Thames and Kosmos Crystal Growing Kit Review!

Anyone who follows my blog regularly has heard me talk about Thames and Kosmos; one of my favorite children's educational product companies. Thames & Kosmos (T&K) was founded in 2001 with the mission of improving informal science education by publishing high-quality science and technology related educational products for children of all ages. T&K places an emphasis on teaching concepts and skills through hands-on modeling of real-world devices and processes, and by offering comprehensive, meaningful reading materials for a rich learning experience. T&K is headquartered in Providence, R.I.
My kids and myself are big science buffs; we enjoy doing science experiments and projects more than any of other of the school subjects. My kids particularly enjoy growing crystals and the DIY science kits. Thames and Kosmos has the best crystal and mineral kits available. We recently tried the Crystal Garden Kit! The kit contains four different experiments and is recommended for ages 10 and up. Since some chemicals are used I always recommend adult supervision! My kids are younger but with my help they easily were able to grow their own Crystal Garden.

Crystal Garden

With the Crystal Garden Kit you can grow a marvelous crystal garden with these fast growing crystals. The centers of four flower cards bloom into delicate crystal structures in just a few hours. You can practically see the crystals form before your eyes on the branches of filter-paper trees. Learn about how and why crystals form, and experiment with different colored flowers. With the Crystal Garden Kit you can grow marvelous crystal gardens with these fast-growing crystals!To purchase your own Crystal Garden Kit go to http://thamesandkosmos.shptron.com/p/crystal-garden/ignition-series?pp=40&sort_selection=recommended ! This kit is a bargain at only $14.95.

 Looking for a kit that provides for a classroom project I recommend the Crystal Experiments and Crafts Kit purchase here http://www.thamesandkosmos.com/products/cg/cg.html .

 

Crystal Experiments and Crafts

The Crystal Experiments Craft Kit contains 15 different experiments and is recommended for ages 10 plus. This kit is very large and is perfect for a classroom Crystal Growth experimentation! Grow dozens of dazzling crystals and conduct 15 illuminating experiments with this classic science kit. Experiment with four chemically different crystals each with different properties, including potassium alum crystals that form regular octahedrons, rapidly growing sodium sulfate crystals, long needle-shaped sodium acetate crystals, and plaster which is made from gypsum crystals.

Mold fun plaster shapes, including stars, lightning bolts, dolphins, and pyramids, and grow layers of crystals on them. Use dyes to form colored crystals, and mix the dyes to grow a rainbow of custom colored crystals. Display your crystal creations in a clear treasure chest with a locking lid. Mold your own geode — a hollow rock with crystals growing inside — and create a beautiful crystal cavern inside.

Experiment with growing crystals rapidly and slowly, and observe how that affects the crystal structures. See if you can grow one giant crystal, and many small crystals on the surface of a rock.

Measure how the crystallization of solids out of a solution, and the dissolution of crystals back into solution, affect the temperature of the solution. Learn about the energy of crystallization. Investigate solutions, crystallization, and the chemistry of crystal growing. Learn about the structures and geometries of different crystal shapes.

This kit is thoroughly tested and safe: Over one million units of this kit have sold worldwide. A full-color, 32-page experiment manual guides your experiments in crystal chemistry and Earth science.

To purchase from Thames and Kosmos go to http://www.thamesandkosmos.com. Make sure you are following Thames and Kosmos on Facebook to stay up to date on all of their newest products and promotions!