Portsmouth, RI – February 12, 2006 – Thames & Kosmos^®, the award-winning publisher of high-quality science kits, today announced the launch of four new science kits that use fun, hands-on learning to teach children about computers, physics, solar technology and candy-making.  The Microcontroller, a computer systems engineering kit, breaks new ground by educating children as to how the computerized-devices they use every day actually work.  The laws and applications of physics are explained through model-building in Physics Discovery, an introduction to physics.  Physics Solar Workshop explores the science of solar technology and how solar cells are leading the way to sustainable energy.  Candy Factory, the third kit in Thames & Kosmos’ line of science kits aimed at girls, teaches the science behind making candy.  The new kits will be presented for the first time at the American International TOY FAIR™ in New York City, Feb. 12-15, 2006, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Booth #2903.

The Microcontroller kit investigates and explains how small computers control most of the devices we have come to depend on.  Everything from home appliances, to telephones, to automobiles have microcontrollers inside them.  A microcontroller is a computer-on-a-microchip, and includes a processor, memory for storing data, timers, and ports for connecting to other components.  Children today grow up using computers and often their proficiency far exceeds that of many adults, but do they really understand how a computer works?  The Microcontroller kit will teach a child how to build devices that use sensors to track and record data, and then use that data to control monitors, buzzers, lights, and a digital display.  They will also learn how to write programs that control the devices they have built.  The 100-page, full-color, experiment manual guides the child’s circuit assemblies and programming.  For children 12 and up, Microcontroller has an MSRP of $149.95 and will be available in October 2006.

Addressing the importance of physics education, Thames & Kosmos offers two kits this year that teach the fundamentals of this core science. Physics Discovery is an introduction to mechanical physics.  It consists of 12 model-building activities accompanied by numerous experiments conducted with the models the child has built.  With more than 100 durable interlocking building pieces, kids can build a balance scale to learn about lever arms, a freight elevator to learn about pulleys, and a motion picture machine to learn about centripetal and centrifugal forces, to name a few.  Physics Discovery introduces the child to the same concepts explored in Thames & Kosmos’  best-selling 2005 kit Physics Workshop, though on a more introductory level.  It is recommended for children ages 8 and up. Because it operates with the same interlocking pieces found in Physics Workshop, the two kits can be used together as the child’s understanding of physics develops.  Physics Discovery has an MSRP of $24.95 and will be available in June 2006.

Also a companion to the well-received Physics Workshop (2005) is this year’s Physics Solar Workshop.  Originally developed in Germany, in cooperation with Greenpeace^TM, Physics Solar Workshop takes the basic laws of physics to a more relevant level by addressing the topic of solar power.  Each kit includes a solar panel that connects to and powers various models.  As in both Physics Discovery and Physics Workshop (2005) the basis for the kit is model-building, followed by experiments performed using the models.  Physics Solar Workshop is especially pertinent today given Earth’s current energy supply issues.  As we increasingly turn to alternative sources for our energy needs, solar power technology will play a larger role in the future lives of today’s children.  To help children understand solar power, Physics Solar Workshop explains how solar cells transform light into electrical energy, and how motors and mechanical devices can optimize the work done by this energy.  Suitable for children ages 8 and up, Physics Solar Workshop has an MSRP of $59.95 and will be available in June 2006.

Packaged to look like a tempting bar of chocolate, Thames & Kosmos’ Candy Factory kit is hard to pass up.  Though the main activity of the kit is making candy, the 48-page illustrated manual explains the biology of taste and the chemistry of crystal formation, and provides history and facts about the candy industry.  All necessary candy-making tools, even colorful foil wrappers, are included in the kit.  No food items come with the kit.  All ingredients must be purchased separately thus ensuring the child and parent has control over the ingredients used.  The importance of knowing what goes into your food, or candy in this case, is an important issue and even this light-hearted kit teaches children about nutrition and proper eating habits.  Candy Factory is for children ages 10 and up, has an MSRP of $39.95, and will be available in June 2006.

Microcontroller, Physics Discovery, Physics Solar Workshop, and Candy Factory will be available later this year through specialty toy, educational, hobby and museum stores, school and homeschool suppliers, and toy and gift catalogs. Visit www.thamesandkosmos.com for a complete list of area retailers.

###

For more information about these products, or to request photographs, contact Christa Raimondo at Thames & Kosmos at 401-683-5535 ext. 4; pr@thamesandkosmos.com

About Thames & Kosmos

Thames & Kosmos, a privately held company headquartered in Portsmouth, RI, was founded in 2001 with the mission of improving informal science education by creating high-quality science and technology-related educational products for children.  Thames & Kosmos places an emphasis on teaching concepts and skills through hands-on modeling of real-world devices and processes.  Topics covered in the Thames & Kosmos line of over 28 kits include fuel cell and solar-power technology, chemistry, microscopy, biology, physics, crystallography, aerodynamics, optical illusions and human perception, perfume, cosmetics, natural history, geology, earth science, and tube radio technology. For more information, visit www.thamesandkosmos.com