Slam dunks, home runs, and field goals all have the same thing in common: the thrill of science in motion.

This summer, students in the Philadelphia area will explore the science behind their favorite sports when GSK Science in the Summer returns to local libraries for its 31st year.

GSK Science in the Summer is a free and fun science enrichment program for elementary students, sponsored by GSK and administered by The Franklin Institute.

This year, the program will introduce a new course for the first time in more than a decade: the Science of Sports. Registration is limited and will begin online at www.scienceinthesummer.com this May.

Nearly 5,000 Philadelphia-area children will join thousands more GSK Science in the Summer students nationwide this summer as they learn how science is used as a tool to help athletes improve their performance.

Students will learn about these sciences and tackle basic STEM concepts through fun, hands-on activities like experimenting with healthy sports drink recipes and creating their own bouncy balls to test bounce height against other sports balls.

GSK Science in the Summer classes in the Philadelphia area are taught by certified, local teachers at 120 libraries in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.