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Site Review: Playnormous

Site URL:  www.playnormous.com    

Content:  This site uses games, interactive stories and other fun resources to teach kids how to eat right and enjoy physical activity.

Design:  Playnormous offers an inviting, easy-to-navigate design for first to seventh-grade students. The cute monsters and animations will draw young people in, and they can even create their own monster characters in the style of the cast featured on the site.

Review:  Childhood obesity is an epidemic, and weight-related health problems are on the rise every year in America. A site that teaches kids about the importance of nutrition is therefore an excellent prevention tool. Playnormous’ fun nutrition and health games, storybook-style adventures and other resources would be a great asset to any health educator hoping to engage elementary and middle-school students.

Many of the site’s resources are embedded in health-conscious scenarios. For example, Juice Jumble features the monster bird Tiki who tends a juice bar, and the player must determine if there’s a serving of fruit in the beverages the bird serves. Other resources—such as the recipe guide—are just plain healthy. Adding a sense of consistency, the monsters’ appealing faces appear throughout Playnormous’ content.

While the games cater to varying ability levels, the lack of brand labels in many games makes it challenging to recognize certain processed foods and drinks. This means some items may seem unfamiliar, despite the player’s level.

Among the site’s other great features are its parent and teacher sections. The latter repackages much of the site’s content as handy classroom activities and student quizzes.

Bottom Line:  Innovative, educational and fun, Playnormous is a health-promoting winner for kids.

 

Article by Jason Cunningham, EducationWorld Social Media Editor
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