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List Price: $79.99
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This a great item for a curious child...there are 100 experiments that allow a child (and the equally interested parent..at least in our case!!) to examine basic principles as well as delve deeper with the included additional activities to further prove the role of science in everyday events. The kit starts off with water-based experiments, moves on to those addressing air, heat, sound, force, magnets, electricity, electro-magnetism, light/shadow, optical instruments, plants/animals, colors, the human body, earth/sun, and chemistry...while some of the experiments only take a few minutes, other will take considerably more time to accomplish, so some days you may complete multiple experiments, some days you will only get part way through the experiment you are working on...a good variety of chalenges that will keep most young researchers interested and, with this kit, i have found that my 10 year old is apt to start becoming creative with where he could go next with what he discovers...quite an impressive kit!! The only negative i would include about this item is that you DO have to purchase batteries for some of the experiments, as well as provide basic items such as sugar and salt and such...while this is not a big deal, the lack of these items can effectively disable the day's experiment, so be warned!!!
One other minor detraction...the tools and supplies appear to be rather "play-like" in quality, but, in their defence, so far, everything has performed as well as, or better than, expected.
I purchased this item on sale, and as a homeschooling mom i have found this to be a positive addition to our school schedule...however, homeschooling aside, this kit will certainly delight any young inquisitive child...and the instructions are well written, and the text has a number of cute cartoons that reinforce the learning, as well as plenty of clear illustrations throughout...Overall, a good buy at full price, an excellent investment if you find it on sale!!
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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.
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I purchased this for my 9 year old daughter, who has not shown very much interest in science at school. There are 100 experiments in various fields, and they are a lot of fun. She has learned a lot, and seems to really enjoy the experiments with magnets and electricity.
Like most other science kits of this type, you will need common household items to complete some of the experiments. The only thing I have had to purchase separately was the 4.5v flat battery, which I had never heard of before. I found one on Amazon, and we were up and running!
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I was very happy with the quality of this product. it arrived on time and was in good condition. If i had one complaint it would be that it was shipped in a big box and i thought it could have been shipped in a smaller box.
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We bought this for my 5 year old for Christmas and she loves it. We use it as a reward to get her to do her chores and such. It is really worth the money. It comes with most everything you need and explains science behind the experiments.
