Home Archive by category "Creativity" (Page 2)

Category: Creativity

Making Your Communication Personal and FUN with Bitmoji!

To capture people’s attention today, your messages need to stand out! Let’s face it, e-mail and text communication is a daily part of every leader’s day. But the people we are communicating with are inundated with messages from all areas of their lives. How do you make yours stand out? How can you bring a smile to people’s faces? I use a FREE app called Bitmoji, specifically, the iOS keyboard. You can search by key word of just scroll through LOTS of options then copy/paste or download to your device. Getting Started is easy (and free) 1) You download the app and set up an account. 2) You go through the steps of creating your character! 3) You can change outfits as often as you want! 4) You look for the ones you want to use and then HAVE FUN! Since it is a phone app, I search on my phone, and when you select one, it copies to your clipboard. I will then text it to myself and on my computer, download it from Messages to my desktop, and then I file them all in a folder. If the app ever goes away, I’ve got hundreds to use for…

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My Blog Challenge to YOU!

What you’re reading? OK, I did warn you. But welcome! So, I’ve been behind on blogging – and I feel just terrible about it. But unlike most bloggers where their blog is their primary platform for content, mine is Kidology.org – that where I have posted recently, from my complete Nerf War Plan to my own version of You’d Better Watch Out (Jesus is Coming to Town)! So, as the New Year approaches, I am presented with, “What shall I write on my blog?” My Facebook Page has replaced personal updates and the Kidology Facebook Group is where I interact the most with our wonderful kidmin community. I could share my Drone Pics and Videos, but that doesn’t really fit the name of this blog. (I did just start a FB Group for those who want to follow those adventures) I know that blogging is primary a writing platform, so I thought, what shall I write ABOUT. I’m currently already writing a book (more on that in the new year) but WHAT to write about on my blog? As a talker, trainer, writer – human with opinions – name any topic and I’ve got something to say. But it is…

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Sending Kids on a MISSION!

Kids come to church, listen, learn and then go home. But how do we impact how they live? It is so important to give children practical things they can do to live out what they are learning at church. Your curriculum likely calls that the “Application.” But just telling kids an application, doesn’t mean they’ll remember to do it! So how do you break into the routine and busyness of their week? Just like your lesson, you need to make the application fun. As we teach kids to share, give and be generous, we need to also provide them a way to DO it. How? Send them on a Mission! Our church is currently collecting school supplies for teaches and students at an inner city elementary school our church has partnered with. That is their mission. My mission is to make collecting these supplies fun. So last week, my son and I went to Walmart to demonstrate the Mission we want to send our kids on. Here is the video we made to get our kids excited about collecting these supplies. Making your own promo video is easy. I needed only an iPhone, a little bit of planning, and less…

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So Long Summer Party! Break the Mold!

This past Sunday I had a gift – an extra week between the lesson series I am doing. I finished up my summer series based on Rock Solid and will be starting GO! I love when I get a chance to break the mold and do something completely different! It is exciting for the kids and refreshing for the volunteers! So last Sunday, at my wife’s suggestion, we had a So Long Summer Party! We moved outside, played games, did acoustic guitar worship, ate popsicles and enjoyed using no multi-media! What a treat to not have to set up the computer, if only for a week! I planned the whole thing on one piece of paper! I gathered all the games I could find from my house and the church, and created a fun obstacle course where several teams could play at the same time. (I did a short Facebook Live with my drone if you’d like to see it from the air!) When is the last time you broke the mold and did something completely different? Shake things up. Do something new. Try something different. Don’t get stuck in a rut!

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Join Me at the Kidmin Conference

Join Karl at Kidmin Conference this fall! Save $100 – If you register by May 1st! I’m excited to be presenting at Group’s Kidmin Conference in Chicago this fall. I’ll be teaching workshops on Unleasing Your God-Given Creativity, Adding Pizzazz  to Your Teaching, and Becoming KIDmissional. These are extended hands-on learning experiences that will transform your teaching and give you practical ministry tools you can go home and immediately implement! Learn more and save $100 by registering before May 1st. To see my workshop descriptions, visit the Presenters page and click View Sessions under his name. I hope to see you there! Because Jesus Loves Children, Karl Bastian

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