Educational bubbles

The Frank Southern Ice Arena traded in its ice Thursday as Bloomington's eighth annual BubbleFest took the stage, sponsored by WonderLab and Bloomington Parks and Recreation.\nGuests were outfitted with "bubble blowers" as they walked onto the floor of the arena, where stations were set up to create all different kinds of bubbles, including 3-D bubble blowers, bubbles inside one another, bubbles used to paint pictures and bubble walls. \nChildren sat cross-legged at the Giant Bubble Wave, a station where tubs of bubble solution contained tied strings for the children to make square, bouncy or straight bubbles on which little and big bubbles sank and slid. \nChildren were on their parents' shoulders to get a view of a huge bubble being pulled up over a little boy's head. The little boy cringed so he wouldn't pop the bubble, then jumped out after a few turns, and three boys hugged together as another bubble surrounded them. \nLouise Schlesinger, the WonderLab Marketing Director, said she was very excited about this year's BubbleFest and the fascinating science behind bubbles. \n"BubbleFest could not happen without the help of over 100 volunteers," Schlesinger said. "Many of these are IU students and individuals."\nCarrie Kiszka, a senior majoring in biology at IU, has been a WonderLab volunteer for two and a half years and is now a staff member there. She said WonderLab is a fun way for everyone to learn about science.\n"A common misconception about WonderLab is that it is strictly for children," she said. "I'm a science major in biology, and I learn something new every time I go there. The college kids who go there have a blast."\nThe day's focus, however, remained on the families who came to enjoy BubbleFest, and the children took center stage. More than 200 people filled the small lawn adjacent the arena, eager to join the people already inside. \nVolunteers walked around with Styrofoam cups of bubbles for kids to dip their fingers into and find creative ways to blow big bubbles through their closed hands. \nMatthew Jobit, 11, and Chris Merriman, 12, sat and chatted eagerly about the festival. \n"It's a lot of fun," Jobit said. \n"Yeah, it's a lot of fun," Merriman agreed. "I think it's really cool when you put the bubble around you." \nAmongst all of the excitement of children and thousands of bubbles over a summer vacation, a little science lesson had been snuck in.