Playing outdoors is an essential part of growing up and there’s no better season than summer for developing their imagination, keeping fit and letting the wild world weave its magical spell on children…
How to make the biggest bubbles you have ever seen!
✻ Thread cotton string through two 20cm/8in drinking straws, tying the two ends together and sliding the knot into the middle of one of the straws so you have a circle.
✻ The straws must not be longer than the bubble mixture tray.
Making bubbles
✻ Bubble mixture: Mix 4 parts washing-up liquid or baby shampoo with 4 parts rainwater and 1 part glycerine. Let the mixture stand for two hours or even overnight.
✻ Pour the solution into a large shallow tray.
✻ Dip the wand into the solution until the string is completely soaked. Hold one straw and slowly pull the rest of the wand out of the solution. Gently pull the wand through the air to form a long snakelike bubble.
✻ To cut your bubble off, tilt the straw to close the gap between the strings.
✻ Keep practising until you get the knack.
Bubble tips
✻ The best bubble days are still and humid; after rain is perfect.
✻ Try various brands of washing-up liquid and shampoo to find one that works really well.
✻ Foam is the enemy of bubbles Always scoop it away immediately.
What is special about summer?
Summer is nature’s rush hour, with all wild places working at full speed in the long daylight hours. There’s something different to see every day: search for bugs and beetles, laze in the sunshine making record-breaking daisy chains, or lie in a meadow and gaze through the stems to spot shapes in the clouds. On rainy days, shelter under leafy umbrellas, run barefoot through the sodden grass or search for stripy snails crawling among the wet leaves.
Idea extracted from The Wild Year Book: Things to do Outdoors through the Seasonsby Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield. This is Fiona and Jo’s tenth book packed with practical fun ideas to tempt children outdoors and reconnect with nature. Published on July 5 by Frances Lincoln RRP £9.99 Paperback.