Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Playing with Bubbles? Playing with Bubbles!!!

We are playing with bubbles this week. Big and small, colorful and strong, and not so much - there is something magical in a process of finding the perfect bubble solution, and a great introduction to chemistry for kids! The basic solution is easy: dish detergent and water. Of course, you can add anything else you can imagine to it; and experiment which ingredient works the best.

While having our chemistry experiments, I thought how true it is to our real world problems: crushing economies.

Here is a funny part: What crushing economies and inflations have to do with the bubble solution?


Economic Bubble in Simple Terms

Remember the basic solution? Dish detergent - assets, and liquid - money, are all it takes to create a bubble. The more money (liquidity) is invested in particular asset, the bigger the prices, the bigger is the inflated bubble. Until there is too much liquid in the solution and the bubble burst easily.

Many bubbles that burst too easily too fast are no longer enjoyable by anybody, even if they are attractive and colorful. The prices that normally were regulated by supply and demand of a healthy market are no longer under any control and chaotic.

The crisis occurs!!! Should we discard the solution and start from scratch? Or  "quantitative easing" is still possible? In the picture below, Camilla is scared of the giant bubbles.


Germany warns about global risk of asset bubbles

We continue our exploration of the German culture. Hence, the post about one of the biggest problems in the modern world. Hence, the warning from Wolfgang Schaeuble, German finance minister. Germany warns about global risk of asset bubbles

"Global central banks' efforts to inject more liquidity into the financial system are feeding asset bubbles — which could eventually burst."

"We have too much liquidity in financial markets and should not resort to large scale bond purchases."

"The low interest rates in developed economies are pushing investors into riskier markets including real estate." Risky investments artificially inflate prices and create bubbles.


These warning are not new! Historically, "Germany has long been aggressive on combating inflation and cautious about big stimulus programs."

What not to love in this logic?

Chemistry for toddlers: Honey bubbles.

Making your own bubble solution is not only fun, it teaches kids the basic chemistry! I was unsure if I should "waist time" on making my own solution and so happy I did!

Our Honey Bubble recipe:

1 1/4 cup water
1/3 cup dish detergent
2 tbsp. honey
I found Dawn dish detergent that was NOT Ultra Dawn. We made the solution at night and let it sit over night.


This solution brings lots of fun! The bubbles are different sizes and shapes. About half of them stayed inflated when on the floor.


Giant bubbles floated through the air very slowly. Camilla was scared of them at first, but then had a blast making and exploring them! Blowing into the wand is a great speech therapy exercise.


We also made our own wands from chenille stems. Exploring different shapes of wands in action and customizing them to your needs doubled the kids' fun!


This post is a part of cultural hands-on activities for the  World Cup for Kids project.
You can read more about it here: World Cup for Kids
Monday, June 16 Germany - Portugal
The post can be found here: Invitation to explore and build: the Brandenburg Gate
Saturday, June 21 Germany - Ghana
The post can be found here: Bremen Town Musicians
Thursday, June 26 Germany - USA
The post can be found here: German Engineering. Playmobil.
Monday, June 30 Germany - Algeria
The post can be found here: Playing with Bubbles
Friday, July 4 Germany - France
The post can be found here: Dance, Sing, and Create with Gummy Bears
Tuesday, July 8 Germany - Brazil
The post can be found here: Pirates' hats. Stortebeker - a mighty German pirate.
Sunday, July 13 Germany - Argentina
The post can be found here: Party Time! Mud Bowl - Fruit Punch.
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1 comment:

  1. Interesting Article. Hoping that you will continue posting an article having a useful information. Bubble Books for Toddlers

    ReplyDelete