Win with Nickelodeon and Playnormous.

Our first CD-ROM ever “Playnormous: Fun For A Change Health Video Games” has been selected as a feature item in the Nickelodeon Parents Connect Back-to-School event!

On Thursday August 19, 2010 from 9 AM to 10:45 PM CST (that’s tomorrow), thousands of moms will gather together for one of Nickelodeon’s highly acclaimed Parents Connect online parties.  During the event, members get to know each other by playing games, chatting about the latest parenting topics and winning prizes.

Playnormous will be a featured partner for the annual Back-to-School Party tomorrow and will give away a Playnormous CD-ROM to one lucky participant!  You can also enter to win dozens of other amazing back-to-school prizes.

Not only that but our party is being hosted by the National PTA and actress/mom Tichina Arnold.  You probably know Tichina as the matriarch character Rochelle on the TV show Everybody Hates Chris or the Fox sitcom Martin.

Party with us!

You can join this amazing online party with Nickelodeon and Parents Connect by simply visiting their RSVP page.  It’s free to enter!  You could win a bus load of amazing free PRIZES to start you and your child off the right way this school year!  We hope to see you there!

About Parents Connect

Parents Connect is a member of the Nickelodeon media network and is designed specifically to meet the needs of parents.  To support their motto “We’re not perfect, we’re parents,” ParentsConnect.com provides moms and dads with daily tips, recipes, activities, product recommendations and other family-friendly resources alongside opportunities to socialize about raising children in all stages of life.

Rock the vote!

Back in June we told you about our super cool Pyramid Pile Up Plus game (that’s Pyramid Pile Up with some major extras) that was entered into the Apps for Healthy Kids Competition, sponsored by Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign and the USDA in an effort to fight childhood obesity.  The day has finally arrived for you to VOTE for Playnormous!

Only one of the 98 games can win the People’s Choice Award so we need YOUR help by VOTING for us!

Plus means more cool stuff.

Why should you vote for OUR health game?  Well that’s because it’s the only Playnormous game in the competition of course!  Ok, ok, I’ll be a little more specific.  Here’s a little bit about the game and the top ten reasons you should vote for us.

1. Pyramid Pile Up Plus is available in both English AND Spanish!
2. You now get Food Labels to help you decide which foods should go in which spaces!
3. You still get to play against those cute yet pesky Chompies–flying squirrel monsters that fall from the sky to munch on your work as you fill in an empty pyramid with food tiles.
4. You’ll actually learn something like what discretionary calories are and the difference between whole grains and refined.
5. Pyramid Pile Up Plus is loaded with secret bonus point opportunities such as adding a variety of fruits and dark green veggies to your pyramid.
6. You can show your friends how amazing you are by getting a top spot on our high score list.
7. Pyramid Pile Up Plus is teacher-friendly and comes complete with classroom materials like a teacher guide, classroom activities, and student assessments.
8. There’s a super cool poster you can print with information about MyPyramid.
9. The game is fun and addicting!
10. Votes for Pyramid Pile Up Plus means we may actually win…which means more notoriety for Playnormous and a cash prize…which means funding for more games!!  Yaaaaay for more games!!

About apps for healthy kids.

Apps for Healthy Kids challenges software developers, game designers, students, and other innovators to develop fun and engaging software tools and games that drive children, especially “tweens” (ages 9-12) – directly or through their parents – to eat better and be more physically active.  Winners of the competition will receive a monetary prize and will be featured in the national campaign.  The public can vote on their favorite game and tool by visiting the competition website: www.appsforhealthykids.com. Public voting ends August 14, 2010 at 12:00 pm EDT.

Vote for Pyramid Pile Up Plus today!!

Kudos…a pat on the back, not the candy bar.

In preparation for tomorrow’s big Playnormous extravaganza at the Children’s Museum of Houston, Henry Yau was kind enough to give us a shout-out on Fox News.  Watch the super cool interview to learn some interesting “Eat This, Not That” nutrition facts.  For example, did you know that Fruit Loops Cereal is healthier for you than Captain Crunch and Deluxe Kraft Mac ‘N Cheese has less fat than Classic?  Who knew?!

We will see you at the Children’s Museum of Houston tomorrow, January 9 from 11 am to 5 pm.  Don’t forget to enter to win your free iMac computer!

If you can’t make it to the event tomorrow, visit the PowerPlay exhibit any time to play Playnormous health games in the PowerScience Lab.

Visit the museum and win!   

Mark your calendars!  The Playnormous team will be at the Children’s Museum of Houston on Saturday January 9, 2010 to celebrate Family Fit Week and the official launch of Playnormous games in the PowerPlay exhibit.  Come play health games on our cool Monster iMacs and try your hand at a game of Lunch Crunch Cards with the staff.  Every kid will walk away with a fun prize like a Playnormous t-shirt, sticker, lunch box or balloon.  Oh yeah, and one SUPER LUCKY kid will win a FREE Monster iMac too!  AWESOME!

We are so excited about this event we can hardly wait.  Come visit us to see what Playnormous is all about.  We will be at the Children’s Museum of Houston (1500 Binz, Houston, TX 77004 — click here for directions) on Saturday January 9, 2010 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

About the Children’s Museum of Houston.

Founded in 1980, the Children’s Museum of Houston is the highest-attended youth museum in the country.  The mission of this award-winning museum is to transform communities through innovative, child-centered learning.  CMH offers several action-packed exhibits including the new PowerPlay exhibit.  At the PowerPlay exhibit you can challenge your body to a three-story adventure where you can climb walls, test your grip, play huge dance games, and track your heart rate with a cool activity log system.  Take a breather by visiting the PowerScience Lab activity room where you can explore the science behind health by playing Playnormous health games and talking to Baylor College of Medicine graduate students.  Check out this video about the PowerPlay exhibit for more details.  We hope to see you there!

Healthy kitchens win big.

In the past I’ve blogged about ways to get your child to eat healthier,  how to make your kids’ lunchbox healthier, and even how to make a classic like PB&J healthier.  But how to actually get PAID for making healthier choices for your child?  This is a first!

Our friends at Barefoot Books are running a kitchen competition that puts the fun back into healthy cooking.  To celebrate the launch of their healthy cooking deck of recipe cards, Kids’ Kitchen: 40 fun and healthy recipes to make and share,  Barefoot wants you to enter a picture or a short video of how you share healthy living.  Submit your entry to the Kids Kitchen Contest and you’ll be entered to win a $500 Whole Foods Gift Card to help you purchase all of those healthy ingredients.  You can win other great Barefoot Books prizes too.  The contest ends October 15th so be sure to enter soon!

What people are saying about Kids’ Kitchen.

Kids’ Kitchen allows parents and their children to step into the kitchen for some child-friendly fun with food. The forty recipes in this colorful deck are based around the five main food groups, and offer a healthy and exciting way to learn about cooking.  Enjoy learning how to cook amazing recipes with your child like Apple Volcanoes, Hummus Dippers, Picnic Kebobs, Mean Green Guacamole, and more!  Reviewers call it a “Fun, safe, delicious approach to the kitchen” and “Fabulous for picky eaters!”  Click here to enter to win the Kids’ Kitchen Contest.

About Barefoot Books.

Barefoot Books is an independent publisher, with offices in Cambridge, USA and Bath, England. They specialize in carefully crafted books, gifts and digital content that help children on their journey to becoming happy, engaged members of the global community. Since 1992, Barefoot Books has published more than 400 titles that use timeless stories and captivating illustrations to tap into the wisdom of many cultures, while never forgetting that childhood is a time for fun.

Enjoy fun and healthy books and CDs like My Daddy is a Pretzel, Herb The Vegetarian Dragon and Picnic Playground featuring recipes by child nutritionists.  For more information on the company visit www.barefootbooks.com.