NEW YORK

Is a family trip to a science centre worthwhile with prekindergarteners?

Yes, according to Parents magazine, which conducted a survey of the more than 150 science centres in the United States and discovered that about a third of them have galleries designed for kids six and under.

The magazine's September issue also came up with a list of the 10 best science centres in the U.S., with an emphasis on those catering to young children with hands-on exhibits and experiments.

They are the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio; the Exploratorium in San Francisco; the Museum of Science in Boston; Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J.; the St. Louis Science Center in St. Louis, Mo.; the New York Hall of Science in Flushing, Queens, in New York City; the California Science Center in Los Angeles; the Sci-Port Discovery Center in Shreveport, La.; the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia; and the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore.