Cookie Cutter Ice Bubbles

If you're not a real outdoor winter enthusiast and only like to spend about 2 minutes outside during this time of year, then I have a great project for you!

This is a fun little experiment your kids will enjoy and you may have everything you need on hand already. You've probably seen frozen soap bubbles, this is a take on that project but perhaps even easier to achieve.

This is a really simple project and you may have everything you need already on hand. You will need:

-a cookie cutter. Metal and plastic both seem to work well. Thick metal ones work nice because you can put it down while the ice crystals are forming.

-bubble solution. Homemade or store bought are both viable options. I used soap from one of those long bubble wands the kids tend to spill after doing one bubble by themselves.

-a container to pour the bubble solution into. I used a Chinese take out container.

-a cold winter day with little to no wind. The colder the temperatures the faster you'll see ice crystals starting to form.

I used store bought bubble solution from one of those long bubble wands that the kids always spill after insisting they can "do it themselves." I poured the whole thing into a Chinese food container, which gave me about 1/4 inch of bubble solution to dip the cookie cutter into. I tried both metal and plastic cutters and both seemed to work fine for this project, though the metal ones were a little easier to work with because they didn't have a lip on them like my plastic ones do. Dip, but don't swirl, the cookie cutter in the bubble solution. If your solution has bubbles in it already, pop them or let the solution sit inside for a bit until they pop naturally. Dip the cookie cutter in the solution then hold or gently place the cookie cutter on end on a flat surface.

Once you place your cookie cutter down, you will start to notice ice crystals forming. If you watch it closely, you'll be able to see the ice growing across the entire shape until the whole shape is a frozen sheet of ice crystals. You'll need cold winter temperatures to see the crystals form quicker. If it's too warm, this project may not work. On the day it was a balmy 8 degrees F outside.

This project is best done on a windless day. If you have even a little bit of wind, it will pop the bubble before it gets a chance to freeze. If you can't get a day without wind, go somewhere that you can block the wind from hitting the cookie cutter.

I've included a video showing the process of the ice crystals forming as well. There was a little wind but thankfully it didn't pop my bubble! Enjoy our friendly neighborhood squirrels chattering at me in the background towards the end. This is a quick little video but literally all the more time it takes for the soap to freeze in the right conditions.

This is a super simple project and it doesn't take much time at all, but it is fascinating enough to try it out a few times! I hope you are all stay warm, spring is coming soon!