Thursday, September 21, 2017

My favorite blogposts for Christian Educators!




So I've been writing blogs now for a while and started wondering how many I had written just for Christian Educators.  I thought I'd make a list...then I thought...why not turn it into a blog ;) lol.  so - here are my blogposts just for Children's Christian Educators!  I had more than I thought - 46 to be exact!! Click on the picture or link to go to the blog.

1.  Do you have a Trunk or Treat at your church?  If not, consider it - it's a fun, inter-generational ministry that provides a safe place for the kiddos in your neighborhood!  

2.  I love the idea behind Advent Angels and I've done it almost every year since my kids were born.  I get the church involved as well!  It's another wonderful outreach activity that is also inter-generational!  


3.  One year at a church we organized a Parent/Child Valentine's Dance.  I looked around for months for ideas and put the ones I decided on in a blog :)  it was a lot of fun...I need to do it again!



4.  Maybe you could do a little cheer-spreading around your church neighborhood :)  Easy to do RAK's and not expensive!


5.  Want to have a Christian Easter Egg hunt with Christian fillers?  Here's an ideas...


6.  Looking for some good religious Christmas books that don't talk about Santa?  Here are some great ones recommended by other Christian Educators!


7.  10 fun ways to celebrate kids' birthdays in the church!!


8.  Some great apps you could use in your ministry!  31 ideas!  For some reason, google deleted the pics of the apps...but the names and links are still there :)  


9.  Looking for free resources you can use at church?  Here's a list of 28 sites!!  All free! :)

10.  Here are some Bible study books other Christian Educators have used in their churches.  I have not checked them all out so make sure they fit your theology before starting a class!  

11.  Here are some great ideas for worship music for your kiddos.  These were all suggestions off of different facebook groups I'm in!


12.  Sometimes it's hard to think of ways our children can serve others...here are some super fun ideas!



13.  A lot of churches are using worship bags now...here are some really neat ideas of things to put in them!!


14.  Leading your first Easter Egg Hunt can be daunting...here are some hints to get you started :)


15.  This is just an idea we had once to have our church "outside" of church :)  I thought it was a really cool idea but we didn't really do it.  Hopefully for the future!!
                                                      


16.  I love writing my own VBS!  It also can be a little scary to do your first one - but I've got lots of ideas here plus some of my own supplies if you want to use them!

17.  So I mentioned above that I used apps at church...here are some lesson plans i've written for Sunday school just for the ipad (and no the apps rarely include games!)

18.  this was just a cute idea I came up with for a t-shirt design for "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" - which was one of my VBS's :)

19.  Do you struggle with "prizes" or "rewards" in church?  Here are some ideas that aren't "candy" and trinkets"!  


20.  Many churches are leaning towards intergenerational ministry, which is wonderful!  Sometimes it's hard to think of fun, fellowship activities that all ages can do together.  So, with the help of lots of other Christian Educators, I compiled a wonderful list!

21.  A necessary evil - FUNDRAISING.  Want to make it fun?  Here are some wonderful and creative ideas that other churches have done!

22.  A couple years ago I started creating faith-based games to play with kids and youth.  I've now made around 50!  So, to commemorate the occasion, I wrote a blogpost that explained briefly each game :)  

23.  I was getting tired of spending hours preparing for an egg hunt when it only lasted 5 minutes :)  So, I created a way to make it not only last longer, but make it more fun, interactive, and religious!

24.  One of my most viewed blogs - especially during the pandemic! 

25.  Sometimes we need some filler games or a fun and interactive game to get our meetings started.  I went on a hunt for some popular ones used by other Christian Educators...here's what I found!

26.  So far, I've written 10 religious Escape rooms!  To help people decide which one to buy, I wrote a blog that describes each one!

27.  Are your board games getting stale and old?  Need some new ones to spice up your game nights or youth group game meetings?  I asked youth directors and Christian Educators what their groups favorite games were and I got almost 100 answers!!  They are organized by how many can play at one time, and then by age.  

28.  What kind of events can you do with your church...but OUT in the community?  Here are some fun ideas to create fellowship with your church OUTSIDE of your four walls!


29.  I've heard many SS teachers say that they have trouble with their prek curriculas...that they want to find some fun and new activities for their littlest cherubs.  Here are a few ideas I found and/or made specifically for preschoolers!

30.  You saw my Trunk or treat blogpost above, but this one is more specific.  What makes your Trunk or treat better than all the others?  I'll tell you - interactive trunks!!  And here are 25 very creative and great interactive trunk ideas to keep your families around longer! 

31.  Do your kids worship in the sanctuary with the adults?  (I hope so...at least part of the service).  If they do, here is a wonderful way to engage them while they are in the pews as well as teach them something!  

32.  Looking for a new way to tell the Easter message on Easter morning?  Here is a great interactive children's sermon I created that uses butterflies to help tell the story of the Resurrection.

33.  Lenten Goodie bags - During the pandemic, I sent home these goodie bags with each family so that they could celebrate and learn about Lent at home!

34.  Do you know people in your church that are alone on Christmas Eve?  That are homebound?  That are sick or in the hospital?  Have your kids or youth make these joy bags and deliver them to people right before Christmas.  Make sure it says, "open on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning on it!"

35.  These "blessing jars" are FANTASTIC!  I made one over a decade ago at a mom's group and used it with my own children for at least 10 years!  We LOVED it :)  We used it at dinner every evening!

36.  This "Twisted Mystery Thanksgiving Dinner" was absolutely hilarious!!  So much fun!  I highly recommend it as a fellowship dinner with your youth!


37.  Easter Alleluia butterflies - Thank you Illustrated Ministries for this wonderful idea.  This is how we tweaked it for our church!  You start at the beginning of Lent, and finish on Easter Sunday!


38.  This is a fun little Teacher Appreciation idea I did one year.  Turned out to be a wonderful gift and the teachers loved it!

39.  Looking for some fun, religious games you can play with your volunteers, staff, or other adult group?  Why should kids have all the fun!?  Adults need group building as well!  Enjoy these fun games I made!

40.  Guess the Emoji Bible Games.  This is one of my best selling games and there are 4 versions - Easter/Holy Week, Christmas, Bible stories, and Parables.  
41.  How do you welcome new members into your church?  Click to get some fun swag ideas as well as follow up suggestions.

42.  I'm very excited to offer this new product to everyone.  I spent a couple months while I was in Peru writing a family friendly, interactive month-long devotional on thanksgiving!  

43.  Summer Take out box ideas :)  I collected some fun ideas of items to include in your summer church "to go" boxes!

44.  We all love to do glow parties, but it's hard coming up with new ideas, games, and activities to do under black lights!  So, I browsed the interwebs and found some great and creative new things you can try! 

45.  This blogpost has been well received - and with good reason!  There are some incredible alternatives to VBS out there that other educators have thought up.  Although I still love VBS, I know it just isn't feasible for some congregations.  So, here is a collection of ideas from various groups and pages of summer alternatives to VBS!  There are some very creative people out there!

46. My favorite fundraiser to date was an "Easter Egging" we did before Holy Week.  It was my favorite because it was also a community outreach!  If you haven't heard of it, check it out!  It was awesome! 


So there ya go!!  maybe I'll keep adding some more as I get inspired at church and by other educators!  We're always a work in progress :)
God bless!











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