Each class was given 15 minutes in the cafeteria to stand in a bubble, create a bubble wall, blow bubbles over dry ice and watch them float indefinitely, and use everything from strawberry baskets to PVC piping, pipe cleaners and CDs as bubble wands. As much fun as the students were having, it was all in the name of scientific discovery.

Science teacher Karen Ananmalay said the Bubble Festival was inspired by an exhibit at the Lawrence Hall of Science. "The point of the whole day is a hands-on, open science experience," she added. "We give the kids as little guidance as possible. We're trying to let them think and discover on their own."

Parent volunteers posted at each "bubble station" were instructed to ask students open-ended questions, such as "What have you discovered?" or "Why do you think this is happening?" They were asked not to give students explanations for what they observed.

Some students were more into the discovery process than others. "Look at what happens when you get your hand wet," said one first-grader to her friend, revealing a mass of bubbles sticking to her palm.

It takes about 100 volunteers to staff the event. Ananmalay said parents are as intrigued about the science of bubbles as their children. "It's great fun to watch parents come in for the first time," she added.

One new volunteer watched wide-eyed as children darted from station to station. "Kindergarten moms didn't know what we were getting into," Nicole Ipson said as she tried to contain the soapy mess overtaking her table.

Other parents volunteer year after year. Brandi Varni's son, a fourth-grader at Los Alamitos, has participated in the bubble fest since he was a kindergartener. Both mother and son look forward to the event each year.

"It's fun to watch the kids," Varni said. "I think the adults have just as much fun."

Fifth-grade teacher Margie Brooks said her students are always excited about coming to the bubble fest.

"They remember it from year to year," she said, adding that her students tend to work together to create bubble magic more than do the younger children.

"It's unique because it's appropriate for all grade levels," said third-grade teacher Linda Reuter. "Each grade level experiments with it differently."

"Everyone's involved," Brooks said. "No one's standing around or making trouble."

The Bubble Festival's evening program, which doubles as a fundraiser for the PTA's science committee, is equally popular. "I know it's a sellout because I had to turn away some families," Brooks said.