Thursday, November 20, 2003
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Contact: 800 587 2872
NEWPORT, RI – Thames & Kosmos, publisher of science and technology kits for the 21st Century, has expanded its offerings this year and now produces a line of twelve educational products for children ages 8 and up. In addition to the popular Fuel Cell Car kit and the unique Power House kit, ten new products covering topics from chemistry to optical illusions are now shipping. Descriptions of the new products follow.
Kite Dynamics is a modular kite building kit, with which children can design and build hundreds of different kite configurations using the same kite sails and spars. After a kite is built, the object is to test how well it flies and then iterate on the design again and again to ultimately achieve the best or highest-flying kite possible. A building toy crossed with a kite, this kit retails for a suggested price of $60 and is for ages 10 and up.
Mind’s Eye is a first-hand exploration of how the human eye functions, using experiments in optical illusions. Ninety-four astonishing experiments and a number of engaging building projects cover topics such as the human perception of color and light, how the eye and brain work together, and illusions of depth, perspective, shape and motion. The kit sells for a suggested price of $70 and is suitable for children 10 and up.
CHEM C101 and CHEM C1000 are the first two kits in the new CHEM series of chemistry experiment kits. This is a series of classic chemistry sets that have been updated for today’s children. CHEM C101 is the first kit in this series, and offers 30 experiments in seven key areas of chemistry, and is perfect for children 10 and up who want a fun, welcoming tour of the science but are not ready for a complete chemistry set. CHEM C1000 is the ideal starter chemistry set for ages 10 and up. Young chemists explore everything from acids and bases to electro-chemical reactions in 75 action-packed, hands-on experiments. Excellent quality equipment, lab manual and chemicals provide the correct tools for serious learning and serious fun in experiments that can be performed over and over again. CHEM C101 retails for a suggested price of $30 and CHEM C1000 retails for a suggested price of $80, and are both for ages 10 and up.
Solaro is the third kit in Thames & Kosmos’ alternative energy line of kits. Solaro includes the parts to build seven models of real-world solar-powered devices and a 32-page book that not only gives instructions for building the models, but explains how solar cells work, investigates the feasibility of solar power and gives examples of vehicles and other machines that are solar powered. Children can build a solar race car, radio-telescope, ultralite glider, helicopter, robot, fan boat and blimp – each model consisting of a motorized element powered solar cells. Solaro retails for a suggested price of $50, for ages 8 and up.
Micro Trek is a journey into the microcosmos. This kit includes a high-quality, student grade microscope with 100x to 900x magnification, a large assortment of accessories and a 52-page, full color experiment book. The experiment book not only instructs children how to use the microscope, but gives them the tools and techniques for gathering samples and preparing their own slides, so that the learning and observations can go far beyond simple pre-prepared slides. Micro Trek has a suggested retail price of $104, for ages 12 and up.
Crystal PRO explores the science of crystal growing and crystal structures. Budding materials scientists and mineralogists learn about the structure and geometry of crystals by growing their own large, beautiful crystal specimens. Fourteen experiments and a 32-page full-color experiment book take children on an in-depth exploration of crystals including crystal formation and lattice structures. A transparent display chest is included so that children can exhibit their creations. The Crystal PRO kit retails for a suggested price of $30 and is suitable for ages 12 and up.
Bubble Builder is a kit of 35 experiments featuring bubbles and soap film that covers a broad selection of topics in different areas of science. Children can see first hand why these elegantly simple structures of soap, water and air have been studied by scientists, modeled by mathematicians, emulated by architects and immortalized by artists and writers for generations. A 48-page full-color experiment manual includes many fascinating facts about bubbles. Bubble Builder retails for a suggested price of $30 and is suitable for ages 8 and up.
The Balloon Adventure science kit covers a wide variety of science topics through 24 experiments with rubber balloons. A 32-page full-color manual guides young scientists through the action-packed experiments with balloon race cars, helicopters, boats, trolleys, tricks with balloons, balloon barometers, fire extinguishers and water yo-yos. Balloon Adventure retails for a suggested price of $30, for ages 8 and up.
The Detector Radio science kit enables children to tap into the radio signals in the sky with a real working radio they build themselves. This kit is a similar to a classic crystal radio kit, but uses a diode instead of a crystal, and includes a 32-page experiment manual that offers 20 different experiments using the radio. The simple design of the Detector Radio elegantly illustrates the basic principles behind all radio broadcasting and provides a hands-on introduction to the most important components of electrical engineering. The kit retails for a suggested price of $30 and is for ages 9 and up.
Thames & Kosmos sells these products to specialty toy and hobby stores, educational distributors, catalogs and online stores around the United States. For a current list of these resellers and information about purchasing, see the Where to Buy page on the Thames & Kosmos web site.
FUEL CELL CAR USED IN DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY’S NATIONAL SCIENCE BOWL
Thames & Kosmos’ first kit, the Fuel Cell Car & Experiment Kit, is now being used in classrooms and homes around the world to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen fuel cell technology. The kit was also used this year in the National Science Bowl, an event attended by 66 teams of 4 to 5 students each from 39 states, held annually by the Department of Energy. Ten teams participated in the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Challenge, in which students competed to build the fastest and most powerful fuel cell cars. The kit will be used again in the upcoming 2004 National Science Bowls for both High School and Middle School level participants, to be held April 29 to May 3 in Washington, D.C. Thames & Kosmos is a proud sponsor of this event. For more information about the National Science Bowl, see the media web page at http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/media.htm
THAMES & KOSMOS: HISTORY AND CHANGES
Founded in 2001 by Jane Holdsworth, Thames & Kosmos operates in cooperation with Kosmos Verlags GmbH, of Stuttgart Germany, licensing their internationally-recognized educational kit line and translating it into the English language. The past year has seen many changes at Thames & Kosmos. After a battle with cancer, the president, Ms. Holdsworth, passed away in August of 2003. Her son, Ted McGuire, has assumed the executive role in the company.
Thames & Kosmos continues to grow and expand its customer base as it introduces new science kits into the United States market. The company has recently outgrown its original storefront location and is moving to a new location with better freight accommodations and more office space as of December 1, 2001. The new address appears below. The new facility will enable the company to keep up with the growing demand for its products.
Contact information (as of December 1, 2003):
Thames & Kosmos
207 High Point Ave
Portsmouth, RI 02871
1-800-587-2872
contact@thamesandkosmos.com
