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With a whoosh, "Bubble-ologist" Casey Carle lifted a hula hoop off the floor, forming a massive bubble around first-grader Michael, encasing him in a giant, shimmering orb. The gasps and cheers from the Pequenakonck Elementary School audience were deafening.
"This is not a magic show; it's science!" said Carle as he captivated the audience with his thrilling performance. He trapped bubbles inside of bubbles, filled them with fog, and juggled wobbly bubbles through the air, all while telling jokes and explaining how he was creating these iridescent wonders.
The Parent Teachers Organization hosted the Bubblemania show for the entire elementary school. Carle shared the wonder of bubbles and demonstrated how students can create their own bubble tricks at home.
In addition to entertaining, Carle emphasized the science of bubbles, including why they want to be spheres and why humidity is the best weather for forming them. He shared his unique solution of distilled water, dish soap, and glycerin to create the best bubbles and demonstrated how to blow bubbles of different shapes and sizes, including square ones. The students were thrilled to try it out and were amazed at how easy it was to make bubbles at home with straws, strings, or even just their hands.
As students returned to class, they were busy discussing which was the most impressive trick and what they wanted to try at home.
"I made a square bubble before," said first-grader Amalia, "but now I think I could blow a bubble inside of it."
"I have a hula hoop at home, so I'm going to make one of those really big ones," said Charlie, a third grader. His classmate Peyton wants to try putting a giant bubble on the surface of a lake, so she can swim inside it, like one of the stories Carle told.
Sarah Divi is the Communications Specialist for the North Salem Central School District. This article is part of an ongoing series of stories that showcase student experiences and exemplify the district's mission statement in action.
