Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Gather your materials.
Step 2
Mix the dish soap and water in the small bowl.
Step 3
Fold a paper towel 3 times, hot dog style.
Step 4
Place the paper towel in the bubble mixture.
Warning
Grownups only on the dry ice. It's about -109°F, so use tongs, thick gloves, or a towel instead of bare hands. Work near an open window and keep the container open; sealed containers can burst. Never eat dry ice or put it in a drink. Let leftovers disappear on their own in an open container, out of reach.
Step 5
Fill up the larger bowl with water. Then place a chunk of dry ice into the bowl. Make sure to use gloves or a towel when handling dry ice!
Step 6
Take the paper towel and wipe it across the top of the bowl to create a bubble film. Make sure to keep contact between the towel and the edges of the bowl.
Tip
Add some soapy water to the rim of the bowl before wiping the towel across. Move the towel slowly so as to not pop the bubble. This will probably take multiple tries so don’t give up!
Step 7
Once the bubble covers the top of the bowl, it will start to fill up with the smoke from the dry ice.
Learn more
The ice in your freezer is frozen water. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide (CO₂), and it sits at a chilly -109°F. Drop a piece into warm water and it skips the melting step, turning straight from a solid into a gas. Scientists call that sublimation.
That gas comes out very cold. When it hits the warm, damp air just above the water, the water vapor in that air condenses into tiny droplets, and those droplets are the white fog you see. The gas also pushes up into your soap film. A bubble is a thin layer of water sandwiched between two layers of soap molecules, so as more gas piles in, the bubble stretches wider and wider. Once the film thins out, the bubble gives way and the fog comes rushing out.
