Bubble snakes are one of our all-time favorite projects at Camp STEAM! They are so easy to make and the perfect-get-messy-outdoors-activity on a hot day.
One the biggest reasons I love this project is that it features recycled materials: plastic water bottles and all those single socks you have lying around in drawers… Put these two things together and you have the makings of the coolest bubble making toy ever!
Now there is one rule when it comes to bubble snakes: BLOW OUT! I always tell our students and campers this rule before we do the activity and there is usually one person who learns the hard way… what you get is mouthful of bubble solution, yuck! But if they can follow this one rule this is a crowd pleasing activity!
For our homemade bubble solution recipe head over here:
Bubble Snake Materials
- Plastic bottle
- Scissors
- Sock
- Bubble Solution Get our homemade bubble solution recipe here
Bubble Snake Instructions
Time needed:Â 2 minutes.
Learn how to make simple bubble snakes using recycled materials.
- Cut the bottle
Cut off the bottom of the bottle. Adults may need to poke hole in the bottle first before allowing children to cut off the end. Alternatively adults or children can cut the end of the bottle off.
- Add the sock
Stretch the sock over the open end of the bottle and pull it up around the bottle to secure in place.
- Dip into bubble solution
Dip the end of the bottle into bubble solution, remove it, then blow OUT. A “snake” of bubbles will emerge from the end of the bottle. Continue blowing to make the snake longer and longer. Be sure to remove the bottle from your mouth when you need to take a breath.
Extension ideas
There are a number of extension activities you can try using bubble snakes:
- Make Bubble Art Bubble art can be made with bubble wands but if you use a bubble snake to blow the bubbles you will end up with incredible lacy designs.
- Make Rainbow Bubble Snakes Squeeze different colors of food coloring on the sock to create bubbles in a rainbow! See more directions here.
- Use Helium If you have a helium tank at home, you can try using it to create some bubble clouds that float high into the sky!
- Go BIG! This requires adult supervision at all times but is fun for the whole family or for camp directors to do as group activity. Make a large bubble snake out of a 2 liter bottle with large sock, piece of cloth, or a dishtowel attached to the bottom. Secure in place with duct tape. Instead of blowing into the bottle use a wet/dry vac set to “OUT” to blow through the bottle and create GIANT snakes!
More
If you enjoyed this outdoor activity idea hop over here to see more water play favorites:
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