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Thames & Kosmos 301 Friendship St Providence, RI 02903 Phone: (800) 587-2872 Phone: (401) 459-6787 Fax: (401) 459-6775 www.thamesandkosmos.com

Thames & Kosmos produces and wholesales educational products and toys that teach concepts in alternative energy, engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, microscopy and general introductory science. Each kit includes comprehensive experiment manuals and high-quality materials to provide complete and fulfilling learning experiences. Thames & Kosmos operates in partnership with Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, the 180-year-old publisher of books, science kits and games based in Stuttgart, Germany.

Crystals Rocks & Minerals Learn about rocks and the minerals that form them. Dig deeper and discover the fascinating crystal structures of these minerals. Much more than just a crystal-growing kit, this experiment kit teaches you the chemistry of crystals and the geological science behind rock formation with more than 18 hands-on projects and investigations. Grow three chemically different types of crystals that exhibit not only different colors, but also different shapes. Build three-dimensional geometric models of common crystal shapes including octahedrons, tetrahedrons, and rhomboids. Mold your own crystal geode - a hollow rock with crystals growing inside! Learn how to test and identify minerals with your very own collection of real specimens included in the kit. Conduct tests to determine a mineral's chemical and physical properties such as color, luster, streak color, hardness, density, magnetic properties, and carbon, sulfur, or iron content. Investigate the geologic rock cycle and learn how the three main categories of rock - igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic - are formed, altered, destroyed, and formed again. * Kit includes the following genuine specimens: granite, limestone, basalt, marble, pumice, calcite, pyrite, quartz, hematite, bornite, fluorite, magnetite, and soapstone. * Grow three types of crystals: alum (potassium aluminum sulfate), copper(II) sulfate, and potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) Full-color, 32-page experiment manual. Ages 8 and up.

Sustainable Earth Lab Environmental Science Kit. News of environmental problems threatening life on Earth seems to be everywhere. All of this information can be frightening and confusing, especially to a child. This science kit gives you the tools and information to learn firsthand about the environmental problems burdening our planet and how we as a civilization can overcome these problems through sustainable practices and the sensible use of technology. The kit is organized into five main sections: renewable energies, natural resource usage, climate change prevention, waste and water management, and energy conservation. Exploring these topics by doing hands-on experiments and seeing real results helps young scientists attain a solid grounding in these often abstract and intangible concepts. Construct a miniature water treatment plant and learn how substances in unnatural concentrations can pollute habitats and harm life. Manufacture recycled paper and plastic. Get an understanding of the rapid growth in world population. Explore the causes and consequences of the greenhouse effect with carbon dioxide tests. Experiment with heat transfer and insolation. Build devices to explore wind power, water power, and passive and active solar power technology. Become an "energy detective" and track down wasteful uses of energy at school and in your home. The full-color, 48-page manual guides your experiments and energy conservation activities. Ages 8 and up.

Stirling Engine Discover the Stirling engine, a simple, clean and efficient energy technology that is quickly becoming a viable source of electricity as the availability of fossil fuels declines. The Stirling engine in this kit uses renewable energy from the sun to drive a generator, which charges a rechargeable battery to power an electric car. Named after its inventor, Robert Stirling, the original Stirling engine dates back almost 200 years. Today, high-tech Stirling engines are being used in arrays of giant mirrored solar collectors and common applications like compact generators. NASA is even working on using Stirling engines to power a human outpost on the moon! Like a steam engine, a Stirling engine is a heat engine that converts heat energy into mechanical work, usually to drive a generator that then converts the mechanical energy into electricity. But instead of water and steam, the Stirling engine uses a permanently enclosed volume of gas, such as air or helium, to perform the mechanical work. Stirling engines are highly efficient, can operate very quietly, and can use many different sources of heat: combustion of fuels, nuclear fission, geothermal, or solar heat, as this model uses. The Stirling engine in this kit is located in a charging station with a mirrored parabolic dish. The dish focuses the sun's rays onto the cylindrical glass bulb of the Stirling engine to heat it up. The air inside the bulb heats up and pushes a piston, which turns an electric generator. The generator produces electricity that charges a rechargeable battery in the car. The car runs on an electric motor powered by the battery. * The kit includes the charging station with a beta type Stirling engine, the electric car, and a full-color, 64-page manual. Ages 12 and up.