If Prairie Dogs Could Talk...

Yaay! It's another Friday! And Friday is Funday here on the blog... hey... that means you made it through another week! Woo-hoo for you! Nice job. Your reward for hanging in there is this fun little video reminding us of the importance of service & humility, courtesy of everyone's favorite Prairie Dog, Pats.



Until next time... don't be a Pats!!! Get out there and wash some feet! (No matter how grody there are!) -- Hope you have a great Sunday!
~cp

Cray-Z CrayonZ

If your church is like most, you probably have a literal "mess" of useless broken crayon bits laying around. Instead of throwing them away, try this... 

Step 1: Gather your broken bits and peel off any leftover labels.

Step 2: Put the peeled pieces into muffin cups, filling each cup about half way (use liners to protect the tin if you like, or dedicate a tin for easier extraction and smoother edges)

Step 3: Bake the batch in a 325-degree oven for 5-8 minutes (or until the mixture is magnificently melty)

Step 4: Take them out, let them cool & harden... then color! 

before

  

 after

This is a fun activity you can do with your class, and it's a great way to conserve resources & save money. The end result is a cool collection of chunky cray-Z crayonz that your kids will love to color with. 

TIPS to TRY: 

- Group similar colors into each cup to keep your colors consistent, or mix things up to create custom color combinations

- Use different tin sizes & shapes... try using large muffin cups, minis, heart shapes, whatever!

Owlsome Advice - Happy Friday!

It's a rainy Friday outside our Nashville production facility, and we thought it'd be fun to post a silly video clip, just to make you smile. -- As a matter of fact, we'd like to hereby declare that Fridays are Fundays here on the KIDMO Blog! This week's clip, featuring the advice of the oh-so-wise(?) Owlsome Owl, comes to you from the Johnny Roger's Knights of the Rectangle series. -- Remember... be comfortable with who you are! Don't be jealous! ~ Have a great weekend!

Building a Relational CHAIN - #5 NOTICE

For those of you following my series on building a relational CHAIN to your kids,  I bring you the last link in the acronym!!! Yaay!!!

Connect    Honor    Ask    Invest     NOTICE

Today's link is brought to you by the letter "N" ...NOTICE. As in, notice what is happening in the lives of your kids. The three keys to noticing are as simple as crossing the street. In fact, if you can do one, you can do the other! The secret to both is to Stop, Look, and Listen.

1) STOP - Often the greatest ministry opportunities show up when we're busy, and too many times, we miss them. When faced with a choice between a child or a chore, we need to stop what we're doing, kneel down, and invest some time to make that child feel special.

2) LOOK - Appearances can be deceiving. There can be hurts and worries behind well-groomed smiling faces. As leaders, we need to be intentional about pausing our busyness long enough to look children in the eyes and see into their hearts.

3) LISTEN - You can find out a lot about a kid's life if you simply listen to them. Listen for comments that will give you clues about their family, friends, school, likes and dislikes. These clues will help you see what is truly going on in the life of a child so you can know how to pray for and minister to the kids in your class.

As children arrive in your ministry this week, beware of being so busy that you miss the opportunity to truly notice what is happening beneath the surface in the lives of your kids. Building a relational bridge sometimes requires us to put something down and empty our hands, so that we can reach out to our kids, "hands free" and fully available.

Johnny Rogers

Check out Johnny's personal blog here

Three Questions

There’s no doubt about it… running a children's program can be downright dizzying... and sometimes, draining! Especially if you don’t know whether or not the kids are “getting it.” In light of the flurry of activity that surrounds your service times, it helps to be completely clear and purposeful about your primary teaching each and every week. Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as you might think…

As you review your lesson in preparation for your group time, make sure that you (and all your leaders) can answer these three simple questions about the content.

1) What do you want the kids to know?

2) Why do you want them to know it?

3) What do you want them to do because of it?

If you can prepare your leaders so that they can answer these questions before the kids arrive… they’ll know exactly why they are teaching what they are teaching. And if your kids can answer these questions before they leave… they’ll know exactly why they are learning what they are learning!

While I can’t claim original ownership of these three questions… (I got them from Johnny Rogers who got them from some other wise one) I want to pass them on to you so that you can pass them on to others. They are a super place to start as you prepare to present God’s truths to your students, and an excellent way to test whether or not the truths you teach are taking root in the hearts and minds of your kids.

~cp

New Lil K Series: God's Kid!

We're pleased to announce the recent release of a brand new Lil K preschool series called God's Kid. In this series, based on Luke Chapter 2, your kids will learn that Jesus was an amazing kid! He listened, learned, obeyed... He even taught in the temple! They'll see that Jesus was a very special kid because He was God's Kid!

Take a minute to check out the new trailer here... then pop over to www.KIDMO.com to read more about the series.

KIDMO! on the Go

Last week children’s ministry workers from across the country (and around the world!) gathered outside Chicago for the 10th Annual Kid U Celebration Conference in Chicago. The event is put on by the fine folks at Kidology (www.kidology.org). Their mission: to equip and encourage those who minister to kids. The four-day event included Leadership Labs, Volunteer Workshops, a Celebration Banquet, worship led by Alan Root, and an exhibit hall featuring a number of super-cool sponsors, including… (drum roll please) …US! 

Our magnificent Marketing man, Mr. Mark Campbell, hit the road to represent KIDMO!  at the show. “Kidology University was an amazing gathering of Kids Ministry workers from across the country, and this year, from around the world. We were proud to be there as a sponsor. Working the KIDMO! booth is always fun. We get to see some of our KIDMO! users and hear how our resources are working to meet needs in their churches. Plus it's always a blast to introduce KIDMO! to new folks.”

 

This trip was particularly fun for Mark because he was accompanied by a special sidekick. “I got to take my 10 year old daughter, Abigail… we saw live concerts with KIDZ BLITZ & GOD ROCKS... and we got to stop in Downtown Chicago on the way home for some Pizza Uno and a visit to the brand new American Girl store. Life is Good!”

Check out the Kidology website to learn more about the Kid U event and the many other ways that they can help you in your ministry. One note: Their website is Kidology.org not .com!

Parenting Ain't Easy

According to a 2007 survey by The Barna Group, it appears that a lot of parents are struggling. In its April 23, 2007 update, www.barna.org reported that...  

1. A majority of parents feel overly busy, stressed out or are buckling under the pressure of mounting financial debt.
2. Most adults are dissatisfied with their job, even though it consumes a majority of their waking hours.
3. American parents tend to blame other parents for the problems evident among today’s young people while excusing themselves from any blame. A large share of parents, however, do express worry about the future that their children will inherit and how prepared their children are to deal with the challenges of that future.Fewer than one out of every ten families have parents who pray together, study the Bible together and lead the family in regular explorations of their faith.
4. The standards that parents have established for evaluating their own performance as a parent are innocuous. If their children have avoided publicly recognized problems - such as physical or substance abuse, gang involvement, satanic activity, pregnancy, or physical aggression - and continue to get passing grades in school and stay relatively healthy, the parents believe they are doing an acceptable job.
5. Few parents are aware of the dramatic effect the media have upon people’s behavior and values. Just 9% of parents believe that the media are the most significant influence on their children’s lives, and only one out of every three parents of kids under 13 impose any significant restrictions or limitations on how much or what type of media their children are exposed to. Shockingly few parents have discussions with their children about the content of the media they have digested."

So... as you minister to the children in your church, remember to be prayerfully aware of the pressures that their parents are under.    

Interested in more? Read the full article here: http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=269

Building a Relational CHAIN - #4 Invest

Are you busy? Me too! When our frantic weeks are filled with the busyness of life, it's hard to imagine finding more time to give away. But would you scrounge together a few minutes if you knew it would make a transformational difference in the life of a child? Me too! In fact, if you are truly going to invest in something, it is going to cost you something up front.

Connect      Honor      Ask      INVEST      Notice

Building a strong relational CHAIN often requires making an extra investment with our time. Here are some practical ways that you can INVEST in the lives of your kids this week: 

1) Ask, Listen & Remember - When children 

arrive in your ministry, ask them about their week, listen more than you talk, and remember what they share so you can follow up the next time you see them. 

2) Pray For Your Kids During The Week - Have your kids write down prayer requests so you can pray specifically for them throughout the week. Remember to follow up and ask for updates. This will remind each child that you really are praying for them.

3) Mail Your Kids A Note - Kids love getting mail! Sending a simple note to a child in your group is a great way to let them know that they are important to you. It doesn't need to be long or profound. A simple comment like, "I'm so glad you are in my group" or "I'm praying for you" are great ways to let kids know that you care.

Imagine being able to pray specifically for your kids throughout the week. Imagine looking a child in the eye and telling him he was prayed for all week long. Do you think that might make a difference? Absolutely! It might make all the difference in the world for your kids.

Johnny Rogers

Check out Johnny's personal blog here.

Building a Relational CHAIN - #3 Ask

We've been looking at ways that we can build a strong relational CHAIN to the kids we minister to. Today we'll look at the third aspect of the CHAIN... Ask.

Connect     Honor    ASK     Invest     Notice

Conversation can be a key to unlock a meaningful relationship with a child. However, many kids are not natural conversationalists. So how do you start a connection with a kid through conversation? The first step is to get them talking.

I recommend using these 3 questions to create connections with your kids: 

1) ASK - How was your week? Asking kids about their weeks sends the message, “I’m interested in you. Tell me something about your life.” 

2) ASK - Did anything different or unusual happen to you this week? If a child is drawing a blank, offer some possibilities like, "Did you win your game? Did you go swimming?" Asking specific questions will help jog a child’s memory. Kids might not simply offer information, but they will share in great detail if you ask them the right questions. 

3) ASK - Do you have any brothers of sisters? or Do you have any pets? Many children have siblings or pets and they love to talk about them. Having a child share about brothers, sisters or pets can give you great insight into a child's family life.   

Once a child begins to share, stop talking and start listening. In fact, listen more than you talk. Showing genuine interest in what a child is sharing means listening intently. As you get to know them better you become better equipped to minister to them more effectively.

 I Thessalonians 5:11 tells us that we should, “…encourage each other and build each other up.” One way to begin encouraging your kids is to take an interest in their lives. 

So this week, ask your kids about their lives and listen to them! You may be surprised by what they have to say.

 

Johnny Rogers