Happy Atoms Complete Set by Thames and Kosmos

Happy Atoms Complete Set by Thames and Kosmos is  a physical and digital kit that lets you discover the world of molecules in an intuitive, hands-on way. Younger students can use Happy Atoms to jumpstart their chemistry education, and older students can use the system to make chemistry more tangible, visualize complex molecules, and reinforce their chemistry studies.

Happy Atoms Complete Set by Thames and Kosmos is a set of 50 atom models representing 16 different elements and you can assemble your own molecular models. The atoms stick together easily with magnets: metal tips on the ends of rubbery arms, which represent free electrons, snap onto magnetic bonding sites on the atom spheres, which represent empty spots for electrons in the atom’s outermost electron shell.

But how do you know what the molecule you’ve snapped together is? You use the Happy Atoms app to snap its picture, and the app uses state-of-the-art image recognition technology to identify the molecule. The app recognizes tens of thousands of molecules. It presents detailed information about 120 of the most important molecules, such as a molecule’s usage, properties, hazards, formula, and structure.

The app for Happy Atoms Complete Set by Thames and Kosmos takes you on guided quests to discover new molecules and learn about them. You can track your progress with the app, collecting sets of molecules that you have built and explored.

Many people think of chemistry as complicated and hard to grasp. New technology now enables us to take this innovative approach to teaching chemistry and help make it more tangible.

Educational Benefits of Happy Atoms Complete Set by Thames and Kosmos:

• See the differences between atoms.
• Feel the forces that bond atoms together.
• Experiment with ways to combine atoms.
• Discover the relationships between them
• Makes an abstract concept visual, kinaesthetic and concrete
• develop an in depth understanding about elements and molecules
• develop knowledge about particular elements and molecules

Contents: 16 page Happy Atoms Manual – Complete Set with 216 activities, 50 atoms (14 H, 1 He, 2 Li, 2 Be, 6 C, 3 N, 6 O, 2 Fl, 1 Ne, 2 Na, 2 Mg, 2 Si, 2 P, 2 Su, 2 Cl, and 1 Ar). Happy Atoms sets include a mat that is white on one side to provide an optimal scanning surface for the molecules and printed with the periodic table on the other side. Age 10 – 17 years.

You can download an example lesson plan from Happy Atoms Example Lesson Plan.

Chemistry is the science of materials, their properties, and how they react with each other. All materials are made of atoms. Why do some atoms combine with each other while other atoms do not? Because atoms just want to be happy!

Of course, atoms don’t really have feelings. But they do have observable behaviors. And atoms tend to be more stable, or “happy,” when they have certain numbers of electrons whizzing around their cores. Where do they find extra electrons if they need more to be happy? From other atoms that have too many electrons, of course! When atoms share or exchange electrons to be happy, they stick together. Happy atoms form molecules.

Age 10 years – adult.