For years there have been few things that Kenny enjoys as consistently as building with LEGOS – whether individually purchased sets or his own independent creations. So, when Zometool asked if I was interested in reviewing any of their project kits, he and I both jumped at the opportunity. We combed the website, reading all the kit descriptions, before deciding to start with the Crazy Bubbles project kit.
He was particularly enticed by the promise that, with this single kit, he could construct several different geometric shaped frames that would form bubbles of the same shape.
The Crazy Bubbles project kit comes with a straw and 52 parts: 41 various colored struts (sticks) and 11 white nodes (balls).
A clear set of instructions is also included. The instructions don’t just show how to create different geometric shapes, but they also offer information about each shape, bubble factoids, multiple bubble solutions, tips for better bubbles, and some bubble science. In other words, the instructions themselves could easily be turned into a lesson or two on bubbles alone!
Before building, Kenny separated and counted all the struts and nodes, much as he does with new LEGO sets. He wanted to make sure he received all the parts.
As he set to the task of organizing the parts I asked him what he thought of it so far, and he said, “I love having all these pieces because I love building in general. The more pieces, the more I can build!”
Each node serves the role of the connector between two or more struts.
The struts press tightly into each node, allowing the structure to remain secure while building.
Kenny’s first build was what Zometool calls a “Pumpkin”.
“A pumpkin encloses the maximum volume of seeds within the smallest skin surface using 5-fold symmetry. When a ‘pumpkin’ bubble appears inside this 3-D pentagon, it is also constrained by the number 5.”
Coming up with a shortcut he thought might work better, Kenny created two independent blue pentagons (blue struts and nodes) first, intending to affix them together with the longer red struts.
He quickly found out that some short-cuts make for particularly long “scenic routes”, especially when the holes on the nodes do not line up.
After pulling the struts and nodes apart from the extra blue pentagon, he decided to follow the instructions more closely.
Red nodes affixed first in the base blue pentagon already created.
And then, the white nodes affixed independently atop red struts.
After they were all in place, he could begin adding the blue struts to finish out the pentagon on top.
In no time at all he was done with the “Pumpkin” build.
Now he was ready for the bubbles!
Zometool suggests finding a 2.5 gallon container, a deep sink, or a 5 gallon bucket, and filling it with warm water. Once full, add 1/2 cup of a liquid dishwashing detergent, and then mix the bubble solution with your hands.
We didn’t have a bucket handy, and I wanted to keep the bubbles outside, so we tried a large glass Pyrex. As you can imagine, it did not give us the effect we needed. The structure needs to be completely immersed.
An additional frustration was that it was a truly windy afternoon. As soon as our bubbles formed, they popped. Still, we created some really beautiful bubbles.
Speaking of bubbles, did you know that if you want the color on top of a bubble it will give you a clue as to when the bubble will pop?
From Zometool: “As your bubble becomes thinner, the interference caused when light waves collide changes the color of your bubble. Scientists found a special sequence of colors: first green, then blue, magenta, yellow, green, white, white with black spots, black…POP!
We stopped to locate a larger bowl and achieved greater results; we even came really close to the “pumpkin” bubble we saw pictured in the instructions.
After about 20 minutes, Kenny came back inside, cleaned off the struts and nodes, and started building the “Banana”.
“The banana is a minimal curve divided into 3 sections. Nature uses 2-fold, 3-fold, and 5-fold symmetries in designing plants and animals. You’ll find 2, 3, and 5 in the shapes of Zometool parts (rectangle, triangle and pentagon)!”
He may have even gone a little bananas there for a second.
Kenny decided to take his second build onto the porch to protect his freshly formed bubbles from the wind. Deciding to experiment with the straw that was included in the kit, he dipped the straw into the bubble solution and then gently touched the wet end of the straw to the bubble and started to blow.
As a result, he created two smaller bubbles, one inside the other. The second one looks more like a teardrop at the bottom of the bubble in this photo.
Giving me his classic smirk he commented, “This is cool. Of course, I love it because it makes bubbles, but what makes it really cool is that I can be as creative as I want and make bubbles in nearly any shape.”
Watching the photo carousel on the Zometool website reveals how quickly these toys absorb the attention of kids and adults alike.
While the system kits might be more attractive for those kids intrigued in their own independent studies of science, architecture, art or engineering, the project kits have a specific focus on everything from Ice Crystals and Stars to The Buckyball.
The Crazy Bubbles impressed Kenny and were a great introduction to the Zometool line for our family. Now, we just need to use the last of the kitty litter so we can rinse out the 10 gallon bucket for our bubble mixture for Kenny’s next build.
OMSH/Heather L. Sanders is a wife, mother and friend. She is also a Homeschooling Blogger and Writer. Balance is the challenge she rises to each and every morning.