How I use Ipads in church!

                                                  

I have been using Ipads in our Sunday school for 2 years now - I am planning our third.  I find it a lot of fun (and a challenge!) to use technology in an interactive way that not only engages the children but also teaches them!  Here is the first blog I wrote about apps/ipads and some ideas of different apps that I use/suggest.

I am sharing with you all the Bible stories that I have done in the past few years and the lesson plans I wrote for each story.  The curricula we use for Rotation Sunday school doesn't include Ipad/app lesson plans so I do my own researching, playing around, trying out and lessons.  It takes a lot of time to be creative (and buying and playing around :) and then write the lesson plan so I am charging $3 for each lesson or 10 lessons for $20.  As you'll notice in the lessons, I like to use youtube videos to review or introduce the story.  Once a month, it's a fun change of pace - especially if I can find a lego video - the kids love those :)  Since youtube isn't child friendly, I suggest only putting it on one ipad (if you can) and "hiding it".  You can put it in a folder with other apps but put it a few pages/swipes over so that it can't be seen easily by the kids.

  I have a few suggestions if you are just now setting up your Ipads.  Ideally you want to have an Ipad for every 2 kids - and yes, I suggest Ipads over other tablets for a couple reasons - which I'll tell you in a minute.  You don't have to have one for every two children though.  We don't.  Some classes have more kids and they have to share.  But, as you will see as you read some of my lesson plans, many of them work even better if you use the app as a group.  Those of you that have used computer labs in the past may be thinking - what?! :)  The great thing about apps is that they are SO much cheaper than computer programs and also that they offer a much larger range of activities.  Did you know there are apps that allow the children to draw "live" while recording their voice at the same time?  This makes for a great re-telling of a story that can be recorded and sent to the parents or showed on the screen for the congregation!  Or that there are apps that let you make a complete storybook that will play back to you?  Most of my lesson plans do not include "games" - although a few do.

  Okay, now I will tell you why I prefer Apple. One, there are more choices as far as apps and two, you can connect it with the apple tv.  I suggest you get one.  All of the tablets can be connected together - so when you buy an app on one tablet, it shows up on all of them.  The reason I suggest the Apple TV is because you can hook it up to a projector and then each child can project their own screen up onto the large screen.  That way, even if you are doing something in small groups, you can have a "sharing" time at the end where they can show their picture/drawing/video, etc.  to the whole group.  The Apple TV's are around $80 but you may have someone in the congregation willing to donate an old one - you don't need the latest version because you're only using it to project.

Another suggestion is that you set up some kind of movable cart to transport the ipads around and that also contains one of those outlet strips to charge them.  You will have a lot of cords and plugs and they will "walk away" if you're not careful ;)  I velcro-ed mine to the cart (as well as the strip).  So now, I can plug them all in and charge them by just plugging in the strip.

Now...for the stories!

All my lessons are on Teachers pay teachers.  This is a more detailed list, but I'm not giving away the farm :)  This took years of work and as much as I love my fellow educators, time is money :)  Most of these apps can be used with a variety of stories which is another reason I like ipads better than computers :)  so, the lessons are specific to the stories - but could be used for others (and I make some suggestions).

1.  Elisha/Elijah:  This lesson would best be used as a review to a story.  However, I've used the app as a discussion starter for a Bible study and I've used it for no educational purpose - just for fun :)  This is one of my favorite apps now and in the last year it has become an actual app you can download instead of getting it off your browser (which makes it even easier!).

2.  10 Lepers:  Do your kiddos like to act stuff out?  Are they "dramatic"? :) If so, this app would be great.  We used it for the Ten Lepers but any story with a simple plot, enough characters for your kids and minimal props would work.  I immediately thought of Daniel in the Lion's Den and Jesus Walks on Water.

3.  David and Goliath:  This is one of the few stories that get so much attention that it has apps just for it!  I tested out about 10 apps, some free, some I bought; and picked 4 that I used with my kids.  One we did all together and the other 3 I let them play around with.

4.  Abraham and Sarah:  The app I chose for this story is a very versatile app that I've used for different kinds of stories.  I liked it especially with Abraham though because this is a long story, with different parts and settings.  Other stories that would go well with this would be similar - like Jesus' birth story (the whole story), Easter, Joseph, Jonah, Shadrach/Meshach/Abednego, etc.  This app would work best if you have the apple tv because each small group will need to project their screen up for everyone else to see.  I like this app because it brings old school to new school :)

5.  Four Friends (man lowered through roof):  this app is funny but a little complex.  Let the kids have some time to mess around with it to get the feel for it.  It works in the same was as the one above, but settings are limited so stories that take place in one spot work well with it.  This app has more animation though than the one above.  Other stories that I can think of - Samuel's call (bedroom), Adam and Eve (garden), lost sheep (outside), etc.  most of these aren't religious apps (which isn't a big deal) so the kids had to substitute different characters and things to represent what they needed.  It turns out to be pretty funny...yet educational!

6.  Creation:  I LOVE this app :)  I could use it with every story!  I think it works best with stories that have numbered items like the 10 commandments, beatitudes, Psalm 23 or other long scripture.  Give each small group their section and let them figure out what they are going to draw and what they are going to say!  One of the reasons I love this app is because I can make a youtube video out of it and the parents can watch :)

7.  Samuel's Call/Jesus' baptism/Joshua and the battle of Jericho and other stories about "listening":  There are a lot of stories in the Bible that focus on listening - listening to God, listening/obeying your parents, listening to others, etc.  I use a variety of listening apps that I found and tried out that contain games and activities as well as a group activity to film and show to the parents or other classes.  In addition, there are some youtube videos utilized to teach about sound and videos to watch on the stories.  This lesson plan has 2 separate lessons - one for Samuel and one for Joshua.

8.  Joseph:  This app could be used for any story as a review.  It's a popular game and the app can be used for this game or other activities.

9.  Prodigal Son:  The apps I used for this lesson plan (this has a separate lesson for prek/k) can be used with other stories, but the lesson is written specifically for the Prodigal Son story.  They concentrate on the "lost and found" part of the story - how we may, at times in our lives, be or feel lost, but God is always with us.  We are never lost to God :)

10.  Feeding the 5000:  As the one above - this lesson is written specifically for this story, but the apps can be used for other stories.  I emphasized the number in this lesson - just how much is 5000?  It's hard for anyone to comprehend but even more so for kids.  This will give them a visual to just how many times did Jesus multiply the fish and bread!

11.  coming soon - Ruth and christmas!

If you have found any other apps that you think would work great in church please comment below!  I'm finding new ones every day :)

Apps in church?...

YES!!  Times have changed...schools have changed, church has changed, worship has changed, technology in church has changed...so why is Sunday school STILL the SAME?!?!  I don't get it and I won't stand for it :)  I love to write and I'm trying to write my own curriculum that is different from anything else out there that is not read word for word (kids don't like that and neither do I) and simpler.  This is my new mantra...simplify, simplify, simplify!!  There is no reason that Sunday school teachers should have to plan for 1-2 hours per week to teach their class about God.  It can be easier and still be meaningful!  While I'm working on that however, I am enjoying learning about different ways to use technology in our sunday school rooms and I love the idea of using tablets and apps...maybe every Sunday during some part of our class or maybe a special rotation once a month.  Like I said, I'm still working out exactly how this will work, but thought I'd go ahead and start compiling cool apps that I have heard about or used.  I've joined a facebook group called children's pastors only and there have been some really good suggestions.  So this is my "running" list that I will hopefully keep adding to as I find more :)  To see how I've used some of these apps in lesson plans for our Sunday school go HERE.

     Of course we have our well-known "givens" - facebook, pandora, pinterest, the Bible app and dropbox has become popular (and useful).  So I'll start my list with others you may not have heard of (I hadn't heard of many of these!).  After some reading I've divided my list into 3 parts - games/education apps, organizational and classroom tool apps (including check in) and creative/media apps for things like making flyers.

GAMES/EDUCATIONAL APPS to use in church, Sunday school, at home, mid-week activities, etc.

1.  Bible App for kids by Youversion - from the website - "Through interactive adventures and beautiful animations, kids explore the big stories of the Bible. The Bible App for Kids is a delight-filled experience designed to encourage kids to return again and again. It’s the beginning of a lifelong love of God’s Word.
* Easy, kid-friendly navigation
* Colorful illustrations
* Touch-activated animations
* Engaging, interactive content that brings the Bible to life
* Fun facts and activities designed to help kids remember what they learn

* Special challenges that let kids earn rewards
The app is free and available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Brazilian Portuguese.  It is available for Apple products, Kindle and Android!  Why don't I already have this for my kids on their ipad?!

And I just found out that there is a new FREE curriculum (two year plan) that goes along with this app!  Here's the link.

2. NIV Adventure Bible Game App - I got this for my kids and it is awesome!!  It has games like jeopardy and who wants to be a millionaire and also has games that help you learn places in the Bible (maps), the books of the Bible and memory verses. Says for ages 6-8 but you could go older.  It's free (!) but I think it's only available for Apple products.

3.  Kidblog - I love the idea of kids blogging.  I know not all of them want to do something like this, but those that want to, should be given the chance.  I haven't used this app, but it looks pretty self-explanatory.  I have a second grader and his class blogs every other week or so and it's really neat to see what they have written - even if it's just a paragraph :) They can comment on an activity they did in class, a story they learned, or anything that's on their minds.  What a great way for parents to know what they are learning!  It's free but only for iphone/ipad.  *update* this has recently changed - it is no longer free.  There is a monthly charge.  Although I like this app, I have changed my church blog to google.  

             

4.  Bible Trivia.  (link goes to itunes, go here for Android) There are a lot of Bible trivia apps out there but this is by FAR the most popular and is ranked 5 stars.  It's free and available on ipad, iphone and a similar one by the same company on Android.  Seems like a no brainer :)  Gotta get it!

5.  Have you seen the American Bible Challenge Game Show on the GSN?  It's a pretty neat show and they also have an App!  It's free, in all different languages and available for apple and Android products.  The only thing I'm not sure of is the difficulty.  It does say it has levels but I don't know what age level it is recommended for.  It's free so you can always try it out :)

6.  The Superbook Bible App is a fun app with games for preschoolers and older.  It's available for kindle, android and apple plus it's free!  

7.  Show Me - My second grader's teacher also uses this free app and finds it very helpful.  She says that it serves as a recordable, interactive whiteboard. Her words, "I can display the iPad screen through the projector and either work through a problem for the students, or pass the iPad and have the students work through a problem. I've also used this to record students as they explain how they are working through a math problem. I post these videos on our blog as helpful “how to” videos for parents.  I've also emailed the recorded videos to the students’ parents to show off how well they’re doing!"  I can already picture how we could use this in our Sunday school rooms!!  I think it is only available for apple products.

8.  My story  for Ipad/iphone and Storymaker for Android.  My story description ($4.99):     "* Create and share ebooks and stories by adding drawings, photos, and stickers. 
* Record your voice on every page and share your story with friends, family and classmates!
* Choose from dozens of fun stickers already included in the app, no extra downloads needed.
* No in-app purchases, hidden ads, or additional costs.
* Share your storybooks to the web, on Facebook and Twitter, and standard ePub format to be viewed in 3rd party apps or edited in iBooks Author. Or export as a movie to Mp4 format straight to YouTube!
* Teacher friendly: allows for multiple authors and syncing across multiple iPhones and iPads through Dropbox!

Sounds great - I'd definitely make this a "must have" app for Sunday school!

Organizational and classroom tool apps (including child check-in)

1.  Remind - This is a very popular App and I have it on my phone and want to use it with my Sunday school class as well as the entire children's ed department!  You can keep in touch with parents about class activities, upcoming events, etc. without them having to know your phone number or vice versa.

2.  Classdojo - My child's teacher uses this in the public school.  It's mainly a behavior tool to let parents know how your child is doing in the classroom, but you can also communicate with everyone as a whole group, individually...even send pictures and links.  I'm thinking this would be a great tool for classes at church, and remind would be great for the entire children's department...

3.  If you lead a small group, this app was recommended - Leadsmall.  From the website: 

 "It helps Small Group Leaders stay in touch with their group by keeping everyone's photos, info and prayer requests all in one place. You can also send group texts, too!  It is packed with daily tips and ideas to help Small Group Leaders be more awesome at it.  And, small Group Leaders get a guide for their weekly conversation, and a devotional for themselves delivered straight to their phones every week!"  It's free and available for Apple and Android.

4.  Pages:  

From the webpage - "Pages is the most beautiful word processor you’ve ever seen on a mobile device. This powerful word processor helps you create gorgeous reports, resumes, and documents in minutes. Pages has been designed exclusively for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch with support for Multi-Touch gestures and Smart Zoom."  It's $9.99.

5.  Bitstrips  for schools: This is a fun alternative to do in response to a story or lesson instead of blogging :)  Basically, you create your own comic strip...and you can star in it! The opportunities for this are endless and the kids would love it...however, it is $10 a month. Unless you plan on using this alot it may not be worth it. Be careful that you don't get the Bitstrips app...it is for 12 years and older and has inappropriate content.  Available for Apple and Android. 

6.  Quite a few educators recommended Edutecher.  I downloaded it on my phone but it has frozen on me a number of times.  Not sure why.  It's a free app availbable for iphone/ipad and android and helps you search through all the apps according to subject or functionality.  It's just a great way to find and learn about other apps that are out there.

7.  Vittle is a good app for story-telling.  This would be fun to use when telling or retelling a story that you can illustrate as you tell...or the children can illustrate :)  Click on the link and check out the video.  It's free but you can only get one page and one minute recordings with the free version.  You can upgrade to get more for $8.99.  It is only compatible with ipad.  

8.  Explain Everything sounds like a really neat app if you have the equipment in your classrooms to show presentations, videos, etc.  I would love to get to this point in Sunday School!  I'm already picturing all the cool things we could do :)  On the app store for the iphone it says it costs $2.99 and on the website it says it is also available for Android devices.

9.  Whiteboard.  I'm not sure how this is different than Explain Everything.  It seems like this wouldn't be necessary if you had the Explain Everything app.  The reviews say that it is "ok" but that it has too many ads.  It's made for apple products and is free.

There are a lot of apps out there for check in - for Sunday school or nursery.  I'll list them, but here's my two cents.  For something this important I wouldn't rely on technology.  Way too many things could go wrong.  Some of these rely on wireless and we all know how often that stops working.  Parents could forget their phones, have them on mute, your system could be down, etc.  Another person commented that they spent $800 on a check in system and the internet tended to run slow because the server was being flooded with all the churches that were using the system at the same time.  The church I just started with has a sign in sheet for the nursery and the restaurant type buzzers.  We have the cell phone numbers just in case.  I'm not completely happy with it because there needs to be name tags for visitors and their belongings...but I like the check in process.  Simple!  But, if you are looking for something different, here are some apps that were recommended...

10.  nursery alert - available for android and apple. Apple has it listed as $3.99.
11.  Check in easy - Android and Apple.  Free to check in up to 50 people.
12.  Kidddo Kiosk - Android, Apple and Kindle.  Free up to 20 people then $10 a month.
13.  Lambslist - this is a $50 a month program or $500 a year to check in, acquire data,           keep track of volunteers, members, etc.  I didn't see anything on the website about an app.
14.  Planning Center is also an online program that oversees check in, registration and many other things.  It also has an app.  It's more expensive than Lambslist at $126 a month for a medium church.  
15.  Real Time can be used for your entire church as well as ministries and check in.  For a 300 person church it is $50 a month.  It also has an app for Apple.
16.  Sonblest Technologies is another program for the entire church to use.

Creative/media apps and websites

1.  Glogster - I had no idea what this was...or what a glog was, so I watched a video on youtube :) Basically, it's a way to create an interactive poster.  Pretty cool actually.  I could see using this in our children's ministry.  Pricing can be found here.  Elementary schools cost $39 a year...

2.  Print Artist - $38 on amazon...but read the reviews - the majority are not good.

3.  picmonkey.com - collages, touch ups, editing...

4.  publisher - link takes you to amazon.  by far this is the most recommended from the facebook group on how to edit pics, make posters, etc.  However, if you have a tight budget $100 may be too much to spend...

5.  Phoster - $1.99 - that price sounds more doable, right? :) This app creates posters and invitations.  Available on apple products.  But Android has a similar one called Photo Editor pro that has great reviews and is free.

6.  Canva - free.  There may be a catch but it looks like a great website and the ipad app is free. 

7.  Smilebox - another website that creates slides, invites, collages and more supposedly for free.  

Well that's it!  So many good ideas out there - this is just a start!  If you have any great apps or websites you want to share that make your kid ministry better than please share!  It's fun too keep up with the latest apps and programs but also very difficult without sharing!  So share away! :)

In Christ,

Laurie