park. We were hooked, and we've been making our own giant bubbles ever since.

We loved bringing the wonder of floating giant bubbles to forest school at the end of the spring season. It's the second year we've made them on the last day of the spring season, so I suppose it's a tradition now.

Giant bubbles also make for a wonderful family tradition during the summer. Below, you'll find the recipe we use. It requires special ordering a few ingredients, but the bubbles are well worth the hassle. Charlie will follow up with a short tutorial on making the bubble wands, a fun activity for adults and little helpers.

Happy Summer!

-Joy

Giant Bubble Recipe

Ingredients

1 tsp baking POWDER
3/4 tsp J-Lube Powder (veterinary lubricant)
1 cup hot water
1 cup Dawn Pro Dish Soap

Directions

1. Pour the water into a bowl

2. Add Soap

3. Stir in baking powder

4. Add J-lube powder and stir quickly to mix it in

This recipe makes a 2-cup concentrate. To make the bubble juice, add a gallon (16 cups) of water. You can also make a smaller amount of solution by using only some of the concentrate and adding water in a ratio of 1:8.