Pennon Education and WITF will host two free, family-friendly "Ready, Set, Explore Slide Into Summer" events. On Saturday, May 31, the event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the WITF Public Media Center, 4801 Lindle Road, Harrisburg. The event on Saturday, June 7, will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Lancaster Public Library, 151 N. Queen St., Lancaster.

The first 50 families to check in at each event will receive a free STEM in a Box education kit packed with materials to encourage summer learning. Each child who attends one of the events will receive a free copy of "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, available as a picture book or young reader's edition. The events will also offer activities for families, including creating a pinwheel to investigate how wind creates energy, coding hungry Ozobot "ants" to eat a picnic, building a bee hotel to support local pollinators, designing a rollercoaster to explore force and motion, planting a seed to watch it grow all summer long, and taking a picture with Molly from PBS KIDS' "Molly of Denali." Every activity is inspired by and connected to a book, allowing families to make connections between the stories and their own creations.

People who attend the Harrisburg event will have the opportunity to experience the new Digital Creator Studio at the WITF Public Media Center. Families will discover the science behind green screens by choosing a summer photo background and transporting themselves to sunny beaches, vibrant parks or tropical paradises. The Digital Creator Studio will also host several youth summer camps and Youth Voice initiatives this summer where local students will learn how to critically analyze and create their own digital content.

Activities at both events are designed for children ages 3 to 14, but people of all ages are welcome. For more information or to register, visit http://www.witf.org/ready.