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    PROS / The needed chemicals are included and the equipment is reusable.

    CONS / You get less equipment with this kit than with the advanced kits.

    VERDICT / The CHEM C1000 serves as a vital link between starter chemistry sets and the more advanced variety. You get 75 experiments and plenty of good instruction with this chemistry set.

    Educational toymaker Thames & Kosmos prepared the CHEM C1000 as the third chemistry set in its CHEM series to serve as an intermediate chemistry kit between beginner and advanced kits. It includes fewer experiments and not quite as much equipment as more advanced chemistry sets, because it serves the student who is still at an in-between level of knowledge but eager to learn more.

    CHEM C1000

    The fact that this is an intermediate chemistry set for kids does not detract from the high quality of the supplies, written learning materials or educational content of the CHEM C1000. These characteristics make it our choice for the Top Ten Reviews Bronze Award.

    1. The youngest recommended age for this set.
    2. 3 CHEM C1000
      10 years
    3. 12 years
    4. 11 years
    5. Category Average
      9.42 years


    The C1000 is classified as a beginner's kit and has a lot fewer experiments than the two higher-rated sister sets in the Thames & Kosmos CHEM series. With the chemicals included in this chemistry for kids kit, you can conduct 75 experiments. Rather than paring down to the most basic experiments, this chemistry set for kids selects general experiments that are mostly educational, as well as some of the favorites from the higher-level kits, including tests of electricity and chromatography. This kit lacks the food science and polymer experiments and many of the other specialized experiments of the best chemistry set, but it still offers a wide range of experiments.

    For students who have already demonstrated a moderate interest in science, the C1000 kit is a solid choice. However, for the avid home chemist, these 75 experiments are not substantial enough to provide more than a few weekends of entertainment. The experiments in the C1000 are not very complex, which is why this kit is appropriate for children aged 10 and up.


    The CHEM C1000 comes with a much smaller set of supplies than our higher-rated sets do, but it still includes everything you need to complete the 75 chemistry experiments for kids. This kit includes both glass and plastic equipment, and some parts have sharp edges, so you should use care when unpacking and using your kit. A major feature missing from the C1000 is an alcohol burner, but this kit does include some fire experiments, such as one in which you identify elements by holding them in a flame and observing the color change.

    The supply tray for the C1000 looks meager compared to the higher-rated CHEM sets, but without the addition of the alcohol burner, this kit requires a bit less parental supervision. It could therefore encourage your young chemist to feel more independent in his or her home lab. Through the course of conducting the experiments in the chemistry set, the goal is for your child to become more confident following procedures and to enjoy a more hands-on learning style. The rules for proper experimentation are included in the kit.


    The CHEM C1000 comes with only seven chemicals, but there is a sufficient supply to reuse the chemicals for multiple experiments and to conduct experiments more than once. As this kit is designed more for beginners than for advanced users, it contains an introductory set of chemical experiments but nothing involving very harsh or dangerous chemicals. That said, all chemicals can be dangerous if used improperly, so you should make sure your child uses care when handling and cleaning up chemicals. The manual included with the kit contains important information about disposing of chemicals correctly and cleaning your equipment.

    This kit contains all the chemicals you need to do the included experiments. You get typical household chemicals with this set as well as specialty chemicals.

    Learning Materials

    The C1000 kit comes with a detailed experiment procedure manual that includes background information on each experiment and some general guidelines for proper, safe experimentation. The manual also has details on cleaning up after your experiments. Part of the goal of the experiment manual is to help cement students' ability to follow procedures and give them greater scientific understanding through observing scientific principles in action. Your child will gain a lot more from this kit by reading the entire manual carefully, following the instructions exactly and practicing the proper procedures at all times.


    The CHEM C1000 is the most progressive of our beginner-level chemistry sets, which makes it basic enough that your child can begin conducting experiments quickly. However, the experiments are complex and entertaining enough to hold your child's interest. For the right youngster, this is a great buy. It nicely fills the intermediate niche among chemistry sets for kids and earns its place in the upper ranks of our lineup.

    CHEM C1000