With a mission to improve informal science education, Thames & Kosmos has created some of the highest quality science and technology related educational products for children of all ages.   The kits teach concepts and skills through hands-on modeling of real-world devices and processes, and offer comprehensive, meaningful reading materials for a rich learning experience.

Encourage your child to embrace the sciences by sharing the experieince with a kit this holiday season.  Thames and Kosmos kits are available for all ages and easy to find at your local toy and craft store and online at chapters.indigo.ca.  Looking for a toy store? Visit Neighborhood Toys Stores of Canada to find a store in your area.

What Canadian Parents are saying…

We had a family of 7  test out some of the most popular Thames & Kosmos science kits.  Some of the kids were interested in science and some were not.  In the end, they all reported back that the kits ignited a real interest in science and experiments.  Here’s what the Mason family had to say about the kits they tested.

Candy Factory

Inside this giant chocolate bar-shaped box is a scientific candy wonderland including the special tools and recipes you need to make candy. Use the plastic and metal molds, shape cutters, candy thermometer, spatula, dipping fork and various other tools to form and coat your candies. Finish them with foils, paper cups, sticks and wrappers. The 48-page illustrated book provides instructions, recipes and scientific explanations. This kit does not contain any food items. Ingredients must be purchased separately, giving you control over the ingredients you use. Ages 10 and up. More info >

All of the kids had fun creating candy with the Candy Factory kit, the instruction manual has great illustrations.  Like the other kits, parental supervision is important.  The candy requires some high temperatures to get to the appropriate sugar stage so don’t hand the kit to the kids and leave the room!   While some experiments require additional supplies there are enough to get the kids into the science behind candy making.

Perfume Science

This kit is a complete perfumer’s laboratory including eight perfume oils, finishing solution, decorative flacons and important tools of the trade. The perfume oils are the same as those used in high-quality designer perfumes. The 32-page, full-color book blossoms with information about the biology of smell, the chemistry of scents, the fine fragrance industry, and the history of perfumes. Ages 10 and up.
(more http://www.thamesandkosmos.com/products/ps/ps2.html)

Our twin daughters are perfume crazy and when they saw this kit they were excited beyond words.  While the girls were creating their own scents they were learning so much about chemistry and biology, I don’t think they realized it at first!  This is so much better than a bottle of perfume, and would appeal to kids who are both interested and not yet interested in exploring science in a fun purposeful sort of way.

Stepping Into Science

Stepping into Science teaches science fundamentals with step-by-step, hands-on experiments, while also introducing children to the scientific method itself.   The kit comes with a 48 page guidebook. Ages 5 and up.  More Info >

Our youngest child enjoyed watching the older kits with the more complex experiments and was delighted when he had a kit of his own to play with. The experiments are simple but still very interesting.  The kit comes with a great guidebook filled with pictures, making it easy for the younger kids to follow along. Our son really liked learning about static electricity, using a magnifying glass and plant life.

CHEM 500

The CHEM C500 set is an introduction to chemistry. With 30 experiments in seven key areas of chemistry, this kit is perfect for children ages 8 and up who want a fun, welcoming tour of the science but aren’t ready for a complete chemistry set.  The CHEM set also comes in a more advanced version: 1000, 2000, and 3000.  Ages 8 and up.  More info >

CHEM 500 is the perfect set to give to a child who is showing an interest in chemistry but may be too young for a larger kit.  The experiments kept their interest and appealed to older siblings too.

Elements of Science

Investigate the most important phenomena in biology, chemistry, and physics by conducting more than 100 fun experiments. A broad, yet elaborate introduction to the physical and life sciences, this kit is intended to expose children to the full spectrum of science and show firsthand how these three core disciplines interrelate. Ages 10 and up. More info>

This kit was a hit with all of our kids.  The book that comes with the kit is organized in a way that makes it easy for the kids to read and find experiments, it is also easy for parents to follow along while they supervise.  Our kids really liked the electricity, sounds and water experiments but this kit is so large that they will have fun experimenting with the myriad of topics included.

Posted on November 25th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Christmas, Family Fun, Gifts for Grade Schoolers, Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers, Gifts for Tweens, Science