SIP Summer Camp Super Bubble Kit

Hello, Blogland and SIP fans! I'm DeAnn's sister, Amy, and I volunteered to take over this week for the SIP Summer Camp while she prepares for a wedding shoot. I have a little blog (ABC Delites) that chronicles life with three boys and a big boy (the hubster) along with some party planning ideas thrown in. WARNING: I have follow through problems this week. I had a fantastic idea in mind, one I saw on Pinterest and thought was particularly fitting for where we live. However, with the 4th of July and my hubs birthday, the week got away from me. I purchased everything I needed, but finding the time to put it together has been a challenge for me. So, I'm going to tell you our plan and I'll update later with pictures.

So this was my grand plan: Super Bubble Kits to beat some of the summer boredom that plagues our apartment building. We've been in our apartment for three months and the fire alarm has been pulled 14 times and counting. When we take walks or head down to the playground, I see kids that are clearly bored. This is a decent area, but it's a lot of working parents and older siblings taking care of the younger ones during the day. So, at least for the younger kids who my kids can identify with, we are going to make super bubble kits and hand them out. I don't care who you are, big bubbles are awesome. Shoot, little bubbles are fun, so SUPER bubbles are SUPER fun! I saw the idea on this blog via the beloved Pinterest. I bought enough materials for five kits.

Per kit you need:
2 dowels three feet in length (paint a fun color or keep au naturale)
Bowl (I bought a frisbee to double as a bowl)
2 eye screws
1 washer
12 feet cotton cording cut into two pieces 8 feet and 4 feet
Bottle for Super Bubble Solution
Sack to put it all in

You screw in the eye screws into the ends of two dowels. Thread one end of each length of cotton cording through the eye screw and tie a knot through one dowel. Slip the washer on the 8 foot length of cording then tie both lengths through the other dowel.

Super Bubble Solution:
12 cups water
1 cup dish soap
1 cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp baking powder (not soda)

Stir gently, do not create bubbles. Let sit for an hour, or even better, overnight before use. For longer lasting bubbles, and I couldn't make this up if I tried, there is a secret ingredient. I didn't notice on the original blog post until much later that a secret ingredient could be added. Now this is a family oriented blog, and I will keep it as such, but this ingredient is pretty grown up! I have never looked for this particular item at the Dollar Store, but alas, I found it and purchased it awkwardly at the insistence of the original post. Enough suspense: secret ingredient = personal lubricant. I never have bought anything as an adult that made me blush, but knowing it's purpose was not the intended use made me feel like a stupid teenager buying Midol, not wanting anyone to know I might have cramps, LOL! Dissolve the secret ingredient in warm water then add to bubble solution. It will be cloudy, just stir occasionally until all the cornstarch dissolves. Also included on the blog post are darling printables to make this a super duper cute gift.

I have talked to my boys (Cash, 6, Dodge, 3 and Easton, 1 who doesn't count just yet ) for a few weeks about what we are going to do to spread some summer fun around where we live. When we pass through the courtyard and see kids with Sharpees at the picnic tables writing on them or breaking glass bottles because they are there, I don't think it's because they are the bad seeds of the bunch, it's the old adage of idle hands do the devils work. My boys know that what those kids are doing is wrong, but what I want my boys to do is not judge them. I want them to learn that they don't need to join in on the juvenile delinquency, but they can invite the ne'er do wells to do something else; an alternative to destructive behavior. I want my boys to influence good without discounting the worth of others that maybe make different choices. They are excited to make new friends by sharing a gift that they helped make. I have invited some cousins to come along and help us find some candidates for our super bubble kits and I believe it will be a fantastic experience for them all. 

Sidenote: DeAnn's craft project post last week is something I also have in the works. It's a board with a pocket that holds cards with words of encouragement and love in them. We met a lady just down the hall from us that is obviously sick. Every time we see her she has bandages on her arms like blood was drawn. She walks very slowly and just doesn't seem like a whole, healthy person. However, she always smiles and makes small talk when she sees us. I just love the idea of giving someone the opportunity to have a little encouragement whenever they need it, right on demand. Who doesn't like a little instant gratification once in a while! I promise I will update all my little endeavors with pictures as soon as we are done :)