Thames & Kosmos Green Power House for Kids & Adults

Pretty soon here, I’m going to be reviewing Thames & Kosmos Green Power House – a Discovery Store toy. However, this kit is not so much a toy as a full on model home / eco-experiments activity project. There’s a lot to this activity kit though, so before I review I’m going to cover the basics.

Power House provides an introduction to sustainable energy sources and teaches basic concepts and principles in physical science. Using the kit will teach you about, and how to use heat and light energy from the sun, wind power, and electrochemical and plant energy.

The Power House kit allows you to build a model house complete with solar panels, windmill, greenhouse, and desalination system. The experiemnts actually work and were developed by physicist Uwe Wandrey. There are plenty of easy-to-follow activities included in a 96-page full color manual that highlights 70 experiments and 20 building projects, organized into the following nine chapters:

1. The Heat Trap: Construct and experiment with a greenhouse.
2. The Sun Collector: Collect the sun’s rays to heat water.
3. The Sun Burners: Make a solar cooker while learning about the principles of light before you cook rice and bake bread.
4. The Water Vampire: Desalinate water, plant watercress, produce sauerkraut and make chewing gum.
5. The Heat Absorbers: Learn how heat of evaporation provides cooling, conduct experiments about air humidity, build a hygrometer and test a refrigerator.
6. Power Plants: Grow beans, make a potted plant feed a candle, harvest sunflower energy, build an oil press, and assemble an oil lamp.
7. The Energy Converters: Extract electric current from sunlight and metals in acid, build a light telephone, galvanize a nail and split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
8. The Forces of Magnetism: Generate electric current with magnetic fields. Build a current indicator, electric and solar motors, a transfer switch, and a crane. Lift pencils with the sun and learn about levers. Build an electric car.
9. Wings in the Wind: Build a sail car and learn how wings and sails transform energy. Learn to sail with the wind, by the wind, and against the wind and examine a mixed energy vehicle.

Who could use this kit…

• Homeschoolers
• People interested in realistic model building
• Folks interested in learning more about sustainable living and green energy
• Schools
• People who like to do science experiments
• And more

With the holidays coming up this might make a great gift too – for the right person. It says that the Power House is for ages 12+ – I’m going to work on it with my son Cedar who is 8 1/2. I figure Cedar loves to build and he loves eco-topics so this is right up his alley, even though he’s a little young. When he saw the kit he almost exploded with excitement so that’s a good sign.

After we take a closer look I’ll post what we think and what ages I think it’s ok for.

The kit contains: foam house and plastic greenhouse parts • frame • base • wood glue • solar panel • compass • wire • LED (light emitting diode) • battery holder • small light bulb and holder • solar motor • magnifying glass • propellers, iron core • ring magnet • thermometer • test tube holder • measuring beaker • sand paper • copper foil • zinc plate • wire mesh • many small parts such as paper clips • screws • clips • lead sinker • washers • wing nuts • iron powder • wires • tubing • rubber bands • yarn • wooden components • cutouts for devices • and full-color, illustrated 96 page Experiment Manual with 70 experiments and 20 building activities.

Look for our review soonish, but until then you can visit the Green Power House page for more details or pick it up at the Discovery Store.