Lay out enough spoons so each child can have at least one.
Color the spoons. Place a dot of food coloring on each spoon. Cover with baking soda.
Place cups on a baking sheet. Fill some of the cups with water and some with vinegar.
Pass out a spoon and cup to each child.
Ask the children to make a hypothesis based on their observations about what will happen when they put their spoon in the cup.
Tell children to put their spoon in the cup in front of them. Depending on the color on the spoon, the liquid will turn that color. The cups with water will just change color, while the cups with vinegar will also explode in bubbles.
Pour dish-washing liquid and water into shallow pans.
Give the children straws. Tell them to blow through the straw as they move it across the surface of the pan's liquid.
Tell the children to make a big bubble. Have them dip an end of the straw in the liquid, then hold the straw right above the surface of the liquid and gently blow a big bubble.
Tell the children to touch the bubble with a wet finger. The bubble won't pop, showing the surface tension that also allows some bugs to walk on water.
Tell the children to make another big bubble and touch it with a dry finger. It will pop.
Roll two sheets of paper into a funnel shape, with one very small end and the other with an opening of about 1 1/4 inch in diameter.
Tape the funnel so it will not unravel.
Cut the small end of the funnel about 1 inch from the tip or so the opening is about 1/2 inch in diameter.
Cut the large end of the funnel so the surface is flat. The funnel should now look like a cone and should stand upright.
Dip the large end of the cone into bubble solution.
Blow gently in the small end to create large bubbles.
Have children compare the cone bubbles to a regular bubble wand. The cone shape allows breath to spread out and move more slowly by the time it reaches the liquid, creating larger bubbles.