Recycled Art Print Fun

Normally, blowing bubbles with a drinking straw is taboo for kids. Not this time! Bubble blowing—and lots of it—is mandatory for creating these delicate prints. The thrill of blowing bubbles until they cascade from their container will be second only to capturing the beauty of a soap bubble on paper.

You will need:

• Bubble solution (store bought or blend your own using 3 cups water, 1 cup Joy dish soap and 1/4 cup corn syrup)
• Tempera paints
• Drinking straws
• Disposable shallow containers (a pie tin works well)
• Paper: try copier paper or light-colored construction paper; just about any kind works.

Here's how to make your soap bubble prints:

1. Cover your work surface with a thick layer of newspaper or a plastic tablecloth.
2. In each container, blend 1/2 cup bubble solution with 1/4 cup tempera paint. For variety, mix several different colors.
3. Provide a straw or two for each child. For younger children, pierce a small hole halfway up the straw with a pin; this will help to avoid accidental swallowing but won't interfere with the bubble blowing process. To keep the straws from getting mixed up, give each child a different colored straw or mark each child's name on their straw with a tab of masking tape.
4. Now for the fun: with one end of the straw submerged in the bubble solution, have the kids begin blowing. The bubbles will mound up in the container. The best time to take a print is just as the bubbles begin to overflow.
5. Gently touch the paper onto the bubbles. The bubbles will pop as they touch the paper, leaving a unique print every time. Continue touching the paper to the bubbles until the paper is sufficiently covered, blowing more bubbles as needed. For a different effect, try printing one color over another.