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I bought this kit to support a home-based learning program for a fifth-grade boy (11 years old). It is EXACTLY what I was looking for there's the fun of building the labs, then the fun of trying the experiments. The included documentation is very good, as it describes not only how to build the equipment, but also how to conduct the experiments, and it also discusses the related scientific concepts. I'd suggest that parents/educators read through everything ahead of time if they plan to use this kit as a teaching tool, to become familiar with the flow of the material. You can easily jump around between topics within the book, as the labs generally do not depend on each other (with the exception of force scale).
The suggested age range for this kit is 8 12, but I'd be inclined to increase the upper limit, as some of the concepts are clearly in middle school territory.
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My son is always tinkering, building contraptions, etc. We could tell that the Legos were getting "old" for him, so we bought this. He really likes it, and is always building stuff like cranes, windmills, etc. Everything in the set is sturdy, with quality similar to Lego, but with more gears and pulleys.Best Deals for Thames & Kosmos Physics Workshop
To start, I'm an assistant teacher who has been given the task of implementing a small "club" where kids can use their hands and learn about basic physics concepts, mechanics, and other knowledge they might acquire through the experience. Right, I'm not a certified teacher, but do have a minor background in mechanics as an amateur bicycle mechanic. I've also taken college level physics classes.This set is nice. The pieces are durable and easily identifiable. But this kit is lacking in so many other areas.
First, the instructions are poor. There are pictures, but no explanation how to get from one step to another. Sometimes, the manual just shows you the completed mechanism, and you're expected to fabricate it on your own. I bought a few of these kits in order to have about 3 kids per kit in a group of about 15 kids. I ended up running around the room having to explain the same thing or show how to build the structure over and over again.
Second, for a kit, I was expecting all materials to be provided. Not the tools like scissors or a tape measure, but the other "common house hold items". In the first few experiments, you need string. I understand having to provide your own potato and paperclips, but how hard is it to provide a spool of twine?
Third, the "experiments" and "workshops" seem to be haphazardly thrown around amongst the reading. Granted, the reading has a good amount of information, but there's no way to transition when you're running a class. What would be helpful would be some form of lesson plan. Maybe, one or two experiments per concept, and each concept clearly separated from the others, maybe by page. There's also no questions or worksheets to stop and ask the kids what they've learned. There's no way to measure how much they've learned.
This kit is not at all a bad kit. It's very educational and actually fun for the kids. They start to look at the world in a different light and start to understand why things happen. It's a fantastic kid for a 1-on-1 environment, like a parent and child set up. If you're planning on buying it for a larger group, maybe you want to sit down with it well in advanced and go through the book and the experiments so you have a firm grasp on how to set up and implement lessons.
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