Founded | 2001Newport, Rhode Island | in
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Headquarters | 89 Ship Street, , |
Parent | Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG |
Website | www.thamesandkosmos.com |
Thames & Kosmos (T&K) is a publisher of science kits, board games, and craft kits for kids of all ages. The science kits cover topics such as biology, physics, astronomy, and alternative energy. The company places an emphasis on teaching real-world issues, STEM topics, and practical skills through hands-on experimentation and comprehensive reading materials.[ citation needed ] T&K operates as the exclusive North American subsidiary of the German-based publishing house Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG – Kosmos for short – which was founded in 1822. T&K translates, rewrites, and distributes Kosmos's science kits, and started to design its own kits in 2005. It also produces kits licensed under other brands, such as National Geographic and The Dangerous Book for Boys. In 2012 the Company expanded its distribution to the UK and in 2015 Thames & Kosmos UK LP was formed as a subsidiary of Kosmos International GmbH. In 2013, Kosmos completed a major investment in Thames & Kosmos and became the official parent company of Thames & Kosmos.
T&K has won awards from Parents' Choice Award, [1] [2] [3] "Best Overall Chemistry Set" from The Wall Street Journal for its CHEM C3000 in 2006, [4] "One of Toy Fair’s Hottest New Products" from The Early Show for its Candy Factory in 2006, [5] awards from Dr. Toy, [6] and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, [7] among many others.
Thames & Kosmos is a member of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association and the Toy Industry Association, and has supported the Museum Store Association, and the National School Supply and Equipment Association, among other organizations. [8]
T&K was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.
In 2015, T&K started publishing and distributing Kosmos board games in the US and other English-speaking markets. [9]
Quarky & Quaysoo's Turbo Science is an educational computer game developed by Jeff Tunnell Productions and published by Sierra On-Line for MS-DOS in early 1992. It was designed to teach scientific concepts to children.
Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG is a media publishing house based in Stuttgart, Germany, founded in 1822 by Johann Friedrich Franckh. In the nineteenth century the company published the fairy tales of Wilhelm Hauff as well as works by Wilhelm Waiblinger and Eduard Mörike.
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The Playroom is an educational video game published in 1989 for MS-DOS, Apple II, and Mac. The game was compatible with the TouchWindow utility. It was ported to the Amiga and FM Towns computers in 1992 and 1994 respectively and then remade for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 1995. It was designed for ages 3 to 6 manufactured by Broderbund. A follow-up game titled The Treehouse came in 1991 as well as a sequel to this game, called The Backyard in 1993.
The Family Book is a 2003 children's picture book written and illustrated by Todd Parr that details the daily lives of all kinds of families. Each unique family structure is depicted with vivid illustrations that complement the book’s themes of family diversity and inclusivity. The book has been adopted in various educational settings as a teaching tool to normalize the acceptance of various family forms. The Family Book has been challenged repeatedly and has sparked controversy in certain regions due to its inclusion of same-sex marriages as a family structure in the book.
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