Springpad is a great little program and app that allows you to clip and store information, ideas, videos, pictures and more that you find while searching online. This information can be stored in various notebooks and kept private or available to share with others. If you're not using it yet, you might like to check it out. It's an easy way to share information and ideas with your team. It also allows you to embed a notebook in your website or blog as another way to share this information. And so, I thought I'd try it with this post.. hope it works! I've gathered a small collection of interesting apps that you may find worthwhile for your children's ministry or for your own family. You should be able to click on the image for more information with a link to the source. You also might like to check out previous posts of other potentially useful apps. * Apps for children's ministry.. * Ten more apps you may have missed * Pick Me app * Family & ministry magazine apps |
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Some time ago, Elevate at Church launched a program for families- Elevate at Home. The idea was to make their Sunday morning kids ministry program materials available for families to download and use at home to develop and grow leaders: making good kids into great leaders. I don't know if you accessed their materials and promoted them with your church families but the quality of animated Bible stories and lesson materials is excellent. Now, they have revamped the program and are offering the resources to families on a subscription basis- $3.99 per month. It's great value and well presented. The other positive feature of this new approach is that you don't have to download the clips. The new improved website allows kids and families to watch any lesson movie at any time using any device. It's worth taking some time to check it out- here! Mike Johnson, children's pastor and executive producer says: "This new and improved, streaming website takes the stories (lessons) from the Bible and brings to light the leadership principles that are contained within them. From the lesson of Gideon we can learn about confidence. From the lesson of Nehemiah we can learn about perseverance. From the lessons of Paul we can learn about commitment, and the list goes on. This program gets kids into God’s Word during the week so that it can be learned and applied to their lives now, and in the future. Our world needs, and will need, men and women who will step up and lead our world in a God honoring way. That’s why you and I have given our lives to work with kids - to teach them God’s Word today so they can impact their world now, and the larger world tomorrow". Bullying is a sensitive topic for many kids struggling at school, in the playground, with classmates and sometimes even at home. It's not something that we can or should avoid discussing with kids and there are an increasing number of programs that you could consider using in your kidmin programs. Below, I've listed just a couple. But you also might like to consider the 'Truth or Trash' iPhone app, from iKAN Ministries, to use in conjunction with your programs or discussions. The game app was produced to help kids discern the difference between the potentially harmful opinions of others and real truth. It also includes a Scripture reference after each question/answer. ' Imagine a day in your life when you are not longer affected by what others think or say about you. Throughout your life many people will have their opinions of you. It's hard at times not to feel rejected or worthless. This game is designed to help children and adults quickly recognise the difference between someone's opinion, general facts and what is really true.' Check it out here... Resources: 1. The Protectors... Comprehensive Freedom-From-Bullying Programs and Resources 2. Stop Harassing Me Postcard program... an effective program to reduce instances of cyberbullying for older students. 3. Comforting Kids in Crisis... practical ways to help kids through their greatest challenges. 4.Fez and the Big Bad Bully.... a Bible memory buddy book from Group about standing up to bullies 5. StarShip Alpha.... a five-week program from LifeChurch dealing with the topic of bullying. 6. The Great Race.. a program from Elevate about Nehemiah. Week 3 deals particularly with bullying. 7.Truth or Trash... app as above We'd been there since early morning setting up for our Easter family event, 'Rock-n-Roll Easter', unsure of how many families and children would shortly walk through the door. The program was simple: children's ministry was responsible for a 15-minute segment of the worship service, the children's program and the following Easter egg hunt outside. This year, we'd decided to use Group's Rock-n-Roll Easter Event, and all the leaders were enthusiastic. Our worship service segment involved the kids as much as possible. 1. We started with the kids singing one of the praise and worship dvd songs provided in the kit. (If you haven't used Group's praise dvds before, it's well worth checking out. The kids really enjoy the music and love doing the actions and singing along with the kids on the clip. And.. it removes the pressure of wondering if the kids will sing or be overcome with stage-fright. The kids are also more confident and I just had to remind them that they just had to sing along with the songs we'd been practising during our regular programs.) 2.We followed with a clip with photos of the kids during their mid-week program, made using SmileBox, followed by the puppet skit supplied with the kit. 3.Some of our older kids presented the puppet show and it was also easy to prepare, since the voice-over audio is provided in the kit, too. 4. We included a clip from the Skit Guys to highlight the resurrection (see here). 5. The final segment was another song with the kids singing- He Arose. We encouraged the whole church family to join in singing this well-know chorus. Then we went out for our program. And again, it was really easy. We sang a couple more songs with the kids, showed them the Easter clip, A Very Special Easter. The Rock-n-Roll Easter Event provides clear instructions and resources for 8 activity stations; Gospel Wristband, Rock Craft Station, Resurrection Cupcakes, Rolling Rock Game, Silly Sphere Pool Station, Easter Skin Decals, Rock-n-Roll Singer station, & Candy Basket Station. We allowed the kids to go to whichever station they wanted, but limited the number allowed at any one time at a station. It worked really well... and the volunteers enjoyed it... (a big plus!) We played music to bring them all back to the main area before going out to the Easter Egg Hunt. The program suggests hiding plastic eggs which can then be redeemed at the designated area for a bag of Easter goodies including a comic Where the Rock Rolled Away that shares the gospel in a fun way. It worked very well with many parents commenting that they had never been to a better Easter program and Egg Hunt that not only was heaps of fun, but taught the kids something, too. So.. would I recommend it? Definitely... Our numbers swelled to three times our usual crowd of families and everyone had something encouraging to say about the morning. I even had new families coming up afterwards wanting to sign their kids in for our mid-week program, too. What programs did you use this Easter and how did it all go? If you're looking for a 'thank you' gift for your volunteers and leaders that is a little more meaningful than an Easter egg or a box of chocolates, then this simple egg candle may be useful- it's very easy to make. Then package it up with some plastic film and add a 'thank you' label'. Instructions: 1. Carefully cut the top off an egg and remove the egg. Rinse and dry. 2. Add a candle wick inside the empty egg shell and fill with candle gel. (The gel candle kits are readily available from most toy shops and contain the candle wicks and gel.) 3. Pop the egg shell candle in an egg cup. 4. Cut out 2 x 6cm diameter circles of styrofoam or corrugated cardboard 5. Cut a piece of clear plastic film 15cm x 21cm. (OHP transparency film would be fine.) 6. Place the egg cup with candle on one of the styrofoam circles. 7. Form a cylinder by wrapping the plastic film around the styrofoam circle and eggcup and secure with clear tape. 8. Attach the other styrofoam circle at the top of the cylinder. 9. Print the label. (see below) 10. Cut out and wrap around the base of the cylinder with eggcup. 11. Add a ribbon bow to the top of the cylinder, if required.
The Easter weekend is only days away and you still may be organising last minute details. If you're looking for printables and downloadable activities for your children's ministry Easter program, take a couple of minutes to look through these ideas. Simply click on the image of the printable activity to locate the website and further information. You'll find Easter treasure hunts, a jellybean devotion, Easter figures, colouring sheet and an Easter wreath. Thank your children's ministry volunteers, this Easter, with a simple iced cookie ('biscuit' in Australia) and thank you note. The cookies can be prepared beforehand and iced. You may even have a creative church family mum who loves to cook and would love to help you make these little edibles. The basic recipe is listed below, but you may have your own recipe that you prefer to use. After the cookies have been baked and cooled, cover with fondant icing and attach a bow to the stem. Print off the small 'thank you' notes onto light card.(see file below) Cut out and attach the cookie stem with a small piece of tape. Slip the completed cookie and note into a cellophane bag and hand out to your volunteers. Basic Cookie Recipe Ingredients: *1 cup butter * 1 cup sugar * 1 large egg * 1 teasp vanilla essence * 3 cups flour * 1 teasp baking powder * pinch salt Method: 1. Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. 2. Add egg and vanilla 3. Mix in dry ingredients gently, one cup at a time. Mix thoroughly until the consistency of the cookie dough is no longer sticky and can be handled. 4. Roll out half of the cookie dough between two sheets of baking paper until 5-6 mm thick. Use a flower shaped cookie cutter (or egg shape) to cut out cookies. Gently, insert a candy pop stick into each. ( If you have trouble with this, they can be attached later to the back of the cookie with icing.) 5. Place the cookies on a tray lined with baking paper. 6. Bake in oven 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes or just until the edges begin to lightly brown. 7. Ice with fondant when cool. (This recipe should make around 24-30 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.)
I usually find, whenever I create a list of suggested movie clips, that I've overlooked some great ones as soon as the blog is posted. So.... just realise that this list is not exhaustive but does contain some worthwhile suggestions to check out for use in your kids church and other programs over the Easter period. 1. INVITATIONS This is a great little clip to encourage your church family to invite along friends and family to your Easter events. 2. A VERY SPECIAL EASTER This clip uses crayon drawings to illustrate responses and comments by kids about the Easter story. It does have a great finish. 3. PETER & JOHN: THE TOMB This clip from The Skit Guys (I've included it below) would be great to use as a discussion starter with older kids: Why were they running? Who ran inside first? Why did their expressions change to delight and laughter?... 4. A VERY SPECIAL SUNDAY One from the series that tells the Easter story with line drawings through the eyes of children. 5. TINY BIBLE TREASURES 6- HE'S ALIVE This is another animated series retelling the Easter story (Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20) 6. AN EASTER STORY This presentation uses children as Bible characters to retell the Easter story. 7.WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT This short little clip would be a great introduction or conclusion to your Easter event and just highlights the real message of Easter. 8. THE JESUS EGG I've included this story clip about an Easter egg hunt. It has a great message that you might like to use as a discussion launcher or to develop further following Easter. 9. REMEMBER ME Friends and Heroes have a quality musical presentation of the Easter story. 10. I BELIEVE If you're looking for some downloadable music for your kids to sing along with, check out Groups selection. Our kids really enjoy them and love to see other kids singing, too. This is just one of the list available to download. How often do we access daily news media sources and learn of dangerous situations needing the help of emergency services? Whether it's police, fire and rescue services, ambulance, Life Guards, SES, St John's, Rural Fire Brigade... these organisations provide help and assistance to many, often without thanks or real appreciation. You may wish to take the opportunity, as a church or a children's ministry, to invite members from these groups to a special 'thank you' family service or event. A simple postcard-style invitation has been included in the file below plus a couple of decorative pieces- bunting, small labels for attaching to packs of chips or drinks, cupcake toppers. When we contacted these organisations, some offered to bring along their emergency vehicles, much to the delight of the kids! We also painted up some cardboard boxes as firetrucks and emergency vehicles and held races for the kids. You may wish to present a special certificate to all the emergency service personnel present. A simple certificate is available below. Another gift suggestion is to present each organisation with copies of the popular movies Fireproof and/or Courageous.
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