What better way to get our Preschool children excited about science than with a giant bubble floating above their heads! The Preschool was fizzing with wonder and amazement today when the Science in a Van team arrived with its Bubbles Roadshow.

Every good bubble-blowing session starts with getting the mixture right, which was also the first learning point for the children. The effervescent scientists, Alan and Emily showed how water and washing liquid combine in order for the bubbles to form. Alan created small bubbles, then larger ones, then bubbles inside bubbles!

Emily demonstrated how some mixtures don’t combine, such as the separation of oil and water, while others like baking soda and vinegar spark a reaction. Underpinning the show was the scientific method of hypothesise, test, observe and refine. The children were asked to imagine what will happen when blue solution is mixed with water, watch the two combine, and revisit their guess if it differed from the result. Words such as mixture, separation and reaction are now part of their vocabulary.

Using various designs of bubble makers, such as heart or square shaped, Alan also explained the difference between the original two-dimensional shape and its subsequent 3D form. The children were then able to make bubbles of their own in the playground.

The bubbles show links with many parts of the preschool curriculum, Te Whariki, in particular the Mana Aoturoa, Exploration strand. For many of the children, it was their first exposure to science and showed that is a fun and exciting subject. It was a great initiation to exploring the physical and material world and learning ways to understand how things work. 

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