The Monster iMac Giveaway has ended! Congratulations to all of our health game winners.

About our Winners

Playnormous Monster iMac winners are public and private pre-K teachers, K-12 teachers, school librarians, and public librarians in the continental U.S who use Playnormous health games. They submitted complete entries to Playnormous including their Playnormous Story in the media format of their choice and full, accurate contact information. Their entry was judged to be the monthly winner by a panel of leading researchers and key players in the games for health industry from across the country.

What Winners Received

Winners were presented an iMac computer with hand-illustrated custom applied shell, individually created by a Playnormous artist. Each is a one-of-a-kind piece, complete with Intel Dual-core processor, built in iSight camera, Apple remote, keyboard, and mouse. Original artwork themes were based on Playnormous monsters and were appropriate for K-12 age groups. These refurbished computers were briefly used in an obesity research project and now have a new home.

May 2010 Monster iMac Winner

Teacher: Meredith McKim, 1st Grade
School: Rummel Creek Elementary
Location: Houston, Texas
Received: "Island in the Sun"

First grade class creates news segment about nutrition.

What a great way to end our Monster iMac Giveaway. First grade teacher Meredith McKim decided to go beyond the classroom and see how Playnormous is really affecting students, even at home. After creating a class blog she taught multiple lessons on health from tricking the lunch ladies with healthy brownies to healthy Playnormous writings to creating a Nutrition 101 student video production. Ms. McKim took her use of Playnormous one step further by sending home a survey for parents to fill out. She wanted to hear directly from parents how Playnormous health games are affecting their child's life. The results are beyond anything we could have hoped for!

82% of parents reported an increase in their child's knowledge of nutrition.
71% of parents reported their child making better choices about his/her nutrition.
43% of parents reported their child having better attitudes about trying new foods.
24% of parents reported their child increasing physical activity.

“ I have started eating more fruits at home and at school like apples, oranges, bananas and strawberries. That's how Playnormous has made me healthier and smarter. - Jake, First Grader ”

May 2010 Monster iMac Winner

Teacher: Lou Ann Timmreck, Kindergarten
School: Rummel Creek Elementary
Location: Houston, Texas
Received: "Eye Sea a Monster"

First grader writes an essay about his favorite Playnormous health game.

From seed to bowl, kindergarten teacher Lou Ann Timmreck taught her class how to identify vegetables by playing Lunch Crunch, plant vegetables in their class garden, cook whole grains from scratch like those seen in Pyramid Pile Up, and write about their whole healthy experience. Nothing short of amazing! She had so many amazing pictures and videos of the class' healthy adventure that it was hard to choose. Visit her class blog to see how this teacher took healthy gaming to the next level with exciting classroom activities like these:

Learn to grow veggies by Planting a Class Garden.
Learn to love your veggies with the Veggie Feelings activity.
Learn to cook healthy with the Whole Grain Pasta lesson.
Learn to share opinions with Shared Writings on Playnormous.

“ We like the Lunch Lady and feeding kids on the Lunch Crunch game. - kindergarteners Austin, Mitchell, and Elizabeth ”

April 2010 Monster iMac Winner

Teacher: Helen Ann Brasher, 1st Grade ESL / GT
School: Rummel Creek Elementary
Location: Houston, Texas
Received: "Monsters in Mac"

First grade teacher Helen Brasher challenged her class to not only eat three fruits and five vegetables a day but to also vary the colors. Can you name five fruits that are green? Her class came up with some great answers, including a kiwi. It may be furry and brown on the outside, but it's green and delicious on the inside! Watch her lesson on easy ways to incorporate fruit and vegetables, starting with a healthy after school snack. And don't forget to read what her students think about our latest game Pyramid Pile Up.

“ [Pyramid Pile Up] is my favorite game because I get really excited in the levels. I learned that you should eat fruit, vegetables, whole grain, and meat. - First Grader ”

March 2010 Monster iMac Winner

Teacher: Ann King, Health Fitness
School: Westchester Academy for International Studies
Location: Houston, Texas
Received: "The Game"

Coach King blogged about her experience while using Playnormous health games as part of her health fitness curriculum.

High school Coach Ann King created a blog, Coach King's Nutrition Playnormous blog, to catalog her experience incorporating the Playnormous site and health games into her daily lessons. The result has been nothing short of an exercise in teaching creativity and student motivation. Here is a summary of how Coach King executed her plan in nutrition and fitness with the aid of Playnormous games:

February 4 - I introduced my students to this site to see if they enjoyed it...They are HOOKED!!!
February 6 - Students went around to lunch tables to see what food choices they had made with their lunches and what they could choose next time.
February 11 - The students loved the games this week as we went to the computer lab and played tournaments.
February 12 - Students were challenged to play the games at home with siblings or friends.
February 16 - Students got together in groups and created physical activities that were introduced during the games. After presenting to the class all the ideas, the class then moved around in stations to try out the variety of activities available to them.
February 18 - Students worked on their personal food pyramid planners as they learn how to make healthy choices. They remember the "junk" food choices that they had to throw out while playing the Pyramid Pile Up game and I am emphasizing the daily 5 fruit & veggies to them after playing the serving line game.
February 19 - We created several games to play in class and then share with the middle school. This is an opportunity for the high school students to share information to another age group.
February 20 - Students were asked to respond to questions about Playnormous as well as their thoughts and "Ah-Ha" moments they have had while learning about nutrition.
February 22 - Students created several games and activities using information about fruits and veggies like WHO AM I and Name the Veggie.
February 23 - We have been working on trying different foods and finding new ways to prepare them. What a better way than to go outdoors and grill. Several items were prepared such as grilled apples, bananas cooked on the coals, potatoes using several varieties, corn cooked on the coals, zucchini, squash, etc.
February 24 - Reflections of Playnormous: My high school curriculum in Health Fitness aligns with the Playnormous games and information located on the website. I am passionate about nutrition and exercise and feel that I need to present information to my students in a motivating and creative manner. Playnormous games have been the answer for me this semester!!

“ The Playnormous tournament was so fun. Some of my friends and I are still challenging each other. I have made it up the levels and learn more as I get to higher levels. - KC, high school student ”

February 2010 Monster iMac Winner

Teacher: Theresa Trevino, 2nd Grade
School: Rummel Creek Elementary
Location: Houston, Texas
Received: "Screamin' Cinema"

Mrs. Trevino's second graders used their class blog to write about health games, create food trading cards and post a healthy animation.

Using their class blog, Mrs. Trevino and her second graders created multiple posts describing what they learned about healthy and unhealthy foods while playing Playnormous health games. Her students created Playnormous trading cards and a healthy foods animation. Multiple students answered our contest questions too using their class blog comments section. Here are some of our favorites:

My favorite game is Brain Gain because I get high scores on hard levels. - Jackson
I learned from the games that I have played on Playnormous to eat healthy and to not sit in front of the TV all day long. I learned that I need to go outside and ride my bike, play tennis or do some activity that is not inside the house. - Izzy
We should be selected to win a Monster iMac because we work very hard and our teacher likes to teach us about computer stuff. And it's cool looking! - Dylan
The games had an effect on me because I learned what's more healthy to eat than other stuff that's not good for you. - Adam
My favorite game is Pyramid Pile Up because it tells me which foods to eat. - Michael
I like Pyramid Pile Up because the Chompies are funny. - Aidan
My favorite game is Juice Jumble because it teaches you the difference between good and bad drinks, and I like it when I get "power-ups." - Noah
Our class should win the monster iMac because we work hard, we listen, and we have good grades. - Guinndalyn
Playnormous games have helped me to eat good. Healthy foods are good for you. Like, junk food might hurt your teeth. - Ola
We use [Playnormous] to play games that teach us how to be healthy. - Elise
My favorite game is the Pyramid Pile Up because it is fun to play and it taught me how many foods to eat per day. What I don't like about it is the "chompees" that eat your food. - Jackson Paul

“ After playing some of the Playnormous games, they took the information that they had learned and created trading cards. The excitement is contagious! ”

January 2010 Monster iMac Winner

Student: Nzinga, 6 years old
Event: Family Fit Day at the Children's Museum of Houston
Location: Houston, Texas
Received: "It's My Party and I'll Growl if I Want To"

Miss Nzinga and her mom Stacy pose as they get ready to take their new computer home.

Miss Nzinga is the first student to take home her very own Monster iMac! As a part of our grand opening at the Children's Museum of Houston PowerPlay Exhibit, 400 children played health games and 100 families entered to win their very own one-of-a-kind computer. Miss Nzinga, a six year old from Houston, Texas, and her mom Stacy were the lucky winners. Thank you to everyone who helped make Playnormous Day at the Museum such a success!

“ My favorite game is "Juice Jumble" because when you get something right it makes juice! ”

December 2009 Monster iMac Winner

Teacher: Keith Schoch, 6th Grade
School: Bedminster Township School
Location: Bedminster, NJ
Received: "Mean Bean"

Keith Schoch is our first Playnormous teacher blogger champion to win a Monster iMac.

I really, really dig the Playnormous site, and knew that other teachers would as well. As a educator and a presenter I'm always seeking online learning experiences that will get students totally psyched about learning, while providing teachers with exceptional resources to extend that learning. Playnormous fits that bill! Read more about Playnormous on my blog Teaching That Sticks.

“ When students can have so much fun yet come away with an understanding of core health concepts, well, that's nothing less than remarkable. ”

November 2009 Monster iMac Winner

Librarian: Becky S. Lee, PreK - 5th Grade
School: Valley Oaks Elementary
Location: Houston, Texas
Received: "Rock Monster"

I work with a group of 1st and 2nd grade G/T students. We've spent the past three weeks working on Playnormous and learning about the games and how to get healthy and stay healthy. Our favorite games are "Bubble Rubble" and "Lunch Crunch" -- it makes us wish for healthier food in the cafeteria! We would love to win an iMac for our school library so that we can teach other kids about getting healthy and staying healthy! Our Animoto video tells a bit about what we've learned!

“ This contest was a great way to utilize all we've learned about Animoto while learning about being healthy at the same time. ”

October 2009 Monster iMac Winner

Teacher: Patti Portice, Prekindergarten
School: Valley Oaks Elementary
Location: Houston, Texas
Received: "I am Legend"

Ms. Portice's prekindergarten class learns about nutritious foods versus unhealthy foods.

In the classroom, we have tied "Lunch Crunch" into a center activity with the students choosing 'good foods' to fill their lunch trays, matching beginning letter sounds. They love "Bubble Rubble" and have played that with their older, reader buddies from 4th grade. The 4th graders read the activities, and our kids move the mouse for Chicken Dawg to 'eat' the bubble! Over and over, we heard the 4th graders beg for a turn. Needless to say, your website has been spreading like wildfire throughout the school. Computer center has never been this much fun-- (or fought over for a turn!) Their parents are amazed and thrilled that their children UNDERSTAND and USE words like 'aerobic exercise' and are learning to choose fresh fruits and vegetables to eat over processed foods.

“ The kids LOVE using my teacher computer to play "Lunch Crunch" and "Bubble Rubble;" and take great pride in the fact that they are beating their teacher. ”

September 2009 Monster iMac Winner

Teacher: Heather Renz, 4th Grade
School: Tom McCall Elementary
Location: Redmond, Oregon
Received: "Dreaming in Color"

Mrs. Renz's 4th grade class plays Food Fury with a dance pad.

It is ironic that as we hear news reports of escalating health related illnesses, obesity, and diabetes increases we just cut the thing our students need the most - exercise and movement [in a PE class]. We have used exergames in the classroom for more than 5 years. Judy Shasek of ExerLearning Lab recently introduced us to the games at Playnormous. This is an especially valuable resource because now I can easily add solid nutrition lessons and help my students become aware of the important connection between their choices and their personal health. The lesson plans are engaging for students, fun, and connected with the games students play online.

“ Often learning games lack the fun-factor, but not Playnormous games. The high quality of the games and the fun-factor are two reasons I added the games to my personal teacher website. ”

It's My Party and I'll Growl if I Want To

More on the way!

Link to Playnormous Health Games ¦ Contact Us