10 NC counties host GSK's Science in the Summer program

GSK Science in the Summer (SIS) program in North Carolina is a fun and free science education program that helps elementary and middle-school children "grow into science." Through classes held in your local public library or community center and taught by certified teachers, this program gets kids excited about learning science with hands-on experiments. GSK Science in the Summer is sponsored by GSK and administered by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in partnership with local libraries and local community centers.

All children must be pre-registered to attend GSK Science in the Summer. A parent must go online to fill out the registration form for her or his child. Children are selected on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registration opens at 9am on the following dates:

Jun. 20-24 Mar. 7

Jun. 27-July 1 Mar. 8

Jul. 11-15 Mar. 14

Jul. 18-22 Mar. 15

Jul. 25-29 Mar. 21

Aug. 1-5 Mar. 22

Aug. 8-12 Mar. 28

Aug. 15-17 Mar. 29

GSK Science in the Summer provides fun, high-quality science education programming at sites in ten counties: Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Orange, Vance, and Wake. Certified teachers lead SIS classes. The classes are designed to spark children's interest in science and show how science is part of everyday life. Experienced science educators from Morehead Planetarium and Science Center oversee the program.

2016 is the 30th anniversary of the program and GSK is celebrating by expanding it to 20 sites nationwide .

Electricity and Magnetism is the theme for 2016's GSK Science in the Summer. Students will learn about what makes materials magnetic and how permanent magnets work by observing their effect on different materials. They will build their own circuits, and then use that knowledge to construct electrically-powered contraptions. Students will also make an electromagnet to understand more about how magnetism and electrical current are interrelated, and how we make use of these phenomena in our daily lives.

Science in the Summer has three levels:

Level I

Ages: Rising 2nd and 3rd graders

Number of days: 5

Time: 9am-12Noon

Available spaces per class: 20

Level II

Ages: Rising 4th and 5th graders

Number of days: 5

Time: 1pm-4 pm

Available spaces per class: 20

Level III

Ages: Rising 6th, 7th and 8th graders

Number of days: 3

Time: Varies by site

Available spaces per class: 24

Your child must be registered for the correct level for his or her grade. If you have questions about the level appropriate for your child, contact the SIS office before registration. All registrations must be completed online.