We did a really fun experiment in science that the younger boys just loved. Because we have a water softener and a water purifier, this was very easy to pull off. I got out three plastic cups and instructed the boys to measure a half-cup of water into each one. The first cup had hard water, the second cup had soft water, and the third cup had purified (and also softened) water.

Then we used an eye dropper to measure 3 drops of dish soap into each glass. Using a stir-stick the boys gently mixed the soap with the water, careful not to agitate anything.

Then? On to the fun part. All that’s needed is a straw in each cup and some gentle blowing. We quickly discovered that softened and purified water is much easier for bubble making. The reason is that hard water contains calcium in higher concentrations and this inhibits bubbles. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

After the official experimenting was done, the boys took their cups outside to see how high they could blow the bubbles.

Believe it or not, there’s a straw between the boy and the cup there.

What neat experiments have you done with your kiddos?