While many are quick to quip, 'There's an app for that," whenever a need emerges, it's the search for the right tool or app that can be both daunting and time-consuming. And there are some wonderful apps out there that provide innovative solutions to many of our daily tasks at home and at work. But Evernote packs a punch when it comes to combining a lot of powerful applications and solutions in one itty-bitty app.  So what can it do to help you with your regular kidmin organisation and tasks?

Well, say goodbye to the growing pile of notebooks and loose papers on your desk. Evernote helps you to save, organise and remember everything that you need. Specific notebooks can be created within Evernote allowing you to collect and store media-rich information. Check out seven of these Evernote uses.

1. Online research. Checking online resources, sourcing ideas and reading helpful articles? Clip webpages, text, links and images for reading later using theEvernote web clipper.  Evernote syncs across your devices, too, so that you can access your information anywhere. See how-to here..

2. Email. Save important email messages and information. No more scrolling through endless emails for your access links, flight details or other important information. Find out how here.. You can also send tweets to Evernote ....see here

3. Kidmin photos. Take photos of kidmin events and activities and save in your kidmin notebook in Evernote. You can also save online images in Evernote. You can take several photos and add them to a note. Adding tags will allow you to locate any files quickly. See how-to here..

4. Snap photos of your receipts. While Evernote allows you to make lists and to-dos, it's also great to be able to store receipt information for your accounting purposes or for any product/equipment warranty. Evernote is very helpful for filing and saving any important financial details as well as receipts. See how-to here...

5. Event planning. Shared notebooks can be very handy when you're organising a special event with your kidmin team. Allocating tasks, to-do lists, tracking budgets, and ensuring everyone is up-to-date with everything is easy with Evernote. See how-to here..

6. Meetings. It's pretty obvious that Evernote is great for note-taking during meetings. But it's usefulness doesn't stop there. Use Evernote to create and share upcoming meeting agendas, take minutes and share outcomes. You can also create a meeting/agenda template from within Evernote. With its list creation ability, it's easy to check off attendees and organise and share task outcomes following the meeting. Remember to take photos of any whiteboard brainstorming during the meeting and file with the other notes from the meeting. See how..

7. Reading Kindle books. You can now file and reference your highlighted sections in any Kindle books you are reading, in Evernote. Save and access these and any notes you may make as you read or study this material and refer to it later or share with others. See how-to here..

Of course, there are other notebooks and apps that can be used in conjunction with Evernote... all worth checking out to improve and assist your organisation and administration tasks as you work with kids and families.

'Play is the highest form of research.' A. Einstein

Kids learn best when they move beyond passively receiving information to experiencing, interacting and engaging in learning activities. In others words, having fun and learning through play. How much more important it is, then, to learn, understand and experience Jesus and His love for them through fun learning programs and activities!

Use this simple idea, a wooden ruler, and include it with your other learning experiences about giving while learning the Bible verse, Luke 6:38. 

The following simple instructions outline how to make these rulers but once they're done...  have fun with them. Sure, the kids can measure concrete objects like tabletops, books or even their height. But it's even more fun to measure things like how wide is their biggest stride, how high is their tower of blocks or what size is the longest french fry they can find in a packet. If you're really adventurous, you could even bring along a grasshopper or two and measure its longest jump.

But, while you're having fun measuring, include some time to discuss things that can't be measured, that only God knows: how much we care for others and how cheerfully we give.

The instructions are very simple.
You will need for each child:
* a wooden paint stirrer
* sandpaper
* glue stick
*scissors
* ribbon
* ruler design file.. see below

I found, at our local hardware store, that paint stirrers are free so this makes the craft an especially inexpensive activity.

Directions:
1. Download the file below and print off copies of the ruler design. Kids will need to cut out their copy and ....
2. Lightly sand the paint stirrer.
3. Spread glue over the paint stirrer and adhere the cut out paper ruler to the wooden stirrer.
4. You will notice that the design, the decorative edge, extends beyond the width of the stirrer so this will fold around to the back of the stirrer.
5. Kids can write their name on their ruler and add the Bible reference.
6. To finish the creation, they may like to add some decorative media to the handle or tie some ribbon.

And that's it... simple.

Mother's Day is highlighted in red on my to-do list, not only as it's just around the corner, but also  because of the number of tasks involved in this special family event. 

Probably the most urgent tasks involve the promotion of our Mother's Day church and kidmin events. This means preparing a quality Mother's Day slide for the church announcements, an image for our social media pages and a handout/flyer for our kidmin families.

So... since I'm a little pushed for time, I instantly look to Smilebox.


Why Smilebox?
I really enjoy using PicMonkey and Canva for my graphics but, with Smilebox, I can create a quality image (slideshow or movie clip) in a very short period of time. Let me show you how.

Free slide below
But before I start, if you're desperate for a Mother's Day slide and don't have time to create one yourself, download this powerpoint slide (below) and come back later to learn how to create your own.

1. Download the program
You will first need to download the Smilebox program. (It only takes a few minutes.) You can trial it for free and continue to use it as a free version but the options are limited.

2. Then open the program. There are lots of options. Generally, I choose either Invitation, Greeting or Collage format. You can put in a search topic such as Mother's Day if you wish. Then choose one of the Greeting or Invitation designs. When you're happy with a design, click 'Personalise it'.

3. Add your own photos
On the left of the screen, you'll notice 'Get Photos and Videos'. Click on this to find the photo that you want to include in your graphic from your photo library.

4. Drag the photo into your design.
You can re-size or re-position it once it's in place. 

5. Choose your options
On the right of the screen, there will be colour or background choices. Try each until you're happy with the result.

6. Save your design
Once you're happy with the finished image; click on 'Save, Print or DVD.) Choose SAVE whenever you're given an option and Smilebox will create a file containing your design in your pictures library.

7. Use your image
Open the Smilebox file and insert the created image into your powerpoint slide, flyer or upload to your social media.... easy.

Other ideas and uses for Smilebox will be added in the near future so watch for these upcoming posts.

7 ways to share the real meaning of Easter with families

For many families, Easter is the finale to a busy week overflowing with family activities and commitments. Hot cross buns have been picked up in passing. Easter eggs and gifts are last-minute purchases, bought quickly without too much time for thought, and there has been little time to plan family Easter activities. Yet most are trying to avoid the over-emphasis on eggs and bunnies.They genuinely want to highlight the real meaning of Easter.

So with Easter just days away, how can you encourage busy families to include meaningful Easter experiences? Yes... they can attend your Easter events and services but, at home..????

In your weekly church e-newsletter, include some of these suggestions for your families or provide family Easter packs with information and resources to use during the Easter weekend.

1. Focus on & share Scripture: YouVersion provides free Easter artwork to download and share on Facebook, Instagram or anywhere you wish. Encourage families to download this Verse of the Day artwork as wallpapers for their smartphone, tablet or computer.

2. Devotions: YouVersion also provide a number of Bible reading plans, each designed to help families make the most of their time in God's Word at Easter.
You'll find the story of Easter, the hope of Easter, and Holy Week as just a few. These can be easily found on the Bible app.
Families can find an download afree e-devotional booklet by Billy Graham designed to prepare families for Easter. Available as a free download is Blessings of the Cross with devotions by Billy Graham, Max Ludado, Anne Graham Lotz & Stormie Omartian. 

4. Easter greetings: Send Easter email messages or post to Facebook with free e-cards from DaySpring cards. Alternately, families could use Smilebox to send personal Easter celebration pics and messages. It's even easier if  the free app is used- take the photos and send almost instantly.

5. Books: There are a number of books that celebrate the real meaning of Easter that can be purchased or downloaded as Kindle versions. Check out some of the books in the gallery below and use this link to find out more information from the book reviews.

6. Bible stories for kids: Help the Easter story live for kids with some of these resources.
Leadership for kids enables busy families to get biblical training on the go! Children can watch the videos on a home computer, tablet, or smartphone! There is a small cost involved- $4/month. 
The Bible App for kids now includes 2 new stories just in time for Easter.
What's in the Bible has provided a family devotion pack that included colouring pages for each day of the week that combine to create an Easter panorama.

7. Food: This Easter cookie idea, presents the true meaning of the Easter holiday to kids in a fun way that teaches as much as the end product delights. Each ingredient in this recipe and each step symbolizes a portion of the events that let up to the resurrection. For example: 
 Preheat Oven to 300 F. (Note: Do this first, don’t wait until you are half way done with the recipe!) Place pecans in Ziploc bag and let your children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.

• Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

• Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.

• Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.

• Read John 19:28-30

Full instructions here...

Use some of these ideas to encourage families to have fun and enjoy the Easter holidays and the gifts they will receive, but never forget the best gift of all- Jesus, and what He did for us on the cross.

As a child, I grew up watching wonderful puppets like Bill Steam-shovel and Mr Squiggle. These puppet characters, the dialogue, the ridiculous problems they encountered, and the fun and laughter kept us all, as kids, tuned in each week for a new and exciting episode. The delight of children, and adults, in puppets was taken to new heights, of course, with Jim Henson and his wonderful Sesame Street mob and the Muppets that fairly burst with character and personality. 

So how can you incorporate puppets and draw in that same delight and involvement in your kidmin programs and presentation? It's actually not as difficult as you may think.

Do you have some teenagers that are looking for a ministry area they can grow and develop? Are there some volunteers with work commitments that prevent a regular involvement in your ministry program? Why not suggest they form the nucleus of your puppetry team? 

Start with some fun training sessions and then send them home to practice with a puppet and script. If they've taken the time to practice at home, they should only need a few rehearsals and you're ready to present your first puppet segment.

So.. who's going to teach them the basics? Good question.

Unless you're a seasoned, expert puppeteer yourself, the easiest and probably the best way to teach novice puppeteers is to purchase a quality training dvd. There are not too many on the market but puppetsinc have some 'oldie but goldie' training dvds demonstrating the basics or advanced techniques. As they say themselves of this series: ' A blast to the past, this collection of six DVDs was made in the mid 1980's and the hair and clothing styles show it.' ( You can also purchase them separately.) But the techniques are timeless and will assist beginners and help more experienced puppeteers hone their skills.

Download the puppet training introductory handout below and use to present your training segment to your eager volunteers. (Print off the hand-out onto A3 paper and fold in half.) Alternatively, you could email 'bite-sized' training to your volunteers with video clips and great content to encourage and develop your team. These free training clips are readily available. Read more ....

And, of course, you'll need some puppets. The size and type of puppet will depend on how you intend using them. If you only have a small group, use smaller sized puppets. If you intend to present your presentation to a large group, then you'll need larger puppets. Don't skimp on size. I go for the 18-20" size puppets. But you only need a couple to begin with. You can find information about different types of puppets and suppliers on our puppet Pinterest board here..

You can use a laughable, character puppet to regularly introduce a segment of your program, a short puppet segment to highlight a special theme or a larger production for a special event. You'll find people puppets, animal puppets and even black-light puppets for special effects. 

When your team is first beginning, stick to using prerecorded puppet skits. That way, they can focus their attention on the movement, action and character of their puppets rather than the added difficulty of voice and dialogue. There are some wonderful skit recordings available. Check out puppetsinc for a full collection of large cast presentations, small or even solo recorded skits or varied lengths.

There are books of puppet skits with prerecorded diaolgue included like Instant Puppet Skits, or Just Add Puppets- great skits with humour that do more than just entertain- they teach. The books come with suggestions for introducing and concluding each puppet segment.

Axtell puppets, those wonderful latex puppet characters, are available with recorded dialogue and presentations with suggestions for use.

Yes.. working with puppets is tiring and, like anything else, if you want great results you need to practice. But there are tremendous benefits in using this versatile resource for your kidmin programs. 

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiritsdancing/2397420756/">Hil</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

With the competition of fluffy bunnies, brightly coloured Easter eggs and exciting Easter egg hunts instantly grabbing the attention of kids over the Easter period we, as parents and kidmin leaders, struggle to highlight the real message of Easter. How can we compete with the commercialization of Easter? How can we encourage kids to focus on Jesus' sacrifice and its eternal significance? These colourful presentations of the Easter story combine with interactive iPad/Android apps to grab kids' attention and deepen their understanding of Easter. 

The Toddler's Bible- Easter Story ($0.99)

My daughter-in-law was recently lamenting the lack of quality presentations for her little ones at Easter. This beautifully illustrated version of the Easter story is perfect for younger ages. Produced by David C. Cook, the story is written by well-known children's author, V.Gilbert Beers. 
'Your toddler is ready to start building a delight in the Word, a hunger to learn it, ad passion to read it. This is the age to begin building that delight, or hunger, or passion. Next year may be too late.' V.Gilbert Beers 

Dave the Donkey

This is a fun retelling of the story, with great illustrations, that grabs their attention while teaching of the importance of Easter. The blurp from producers, Lost Sheep: 'Jerusalem. A lone rider approaches. The cheering crowd swarm to greet him. The King has come, mounted upon his mighty steed Dave the Donkey! Join Dave, his Grandpa and Jesus in this epic Easter tale of power, courage, death and resurrection. If you like Black Beauty you will love Dave the Donkey. Other story formats are available and free downloads.
Dave the Donkey app ($2.99)
Dave the Donkey Easter resources

Easter Hunt Devotional app

The Easter Hunt Devotional app presents an interactive approach with games to play and treasures to find ( egg hunts and puzzles to solve with the egg) that lead to the devotion. Includes 12 separate Easter devotions that can be used daily with the fun activities or read in larger portions.

There is a surprise 3D model of the tomb included on Resurrection Day that kids can explore.

Yes, Easter is an exciting time for kids but balance these fun aspects of Easter with some of these interactive apps that focus on the real meaning of Easter 

Have you been asked to present a kids' segment for Palm Sunday's worship service?

There are certain times, certain seasons, important events on everyone's calendar, that roll around every year- like Palm Sunday, Christmas and Easter. And although we know and expect them it's not easy to find a different way, each year, to present these important truths in a way that resonates with kids and families and impacts lives.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we're using Group's Walk with Jesus but presenting it weekly to the whole church family rather than a full Easter experience, as designed. Our first segment was last week. So I thought it might be helpful to report back and let you know how it went.

We decorated the church as outlined in the program's manual- naturally, a surprise for everyone as they arrived on Sunday. The provided soundtrack with the noise and excitement of Jerusalem was playing in the background and certainly added some atmosphere. We handed out the collectible cards and FamilyTime devotion booklets, and asked them to decorate a cardboard palm leaf. ( I wasn't sure how they would all react to this but we actually had trouble encouraging them to leave this activity and move inside.)

The Palm Sunday segment only lasted about 8-10 minutes and again, I wasn't sure whether everyone would interact with the activities (choosing a shout of praise for Jesus and writing it on their card leaf, standing up to wave and cheer for Jesus, and lastly, moving to the centre of the church to lay their palm leaves upon the sandy pathway while singing a closing song of worship.)

I was surprised and delighted when many of our church family mentioned, following the service, how much they had appreciated the special segment we had presented. Great! There will be another segment in church this week. If you'd like to see how we presented the Palm Sunday segment, I've included it below.

So.. what are you planning this year for Palm Sunday and Easter?