Thames and Kosmos Fun and Fundamentals Elements of Science

We purchased this kit for our 8 year old daughter for Christmas. I was a little concerned that it might be above her head since the kit is recommended for ages ten and up. Our daughter is a very strong reader so we hoped for the best.She is enthralled with this kit. She spent all afternoon with it the first time she used it. Most importantly, she learned from every experiment that she did, and was successful with every one that she tried. She could hardly wait to show her younger sisters. She just skimmed through the manual and would stop at one that caught her interest. Some are simple effects, but with pretty impressive results, especially for a kid. Although many of the experiments seem simple, the underlying science, which is described in the manual, is usually important. Each experiment has a point to make and they seem to do it well. As a parent, you may want to consider paying close attention to the point of the experiment to see if your child grasps it. For example, one that she tried involved charging a balloon by rubbing it in her hair. No big deal, who needs a science kit for that? Well, they had her sprinkle salt and pepper and mix them. When she brought the charged balloon near the mixture, the pepper all leapt to the balloon, leaving only salt behind. It was a pretty effective demo. She did not remain silent when it happened. Then you can imagine her further reaction when she noticed some of the pepper flakes leaping back off the balloon like fleas into the salt, only to leap back to the balloon again. The point is that she was seeing evidence of the internal structure of salt vs. pepper (salt is an ionic crystal and pepper is not and can be easily polarized). She was learning and having fun at the same time. Now my youngest daughters are rubbing balloons in their hair and watching them repel each other (the balloons, not the kids...)She does need a small amount of guidance in opening vials, using the provided measuring spoon, and with a pretty complicated sticker of Earth's surface that is supposed to go on a styrofoam ball. Even a ten year old will need a small amount of help with some of the items, but not much. Should be a piece of cake for a typical 12 year old. There are some experiments in the kit (such as making the electric motor) that actually fascinate college students.The components of the kit are simple, but not hokey. I am a scientist myself and can vouch for the experiments that I have seen thus far, and that I saw in the large experiment manual.This is a good set. It is quite well thought out and organized. It is very safe. For some experiments, be prepared to provide household items such as a strand of thread, salt and pepper, a comb, a few cabbage leaves to make your own pH indicator, two batteries, etc. Does not make a mess that a vacuum can't clean up.The magnets provided work for the experiments, but it would have been nice if the kit came with stronger ones, especially the ring magnet.NOTE: Our kit was sent with the 1st edition manual for the 2nd edition kit. The 2nd edition recommends standard 1.5 volt batteries. If your manual recommends a different voltage, read the bulbs to make sure they match the battery recommendation.Thames & Kosmos provides a phone number and they answer it and are very helpful.

The seller was Amazon. I paid 61 bucks.This is a Christmas gift for an 11 year old boy.The styrofoam box inside the main/outer box is shrink wrapped. I did not open it, since I don't want to spoil the newness of the gift (and the wrapping keeps the items in place in the styrofoam). The instruction booklet was also in the main box. The box says made in Germany.Below is a list of physics, biology, and chemistry experiments by subject (in the order they appear in the booklet). The FIRST number in parentheses is the number of main experiments applicable to a subject. The SECOND number is the number of supplemental experiments, which involve taking some main experiments a step further:water (8+2)air (9+2)heat (8+2)sound (6+1)force (7+3)magnets (10+2)electricity (5+2)electromagnetism (6+2)light and shadow (7+3)optical instruments (6+4)plants and animals (6+3)colors (4+1)the human body (4+0)earth and sun (4+1)chemistry (10+1)So, there are 100 main experiments, and 29 supplemental experiments.Additional household supplies or things that you may need to get at the supermarket or drugstore are highlighted in italics in each experiment in the instruction booklet. Here are lists of the extra items:Unusual items that are only used once:* alfalfa* cress* mustard seeds* plant (algae or waterweed from an aquarium supply store)Large items you need:* chairs (2)* color television* dark room* freezer* stove* sun light* tableAll the little items you need:=============================aluminum foilbatteries, size C, twoblade of grassblack inkbooks (3, heavy ones)bowlbuttercake pancandlecardboard (light colored)carrot tops (2)CDclothcoincombcooking oilcooking potcotton ballsdeep dishdish soap liquid (also called dishwashing liquid, or soap)dried beans (15)dried peasdrinking glasses (2)egg (3)felt-tip pens (different colors)flashlightflower potglueground pepperhair dryer (used once)hammer (just something to crush ice)honey (light, clear)ice (cubes, crushed)iron pot (used once)jelly jarknifelemon juicemilkmilk chocolate (small piece)mug or teacupnewspaperpaperpaper towelpencilplastic bag (2, zip lock is fine)platepotatoradio with speakerred cabbage (juice)round bottleruler (or yardstick, or tape measure)sandsaucerscissorsshoe boxsoil (or dirt)square bottle (empty, like A1 steak sauce)steel woolstringsugarsugar cube (just use sugar, 1 tsp sugar = 1 sugar cube)table salttablespoontapeteaspoonthreadtweezersvinegaryogurt containerwatchwaterwatering can (you can improvise with a cup)white carnations (2, or roses or other similar white flower)woolen clothMinus 1 star, because it would have been nice to have a shopping list of the above additional items. Instead, I reviewed each experiment in the instruction booklet and made my own shopping list. For some extra items, you can certainly improvise with substitutes.

haven't given them to my grandsons yet but from looking at the box this is going to keep them busy for quite a while

Great set