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On a recent evening, hundreds of children and their families climbed off school buses and filed into a science center in this city鈥檚 historic Old Town neighborhood. The event that drew them, dubbed Family Science Night, was no invitation to hear a lecture on climate change or quantum physics, or to catch a documentary on a gigantic IMAX screen.

Instead, families from two high-poverty public schools dived into an array of hands-on, interactive exhibits separated into small alcoves in a place aptly named , Spanish for 鈥渆xplore.鈥�

And explore they did. Children got their hands wet鈥攍iterally鈥攁s they manipulated objects in water-based displays in the Water of Life, Life of Water exhibit area. They tapped on a keyboard in the Shapes of Sound section that produced not tones but deep vibrations felt through the bench on which they sat. Over in the Moving Air section, they sliced up paper cups to see how different sizes and shapes would float or twirl when placed atop a barrel with a fan inside blowing air toward the ceiling.

鈥淗ey, Daddy, come and look at this!鈥� a young boy blurted out as his paper creation in the Cup Copter exhibit danced in the air.

Amid concern that the United States is failing to adequately prepare young people with the knowledge of science and related fields they need to thrive as individuals and keep the nation globally competitive, recognition is growing that the vast American landscape of science-rich institutions can play a powerful role in addressing the situation.

Science centers and museums, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums, and natural-history museums, among others, help the public gain a better understanding of science. They also excel at inspiring curiosity and a passion for science-related topics in ways that experts say are all too rare in the classroom.

Such organizations have a big audience. In 2008, a majority of Americans said they had visited an informal science institution such as a zoo or natural-history museum over the past year, according to a report from the National Science Board. About one in four had visited a science center like Explora.

Science centers and museums, in particular, have mushroomed in recent decades, both in the United States and abroad, notes Alan J. Friedman, a former director and chief executive officer of the in New York City. Still uncommon in the 1960s, they can be found today in virtually every major metropolitan area of the country鈥攁nd plenty of smaller communities, too鈥攆rom in Jersey City, N.J., to the in Michigan, to one of the pioneers, the .

The most explosive growth occurred during the 1970s and 1980s, according to Mr. Friedman, who said there are now more than 350 science centers, museums, and related institutions across the nation.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 just astonishing to build cultural institutions at that rate,鈥� he said.

Experts say most science centers and museums, like schools, have a core mission of educating the public, but plenty of big differences exist. Perhaps most obvious, they are 鈥渇ree choice鈥� environments: People can take them or leave them. And visitors decide where to linger and what to ignore. Also, most visitors come only on rare occasions.

The forte of these institutions is highly engaging, and usually hands-on, activities and exhibits that try to bring theoretical concepts to life with power and immediacy.

鈥業nspirational Discovery鈥�

Explora, with a stated mission of 鈥渃reating opportunities for inspirational discovery and the joy of lifelong learning through interactive experiences in science, technology, and art,鈥� was born in 1995 as a result of the merger of a small science center and a children鈥檚 museum. Financial support comes from several sources, including earned income, public dollars from the city and the state, and corporation and foundation grants.

With about 20,000 square feet of exhibit space, Explora is on the small end among science centers and museums, dwarfed by venues such as the in Los Angeles and the in Chicago, which, according to its website, is home to some 鈥�35,000 artifacts and nearly 14 acres of hands-on exhibits.鈥�

Indeed, while some of these institutions have significant collections, and even house full-fledged natural-history museums, Explora does not.

Its exhibits are essentially learning activities, said Paul Tatter, the associate director.

鈥淭he place is organized into clusters of very small exhibits,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost of the exhibits are things that you can hug. You can get your arms around them. They fit on tabletops.鈥�

Visitors are invited to investigate with their hands, rather than spend a lot of time reading explanatory text. One kindergarten teacher visiting recently with her class gushed that her students 鈥済et to touch everything.鈥�

At the Cup Copter display, visitors experiment with how changing variables about the paper cups, such as modifying the wing length and angle or changing the weight, alter how they float or spin.

鈥淧art of it is the process of investigation,鈥� said Betsy Adamson, Explora鈥檚 exhibits director. 鈥淰isitors get experience with scientific concepts even if they don鈥檛 get the names.鈥�

Mr. Tatter, previously the center鈥檚 executive director, said Explora is not designed to teach specific content: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 determine ahead of time what the experience is supposed to be.鈥�

Staff members say that great care is taken in providing materials that will foster meaningful exploration and learning. In addition, the members of the floor staff are seen as integral to facilitating the experience.

鈥淭he staff is part of the exhibit in a sense,鈥� said Kristin W. Leigh, the director of educational services.

The Albuquerque center has drawn national notice for its work.

Explora is on the 鈥渋nnovative edge鈥� among science centers and museums, said Mr. Friedman, who now consults with such facilities around the country. 鈥淥ne [example] is the physical arrangement on the floor to encourage families to stay longer and get deeper into each activity,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nother is the use of on-floor staff who pose questions more than answer them.鈥�

Like many science centers, Explora has developed a big menu of educational offerings and activities that go beyond the exhibit floor. For example, it runs after-school clubs and summer camps and provides professional development for teachers. It鈥檚 established an extensive youth-intern program that provides support and training for high school students who help with various educational programs鈥攁nd, in some cases, run them鈥攁nd interact with visitors on the exhibit floor.

Explora also offers a selection of some 200 hourlong, hands-on classes, called 鈥渆xplorations,鈥� both on site and in public schools, community centers, and senior-living facilities, that are run by the center鈥檚 staff of full-time educators. The explorations are benchmarked to New Mexico鈥檚 state standards in science, math, or art.

Experts say most science centers try to ensure a diverse audience鈥攊ncluding minority and low-income families who ordinarily may be less apt to make use of them鈥攚hether with regular free days, limited free memberships, or other strategies. The California Science Center, in Los Angeles, is free to all comers.

Leaders at Explora take the matter of access seriously. One strategy is Family Science Night, which the center offers about 20 times a year. It鈥檚 a partnership with the 90,000-student Albuquerque public schools funded through the district鈥檚 federal Title I aid for disadvantaged students.

鈥淲e had these free family memberships, and we saw that not a lot of people were using them,鈥� said Patrick Lopez, Explora鈥檚 executive director and a former school administrator. 鈥淥K, they don鈥檛 really understand what a science center is, so that鈥檚 how we got Albuquerque public schools involved.鈥�

In addition, many Explora floor-staff members speak Spanish, Mr. Lopez noted, and some speak Native American languages.

鈥淲e make it a priority to hire people that reflect the community,鈥� he said.

Sara Keeney, the principal of Los Padillas Elementary School, one of the two local public schools invited to Family Science Night in late February, said it鈥檚 a big hit.

鈥淭his is definitely our biggest family event of the year,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll the families know about it; they all want to come.鈥�

In December, Explora won a national award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for what the federal agency described as its creative approach to lifelong learning and its success in reaching out to the community in effective and inventive ways.

Science museum officials around the country say connecting with the community and serving as a resource in multiple ways are high priorities.

鈥淵ou would be hard-pressed to find museums that only work under their roof,鈥� said Kirsten Ellenbogen, the senior director of lifelong learning at the in St. Paul. 鈥淢useums are finding more and more ways to make sure they鈥檙e fully integrated into their communities and being a resource.鈥�

鈥淐ommon to all of us is: How do we connect to the communities we serve and add relevance and value?鈥� said Nancy J. Stueber, the president and chief executive officer of the , in Portland. 鈥淲e want to go from being 鈥榥ice鈥� to being really necessary and seen as integral to advancing stem learning.鈥�

鈥楢 Perennial Challenge鈥�

To be sure, Explora looks a lot different from many science centers and museums, especially the bigger ones. For example, it doesn鈥檛 have an IMAX theater, nor does it feature the traveling exhibits popular at many such centers.

One current touring exhibit that鈥檚 drawn plaudits is , put together by the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota. The exhibit, which got support from the National Science Foundation, explores the science, history, and everyday experiences of race in America through interactive exhibits, historical artifacts, photographs, and multimedia presentations. Another recent exhibit, , which debuted in 2009 at the New York Hall of Science, uses a child-friendly story line to help young people discover the link between dinosaurs and modern birds.

Experts say an issue among science museums is tension between the educational mission and the pressure to bring in revenue.

鈥淭his is a perennial challenge for science museums, because most are funded to a large degree by earned income,鈥� said David A. Ucko, a former senior official at the NSF.

On average, only 17 percent of the operating revenue for U.S. science centers and museums comes from public funds, compared with about 50 percent from earned income, according to recent survey data from the , based in Washington. And the recent recession has created still more budgetary pressure,with at least some museums getting fewer public dollars and seeing a decline in visitors, such as students on field trips.

Few would argue that there鈥檚 anything wrong with science centers鈥� featuring fun activities that draw visitors and sell tickets.

But Ms. Ellenbogen from the Science Museum of Minnesota said she鈥檚 among those who worry that some blockbuster exhibits, particularly those sponsored by private companies, may be high on gloss and entertainment but thin on educational value.

She points, for example, to , which has been featured at several major science museums. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not designed to be a science learning experience,鈥� she said.

Mr. Ucko suggests there鈥檚 a larger public-policy matter at issue: 鈥淪hould informal science institutions be getting more dollars from the large amount of money that the nation spends on education?鈥�

One emerging area of work in the science museum world that could help make the case for expanded public financing is research, driven in part by the NSF, to gauge more carefully and in more sophisticated ways the impact of museum exhibits and activities. Some institutions, such as the Oregon and Minnesota science museums as well as the Exploratorium, even employ substantial in-house research teams to continuously evaluate their offerings and conduct broader studies to advance the field of informal science learning.

An ongoing challenge is figuring out ways to better connect museums and other informal learning institutions to the formal school world. Plenty of examples of such partnerships exist. But a recent suggests such endeavors have generally failed to 鈥渋nstitutionalize,鈥� and experts caution that forming such ties can be tricky.

鈥淭he schools have standards and curricula and assessments, and none of them are designed to work with what happens outside of school,鈥� said Mr. Friedman, who also serves on the governing board for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 measure a lot of things that really matter to us, like are students interested in science, do they improve their interest over time?

鈥淲e offer an alternative channel,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 cherish all the ways we are different, and I don鈥檛 want to lose those.鈥�