Thames & Kosmos Wins Three More Parents’ Choice Awards

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ted McGuire, Thames & Kosmos
207 High Point Ave, Portsmouth, RI 02871
401-683-5535 x2; pr@thamesandkosmos.com

Portsmouth, RI - November 29, 2006
Thames & Kosmos®, publisher of high-quality science kits, received three more prestigious Parents’ Choice Awards earlier this month. The Parents’ Choice Foundation awarded Silver Honors for both the National Geographic™ Elements of Science kit and the Physics Solar Workshop kit. A smaller kit, Physics Discovery, received an Approved Seal from the foundation.

With these three new awards, Thames & Kosmos has now received an impressive fifteen total Parents’ Choice Awards in just five years, putting it among the top award winners in recent years.

The rigorous criteria by which the Parents’ Choice Foundation judges products results in fewer than 15% of submissions ever receiving commendation in any of the six award levels: Classic, Gold, Silver, Recommended, Approved, and Fun Stuff.

National Geographic Elements of Science™ is huge science kit that allows children ages 10 and up to conduct 100 experiments in biology, chemistry, and physics. A broad, yet elaborate introduction to the physical and natural sciences, this kit is intended to expose children to the full spectrum of science and show first-hand how these three core disciplines interrelate. A full-color, 112-page book guides the experiments and discoveries. Ages 10 and up. $74.95 MSRP.

Originally developed in Germany, in cooperation with Greenpeace™, the Physics Solar Workshop kit adds relevance to the basic laws of physics by addressing the topic of solar power. Each kit includes a solar panel that connects to and powers a dozen different models that children build themselves. This kit 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. Ages 8 and up. $59.95 MSRP.

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 children to the same concepts explored in Thames & Kosmos’  best-selling 2005 kit Physics Workshop, but on a more introductory level. Ages 8 and up. $25.95 MSRP.

The three award-winning kits can be found at specialty toy, hobby, gift and museum stores, as well as through educational and home-school suppliers, toy and gift catalogs, and online stores. For a complete list of retailers, visit www.thamesandkosmos.com.

All Thames & Kosmos kits comply with all U.S. and European standards for toy safety.  Parents are encouraged to enjoy the products and overall experience alongside their children.

—

For more information about any of the award-winning kits, or to request photographs, contact Ted McGuire, pr@thamesandkosmos.com.

About The Parents’ Choice Foundation
Established in 1978, Parents' Choice Foundation is the nation's oldest not-for-profit evaluator of children's books, videos, toys, audios, computer software, television, and magazines. The Foundation's mission is to provide parents with information to participate wisely in their children's learning. During their twenty-five year history, the Parents’ Choice Awards program has established the benchmarks of achievement in children’s media; trust for the consumers and credibility with the press. For more information, visit www.parents-choice.org.

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 science that is relevant to the important issues in the world today through hands-on experimentation. Topics covered in Thames & Kosmos’ line of over 30 kits include alternative energy, chemistry, biology, physics, electronics, natural history, and earth science. For more information, visit www.thamesandkosmos.com

About National Geographic
Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. It reaches more than 280 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and it four other magazines; the National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; films; radio programs; books; videos; maps; interactive media; and merchandise. All of National Geographic’s net proceeds from the sale of its products support exploration, conservation and education programs combating geographic illiteracy. The Society has funded nearly 8,000 scientific research projects. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com, AOL Keyword: NatGeo.