Ds wants a chemistry set for Christmas

[Alessandra]

I've been looking at chemistry sets, and I see the Thames & Kosmos ones all over the place. But I am hearing not so good things about T & K (chemistry, physics) on this board -- mainly that the directions are difficult to decipher and that they are a bit overpriced.

 

Should I be looking for a chemistry set or put together my own lab equipment (like the Home Science Tools set) & chemicals, along with some kind of book?

 

This is for a Christmas present, not a homeschool course. Anyone BTDT?

[kalanamak]

Age?

[Alessandra]

Age?

 

Oops, should have said -- ds is 10 years old.

 

And I should have added that I am not a chemistry genius (to put it mildly). I've seen a number of people here studied chemistry or just know a lot from hsing older children -- advice would be really welcome!

[justlittleoldme]

We have the T & K Chemistry set and it rarely gets used. The one time we tried, it was very confusing for me and my 9 year old. It also seemed pretty limited on the experiments you could do with it. Good luck on your search!

[kalanamak]

Oops, should have said -- ds is 10 years old.

 

And I should have added that I am not a chemistry genius (to put it mildly). I've seen a number of people here studied chemistry or just know a lot from hsing older children -- advice would be really welcome!

 

We are enjoying Chemistry Bits, but kiddo is a hair too young for it. I have to hand hold. If your son is a solid reader, and has innate interest, I think he could "help" you.

 

http://www.universeofscience.com/bits.html

 

The package was sent post haste, and the company (one nice man, I think) was helpful in email.

[Truscifi]

Bump. :bigear:

 

We're also looking into chemistry sets.

[Alessandra]

We have the T & K Chemistry set and it rarely gets used. The one time we tried, it was very confusing for me and my 9 year old. It also seemed pretty limited on the experiments you could do with it. Good luck on your search!

 

Actually, it is very helpful to hear that. I searched the forums and found that a few people had mentioned the directions were confusing -- so the more I hear this, the more convinced I am that T & K is not the way to go.

[Alessandra]

We are enjoying Chemistry Bits, but kiddo is a hair too young for it. I have to hand hold. If your son is a solid reader, and has innate interest, I think he could "help" you.

 

http://www.universeofscience.com/bits.html

 

The package was sent post haste, and the company (one nice man, I think) was helpful in email.

 

Thanks for that link -- the kits look pretty good -- and some of them seem to be for younger children. They could be a nice add-on, as could some of the GEMS products. And I would be hand-holding anyway, just to be on the safe side.

 

Maybe I should look for an inexpensive, fun (secular) curriculum and get supplies? I was reading the description for Janice VanCleave's Chemistry for Every Kid and came upon this: "No elaborate or expensive equipment is needed—almost all the required material can be readily found around the house." Problem is -- ds wants elaborate and expensive equipment. He drools over the Home Science Tools lab equipment pages (as do I, lol).

 

Maybe I can tweak VanCleave or a book like Fizz,Bubble & Flash to "require" specialized equipment? Sounds weird even to me.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Alessandra

[Alessandra]

Posting again -- I've been looking at Thompson's Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596514921/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

It's been discussed on the boards before & seems to have good reviews. Thompson also has a web site with chemistry kits

 

http://www.homechemlab.com/sources.html

 

These are too advanced/expensive for my ds (10 yrs), but someone with older kids might be interested.

[kalanamak]

Thanks for that link -- the kits look pretty good -- and some of them seem to be for younger children. They could be a nice add-on, as could some of the GEMS products. And I would be hand-holding anyway, just to be on the safe side.

.

 

Each task has a pamphlet with it that is going on, chemically, and, if anything, they are more middle school level (but I was thinking if your son read well, and was genuinely interested....well, that can move a kid's capabilities up several notches).

 

Which comes to the question, is he interested in chemistry or in magic? Some of the flash, slime, fizzle, etc kits mentioned in WTM might be what he craves.

 

I am intrigued by this book for our logic-age, but I did both Gen Chem and Orgo at a demanding university, and have no fear of it at all. Regardless, you can "take a look" at this book on the Amazon site:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Home-Chemistry-Experiments/dp/0596514921/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290878713&sr=1-1

 

Another idea: call or email Home Science Tools. I'm sure you are not the first.