Thames & Kosmos Science Advent Calendar Vol.2  

£29.99

Thames & Kosmos return again this year with the second volume of their Science Advent Calendar. The Advent Calendar leads on from the award-winning STEM Advent Calendar released just last year providing 24 fun and science-based experiments in the lead-up to Christmas. The 2024 Volume 2 brings together everything parents loved about last year's edition, but now with 24 new experiments perfect for this festive season.

Inside the advent calendar are 24 beautifully designed boxes, which unfold to reveal instructions for a new experiment each day and provide many of the necessary tools to facilitate each one. The experiments span physics, chemistry and biology, providing educational activities each day packaged in a fun advent calendar format. I will note that some experiments do require some additional materials, but these are items that are commonly found in a household so shouldn’t be too difficult to find to complete each experiment.

I’m a big fan of the educational take on the traditional advent calendars that are common in the lead-up to Christmas. The Science Advent Calendar provides parents with a great option that is less focused on a sweet treat, and more of an educational moment every day. Plus, the advent calendar can become a family activity as each day the whole family tests out the experiment and learns about the science behind it. Plus, it’s a great option if your child has allergies that traditional food-based advent calendars make difficult, so by providing them with a fun experiment-filled advent calendar they won’t be missing out on the advent tradition.

Overall, the Thames & Kosmos Science Advent Calendar is a great option in the lead-up to Christmas that is educational providing a new experiment to carry out each day. Plus, many of the experiments can be repeated easily, so provides an ongoing educational understanding – great for all the family! If you are on the lookout for a slightly different kind of advent calendar this year that focuses on education, then the Thames & Kosmos Science Advent Calendar is an excellent choice.

Pros:

• Beautifully crafted boxes that unfold with instructions which are more environmentally friendly
• STEM-based experiments to add an educational spin to the Advent Calendar tradition
• Great nonfood-based option – ideal for kids with food allergies
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Cons:

• High price point for an advent calendar – but this seems to cover the range of items inside for each experiment