For many of us, Angry Birds was the first game we played on an iPhone. It got us hooked. And subsequently, it got our kids hooked on gaming on iPhones and iPads.

Toys, movies and dozens of upgrades later, Angry Birds has become part of the fabric of our lives. That is why I was so excited to learned the New York Hall of Science was going to have an Angry Birds exhibit.

I was a little skeptical, though, but they had me at life-sized slingshots you could use to destroy structures and knock down pigs. No actual pigs were harmed in this exhibit, they are just large green vinyl pillows. We went early in the afternoon and the exhibit was not very full. Which was good.

The highlight of the exhibit is the slingshot area. You have to build a structure, place your “pigs” and then fire Angry Bird kickballs at them. You could hear squeals of delight and laughter as kids and grownups alike played. The staff keeps it safe by being very firm with the rules about when you could fire. Since there were very few people there, we were able to go back in line over and over. During busy times, there may be a wait.

But there is more. There are stations where you can play the classic version of the game. It is actually behind a beautiful display of the Angry Birds, with descriptions of the characters. There are stations where you can draw, compose music, design scenes on the computer and even make short animations.

One of my favorite parts is the interactive pulley display. There are three birds that say they weigh 25kg and you can try to pull them up by a rope. The secret is each of the pulleys attached to the birds makes it easier or harder to lift the bird. My son insisted that one of the birds was heavier. Then I explained the pulleys and he saw why one seemed much heavier than the others.

On weekends this exhibit will be really crowded (especially at first) but take the opportunity to see some of the other great exhibits. My personal favorite is Connected Worlds, which is basically a virtual waterfall room. It is beautiful and relaxing and simply amazing.

Whenever and wherever you are the New York Hall of Science, you should interact with the staff. They are all very enthusiastic, great with kids and love sharing their love of science. The staff that developed the Angry Birds Universe exhibit, are very clever as they snuck in a lot of science in the fun. Just don’t tell the kids they are learning.

The exhibit runs through August 27, and is free with museum admission. The New York Hall of Science is located at 47-01 111th St, Corona, NY 11368.

I first walked into the Scout Office by St. Matthias Parish School in Ridgewood, Queens, in 1981 as a 7-year-old Cub Scout. I may have walked out of it for the last time a few weeks ago.

The building, my son and I were told, was in the process of being sold and we were being given a new storage space down the block. It was sad. But my son was there to see this important place in my life.

The Dry Harbor Playground, near the corner of Myrtle Avenue and 80th Street in Queens, seems stuck in a different time. It is more modern than the old aluminum slides and see-saws that were the norm of playgrounds in the 1980s in New York City, but it has not caught up with the ultramodern playgrounds of today with their space-age polymers and rounded corners. Somehow, it fits in perfectly in East Glendale.

Playground features

For the 1964 World’s Fair, Robert Moses, the famed “master builder” for metropolitan New York and the event’s president, wanted something big to showcase the city. He commissioned a panorama scale model of the city that took a team of more than 100 people over three years to complete the model, which covers 9,335 square feet (one inch equals 100 feet).

That scale model, officially called the Panorama of the City of New York, is still on display today at the Queens Museum. The model has been updated over the years – last in 1992 – and still is awe-inspiring. It is one of my favorite things to show visitors to NYC.

The Queens Museum is much more than a home for the most amazing scale model ever built. The museum is also a showcase for many contemporary and modern artists. Many of the exhibits are short term, so there is always something new and exciting to see at the museum. On a recent visit, we saw an exhibit on Indian art spanning 1947-1997 and another exhibit showcasing the work of Robert Seydal.

There are other permanent displays that make a visit to the museum worthwhile, in addition to the scale model of New York City. The original Tiffany factory used to be nearby in Queens, and the museum offers a beautiful display of Tiffany glass, along with information about the company and the former factory. Another scale model of the NYC Watershed shows how New York gets its water. And, of course, a collection of mementos, pictures, and information from the ‘64 World’s Fair can be found within the museum. To see everything the museum has to offer, allocate about two hours.

The museum enjoys a robust community partnership and budding artists can take part in family workshops on Sundays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The Queens Museum is in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the site of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs. It can be tricky to find for those that are unfamiliar with the area, so for directions, click here.

The surrounding park, the largest in Queens, is also home to the Queens Zoo, the Queens Botanical Garden, the New York Hall of Science, Citi Field (home of the Mets), Arthur Ashe Stadium (home of the U.S. Open), and, of course, the iconic Unisphere. By combining a visit to the Queens Museum with other activities available in the area, visitors can easily spend an entire day enjoying Queens.

For tickets, the suggested price is $8 for adults and $4 for students and seniors. Kids under 12 are free. Hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

There is a small café with reasonably priced snacks and beverages inside the museum, and the small gift shop carries a mix of art-inspired mementos and jewelry and original 1939 and 1964 World’s Fair Memorabilia.

A version of this first appeared on One Good Dad.

The last time our family saw Andrews Grove park in Long Island City it had been freshly devastated by Superstorm Sandy. The large walnut trees that lined the back of the park had fallen down, turning the jungle gyms into piles of twisted metal.

But, now nearly three years later, Andrews Grove is back and a real gem in an area with a bunch of really nice parks.

The park is not very big or flashy so it remains pretty quiet which is really nice on a lazy mid-morning park excursion. The jungle gyms are rebuilt to resemble tree houses, which fit in great with the row of new trees that are growing behind them. My favorite part of the park, though, is the water feature. While just three upright sprayers, they are shaped like logs with giant squirrels perched on top of them. It’s a small thing but gives the park character.

Shade – Lots of trees around the edges
Water feature – Yes
Bathrooms – No
Sand – No
Grass – No

Editor’s Note: This look at Mafera Park is part of an occasional series reviewing parks and playgrounds in the NYC area.

If you have ever been a child (or had a child) in the Ridgewood/Glendale area of Queens, you have been to Mafera Park.

But you probably knew it as The Oval or Farmers’ Oval.

I wouldn’t call “The Oval” the best park, but there are lots of options. In addition to the regular playground equipment, there is an asphalt field (perfect for bike rides), basketball and handball courts, a big grassy field and a hockey rink.

My favorite — and my kids’ favorite part — of Mafera Park is the sprinklers.

Four spheres shooting water at each other in a soaking spray. To be honest, they look like four mini Death Stars. But shooting water at kids, instead of a death ray at Alderaan.

Grand Moff Tarkin: “You’re far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration – but don’t worry; we will deal with your rebel friends soon enough.”

The drawback of this park is that it can get crowded. Very crowded. Particularly during the summer when waves of kids from the YMCA (down the block) descend upon the park.

Also, most of the Mafera Park play equipment is older. It’s still safe, but an upgrade to more modern stuff would breathe some new life into this park.

I’ve lived in this area most of my life, so this park has lots of good memories. I played midnight basketball here with my friends as a teen. Played full 11-on-11 tackle football in the field (which was mostly dirt back then) until everyone was covered in dust or someone was knocked unconscious. But I’m pretty sure I never saw a farmer there.

Mafera Park features

Shade – Lots of trees around the edges.
Water feature – Yes
Bathrooms – Yes
Sand – No
Grass – There is a large multi-sport field covered in grass and artificial turf.

Editor’s Note: This is part of our ongoing series reviewing parks and playgrounds in the NYC area. This one is written by NYC Dads Group member Niel Vuolo.

Isn’t it funny that children who hate showers love playing in the sprinklers?

That isn’t specific to Poppenhausen Playground in College Point, Queens, but it was the case as we pulled up to this small park, known to us as being that park that is a few blocks away from one of our Target stores.

The park with the funny name has an awesome sprinkler right in the middle, nestled between two climbing areas. The sprinkler, which sort of looks like a Vega-styled fountain, shoots water in every direction, there are enough sprinkler heads so multiple kids can be stepping on them, but there would still be water everywhere.

One of the climbing areas was pretty standard. Lots of ways up: ladders, stairs and climbing poles. And, of course, a bunch of slides. There was a lot of running room that was mostly in the shade while we were there.

The other one was more complicated. All climbing, no slides. Considering that the kids were still a little soggy, it was safer to spend very little time there.

Overall, the Poppenhausen Playground was quiet. All you heard was kids laughing, the water, birds chirping and the occasional ice cream truck. It wasn’t crowded, so that was a good thing.

A weird thing happened as we visited. The police were called about a woman who was getting too comfortable near children. She left after the police spoke with her, but it’s a reminder that we as parents always have to keep a vigilant eye on our kids.

Poppenhausen Playground features

Shade – Lots of trees around the edges.
Water feature – Yes
Bathrooms – Yes
Sand – No
Grass – Not really.

Sometimes simplicity is the best thing. That is why the Joseph E. DeVoy Playground in Forest Park (71st and Union Turnpike in Queens) is not only one of my kids’ favorite parks but one of mine.

Is there a sandbox? No. Water feature? No. Bathroom? No. But what it does have is an element of nature, rolling hills and plenty of swings. Also, the ice cream truck never stops by. Which is a good thing.

In front of DeVoy Playground, which is right near a hiking/ horse trail, you will find three climbers, each with increased difficulty, a set of swings and an old-fashioned tire swing. As you go up, you see baby-safety swings and a giant tree house with monkey bars. It can be a store or a castle or a spaceship or some combination of all three.

The park is also fully shaded by trees, which is a real bonus in the swelter of a New York summer. The ground is also all-natural (grass and wood chips) except for an asphalt pathway, which is great for drawing with chalk or riding your scooter way too fast.

My kids and I go to the DeVoy Playground and park in all seasons. Autumn is great because of the giant piles of leaves you can jump into. And when it was covered in snow this winter the natural contours made for super fun sledding slopes. I’ll always have an affinity with this park because my son took his first steps near the twisty slide my daughter was trying very hard to climb up.

DeVoy Playground features

Shade – Almost completely covered in trees
Water feature – No.
Bathrooms – Not in the park, but there is a Stop N Shop down the block with facilities.
Sand – No.
Grass – All grass and wood chips.

Photos: Niel Vuolo

Editor’s Note: This look at Triassic Playground in Queens is part of an occasional series reviewing parks and playgrounds in the NYC area.

There is nothing better to do on a hot summer day than put your kids in their bathing suits and head out to a park to play in the water. Not wanting to brave the Thunderdome-like atmosphere at DUMBO’s Pier 6, we instead went to the Triassic Playground in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens.

My kids call Triassic Playground “the alligator park” because the slide looks like an alligator. And I guess alligators could come up through the tall marsh that surrounds Meadow Lake, which forms one boundary to the playground (Jewel Avenue and the Van Wyck are on the other sides).

Even without the water area, which is designed like an oasis with palm trees and plenty of room for water balloon fights, the Triassic Playground is fun. They have two sets of swings and there are three sets of climbing and sliding areas: one for smaller children and the other two for slightly older kids. My son likes to take his scooter on the one that is basically a long ramp and scoot all the way down. He’s going all Led Zeppelin, driving motorcycles inside the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles, and I’m having a heart attack.

It’s a nice park, never too crowded and the breeze off the water is really nice.

Triassic Playground features

Shade – Not so much

Water feature – Yes, a large area in the middle of the park with fake palm trees that water shoots out of and fountains that shoot from the ground.

Bathrooms – Yes

Sand – No

Grass – Very little in the playground itself, but the park is surrounded by grass and the banks of Meadow Lake.

Photos: Niel Vuolo

Editor’s Note: This look at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City is part of an occasional series reviewing the parks and playgrounds in the NYC area.

There is something to be said about parks within walking distance from your home (we have five), but I’ve always enjoyed discovering new parks in different parts of town.

It was a late Saturday afternoon, on a beautiful day, so I packed up the car and headed over to Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, specifically Gantry Plaza Spray Park. I knew the water would be off, but we were still good to go.

The playground is on the East River facing the United Nations building and slightly to the left of the giant Pepsi sign. It is very modern with lots of climbing apparatus, a handful of slides and lots of room for imaginative play. The floor is all rubberized and gets a little hot in the summer, but that is why God invented Crocs.

I like this park despite its terrible parking. It looks nice. It is spread out so kids have room to run and play. But it’s also small enough so a parent can easily keep an eye on multiple kids. And the water feature is really nice when the lifeguard is not on a break.

Gantry Plaza State Park features

Shade – Not so much

Water feature – Yes, it looks like a marsh and there is always a lifeguard on duty.

Bathrooms – Yes, in a converted trailer right by the entrance.

Sand – No.

Grass – Very little in the playground itself, but there is a massive field right next to the playground.