KID TESTED, KID APPROVED

A group of critics-in-training ages 5 to 11 sound off on kid-friendly attractions in the Philadelphia area.

ZAGAT RATES KIDS' ATTRACTIONS. SO DO PARENTS AND COOKIE MAGAZINES. BUT HAS ANYONE EVER ASKED THE KIDS FOR THEIR OPINIONS? HERE, SIX INTREPID CRITICS-IN-TRAINING-AGES 5 THROUGH 11-WERE SET LOOSE ON PHILADELPHIA-AREA SITES.

HERE ARE THE RESULTS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANE LUITJENS

FIRST STOP: THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

Philadelphia's highest-profile science museum, The Franklin (www.fi.edu) draws 850,000 visitors each year. Its most famous feature is the two-story walk-through heart, which is anatomically accurate (or would be for a 220-foot-tall person) and comes complete with a pulsing soundtrack.

The giant heart got a thumbs-up from all the kids, especially Amy, who appreciated its educational value. "If you want to be a doctor, you should come here to learn about the parts of the heart before going to medical school," she says. Jake was the one critic to find fault with it: "The pathways are very narrow," he says, "so it may not be good for claustrophobics." Luckily, there's a 3-D monitor for kids who are too fearful to explore the ventricles and chambers firsthand.

While the heart is a tried-and-true favorite, the surprise hit of the day turned out to be The Sports Challenge, where the kids spent nearly an hour burning off energy. Amy perched on the mechanical surfboard, Nicole got "super dizzy" spinning around at the Pirouette Challenge, and Aaron and Luke scrambled up the rock-climbing wall. And everyone joined in for a game of virtual soccer, played in front of a green screen. "If you play there for long enough, you'll make some big muscles,"

Nicole says, flexing.

FINAL ANALYSIS:

"There are things for every age here,"

Luke says. "Even my mom would like it." The kids recommend arriving early: The center is "huge," according to Aaron, and the three hours budgeted weren't enough time to explore it all. In the end, however, everyone left happy. "The only thing it's missing," Aaron says, "is dinosaurs." Luckily, you can find a whole crew of them just down the street at…

SECOND STOP: THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

Founded as a research institution in 1812, The Academy of Natural Sciences (www.ansp.org) is the most academically oriented of Philly's kid-friendly attractions; after all, scientists still conduct environmental studies here. But it has definitely loosened up over the years, with live animal shows, dinosaur bones and a children's center all vying for the attention of the under-12 set.

The current special exhibition on Hadrosaurus foulkii-the first dinosaur to be found nearly intact-has plenty to interest adults, with a focus on 19th-century "gentlemen scientists" and the history of paleontology. But the kids appreciated the atmosphere, peering into the vintage "stereographs" (imagine Victorian Viewmasters) and enjoying the period chamber music pumped into the galleries.

Still, it was the permanent fossil galleries that captivated the kids-especially the real cast of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull, which they were invited to climb into. "It was amazing," says Nicole, who was too scared to poke around the toothy skull herself. But not Luke and Aidan, who bounded into the cast, making funny faces and calling out, "Don't eat me! Don't eat me!"

Although they lingered over the fossil displays and dioramas, the kids spent the bulk of their time in the children's center, which features live animals, fish tanks, crystals, pelts, books and a fossil-rubbing center. Luke and Nicole buzzed over the live beehives ("Thank goodness they're behind glass!"

Nicole says), Jake ran to the microscopes to examine volcanic ash from Mount St. Helens, and Aidan dashed to the animal puppets. And there was practically a stampede when the staffer took out Coco the rabbit, followed by a tortoise and python, for a surprise petting session.

THIRD STOP: ADVENTURE AQUARIUM

Set just across the river from Center City, the recently renovated Adventure Aquarium (www.adventureaquarium.com) has long been one of the region's hidden treasures. But with hammerheads, giant tortoises, eerie jellyfish and lively penguins-plus a 760,000-gallon floor-to-ceiling tank and a 4-D theater-the facility is finally starting to attract the larger-scale crowds it deserves.

More than anything, the kids enjoyed the many touch tanks, home to "squishy" jellyfish, "surprisingly soft and velvety" sharks, and "awesome" stingrays, as described by Aaron and Luke. Just don't wear your Sunday best: At least two members of the panel were splashed when a dogfish shark made a sharp turn in his tank.

Speaking of sharks, the 40-foot shark tunnel-a wraparound walk-through tank filled with more than 20 specimens-was popular among the crowd. Luke appreciated the "mesmerizing" schools of fish, and Amy immediately whipped out her camera to catch a hammerhead shark. But the critics with more delicate sensibilities balked: "There was a shark on the top in the tunnel and its teeth were sticking out," Nicole says. "It looked like it would eat us. No, thank you!"

The West African River Experience-a free-flying aviary also home to hippos and porcupines-got the kids talking, thanks largely to its "Feather Ledge," a second-story bird-feeding platform dotted with dead bugs. Opinion was split evenly along gender lines: Aaron, Luke and Jake thought the bugs were "cool," while Amy and Nicole thought they were "gross." Aidan cut right to the heart of the matter: "If the birds were smart enough, they could get into the cafeteria," he says.

One final note: Adventure Aquarium celebrates the birthday of Button, its prize hippopotamus, April 4-19. The festivities are highly anticipated, according to our kid critics: "I went once on the hippo's birthday, and I got to see it eat a huge cake," Luke says. "It was awesome."

FINAL ANALYSIS: With interactive games, climbing ledges and plenty of opportunities to touch the animals, this stop was the most popular among the younger set. But the older panelists could get into the action, too: "There's something thrilling about touching a manta ray or a shark,"

Jake says.

CRITICAL CONSENSUS: Each of the attractions received uniformly high scores from the panel of critics-a surprising result, considering they ranged from kindergartners to preadolescents. When asked what could be improved at each museum, most kids were at a loss. Aaron spoke for the group when he said the museums should change one thing: "The time each one closes." He says, "I would have liked to stay later at each."

MEET OUR PANEL OF CRITICS

	Nicole Age: 7 Heroes: Mom, Dad and Toad (from Super Mario Bros. video games) Dream job: "I want to be a sushi chef and a teacher and a doctor and an animal doctor and a mom. And a police officer. All at the same time."
	Amy Age: 10 Dream job: Flight attendant Interests: Singing, music, holding impromptu sumo wrestling contests in friends' living rooms
	Luke Age: 7 Hobbies: Sewing, video games, watching classic rock videos on YouTube Choice quote: "What do I want to do when I grow up? I want to not be boring."
	Jake Age: 11 Hobbies: Piano (favorite song to play: Friedrich Burgmüller's L'Adieu) Dream job: Physicist or physics teacher Hero: Albert Einstein
	Aidan Age: 5 Never seen without: A Phillies baseball cap and matching sweatshirt Hero: "My brother Aaron"
	Aaron Age: 10 Hero: Michael Phelps Dream job: Swim coach or scientist Choice quote: "I would love to live underwater. You can defy gravity-that's just awesome."