Workshops

Karl Bastian, the Kidologist

• Kidology 101: Effective Relational Ministry to Kids
  Kidology is the study of kids and their world. To be an effective minister to today's children, one must learn to do it from within the context of their culture. A working knowledge of a kid's world is an inroad to their heart. When children see that you are genuinely interested in their world, they in turn will become interested in what you are interested in -- namely God's Word and the Good News of Jesus.
  
  
• Making Your Discipline Problems Disappear
  Learn how to prevent discipline problems, how to deal with them effectively when they arise, with a special focus on what is going on in the minds and hearts of children when they misbehave so that you can better understand how to respond and mold them.
  
  
• Talk to the Hand: Teaching with Puppets
  Kids love puppets! Learn the basics of creating puppet characters that kids will adore - plus all the basic techniques you need to make your puppet come alive! In addition, discover multiple ways to use puppets to enhance your teaching. An overview of a variety of puppet types will be presented plus a list of resources of where you can purchase puppets and puppet supplies.
  
  
• Bringing Stories to Life
  Learn how to turn a mere story into a memorable learning experience for your students. We will begin with what must take place within the teacher first, utilizing that inner understanding of the story to best communicate through facial expressions, gestures, dramatic voice, posture, and more. Plus, you'll discover tips on a variety of ways to bring stories to life in the classroom.
  

Bill Allison

• Your First and Most Important Job as a Volunteer in Children's Ministry
  What's the most important thing you can do as a volunteer in children's ministry? You might be surprised at what you find out in this workshop. Come to learn by participating and having fun. Those with weak hearts and sour dispositions will feel totally out of place -- but they are still welcome!
  
  
• Training Really Does Make All the Difference
  Do you simply use volunteers to fill the holes in your children's ministry -- or do you develop and train volunteers to work in the most strategic mission field in America? How do you develop a culture of ministry training for the volunteers who serve in children's ministry?
  
  
• Why Volunteers Hate Meetings and What You Can Do About It
  Learn how to conduct meetings in such a way that volunteers actually choose to show up! You'll walk away with ten practical ways to make meetings effective and productive.
  
  
• You Can Recruit Excellent Volunteers Into Your Children's Ministry
  The harvest is plentiful in children's ministry -- but the pew warmers are many! You will leave with five specific, doable steps you can take to recruit excellent volunteers to work in your children's ministry.
  

Kimborah Bobb

• Praise Him! Raise 'Em!
  Discover what is current and new in children's ministry music. This upbeat workshop previews the some best music available for kids praise and worship along with some of our favorite oldies. Listen to and learn motions to many great songs that you and your kids will enjoy for many years to come!
  
  
• Life with CLUB 345
  Effective ministry to your upper elementary kids! Having trouble reaching this older age group? If so, this is the place for you to be. Take an in depth look at Club 345 and the mission and goals behind this thriving ministry for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.
  
  
• A Personal Trainer's Action Plan
  Don't know how to stay fit in ministry? If you're busy, overworked, and great with kids then you'll want to experience this workshop. Learn how to stay organized, together, and spiritually fit in the midst of ministry craziness.
  

Dick Crider

• No Cookie-Cutter Kids... Learning Styles For Children (Parts 1 and 2)
  Have you ever wondered why some kids are ready with an answer to your questions before you have finished your sentence? Or, why other kids always want to be the leader. It's all about learning styles and the way God made them. You can reach every student every week if you understand how he or she prefers to learn. Meet their needs at least once in every lesson and they will participate in the activities they normally don't enjoy.
  

Ron Fugle

• The Bible with Balloons (Beginners)
  If you never used balloons before, this workshop is for you. See how balloons are twisted and shaped to keep kids on the edges of their seats. You'll learn the basics of ballooning, while tying into Bible teaching and illustration. Discover what the ideal balloons, pumps, storage devices, and makers to purchase. You'll learn how to create the alphabet, make a fishing pole, build a ladder and create a cross. This workshop is great for first time 'twisters'.
  
  
• Teaching with Balloons (Advanced)
  Take your balloon twisting abilities "up a notch" as you learn more complex shapes. This workshop will illustrate the creation of a turtle, ladybug, flower, rainbow, and ark. In addition, you'll learn how to make a giant ostrich and various hates. Teaching applications will be shared via the "Full Armor of God" shapes and the "Wordless Balloon Bible." If you are looking for a more advanced balloon workshop that is very hands on, you've found the right place!
  
  
• Fun n' Simple Object Lessons
  Ron use simple and fun objects to teach the kids the Bible. By focusing on the use of a concordance, you can learn how to use sports equipment, gloves, rings, money, and other props to keep the attention of kids. Learn how to associate a Bible verses with each object and where you can find these teaching tools in your very own garage or basement. You'll need high energy to keep up!
  

Kal Gilchrist

• Food for Thought: Snacks That Teach (Parts 1 and 2)
  Do your kids come to Church hungry? Use it as a teaching tool! Fill kids with food …and God's Word! Kids love snacks, so feed them snacks AND teach a Bible lesson at the same time! Learn some fun activities that are snack-based and Bible-filled to use in Preschool classes, small groups or parties! So roll up your sleeves for some food crafts, food devotions, food games, food experiments, and even food service projects. Yum! Yum!
  
  
• Family Blitz: Planning and creating special events to bring children and parents together
  The churches of today have the opportunity to prepare parents for a more significant role in the spiritual development of their children. We are called to support parents in their efforts to raise godly, kingdom-focused, world-changing young people. Surveys indicate that parents are not so much unwilling to provide more substantive training to their children as they are ill-equipped to do such work. This workshop will help you plan and implement fun, wild and growth events to bring parents and children together successfully.
  
  
• Games, Relays, and Tag
  Come ready to play and participate in this interactive workshop loaded with relay and tag games. When you take time out to play games with your kids, relationships and teams are built!
  

David and Teesha Laflin

• Amazing Illusions You Can Make
  The message of Jesus Christ is so exciting! Learn to make many simple, yet amazingly powerful, illusions, and creative object lessons to tell the truth about the only One who does real miracles. You'll discover how to make professional quality illusions that have a message, teach about salvation with objects like rope and paper, and adapt simple principles to fit any theme.
  
  
• Introduction to Gospel Illusions
  Optical illusions, simple tricks, and surprises for the eyes can be tremendous tools for ministry. They provide a way to illustrate spiritual truth while holding the attention of an audience. So, why use gospel illusions? What does the Bible say about illusions? What are key concepts to remember? In this workshop you will see and learn plenty of illusions with strong message applications.
  
  
• The Magic of Children's Ministry
  Ministry to children is absolutely vital. The world is filling our kids with so many "illusions" about what is most important in their life. We need to understand the critical need to teach them the truth about God's love and help them stay on the right path. We'll talk about teaching children that they can be involved in ministry right now in addition to how you can share with others why children's ministry is so important.
  

Kris Smoll

• The Colors of God
  A thrilling new twist to the Wordless Book. Find out how to use this simple tool to effectively share the Gospel of Christ with kids of all ages. Learn how to creatively weave the Wordless Book colors into your curriculum in fun, exciting, low-cost ways including how to teach your kids to share their own faith.
  
  
• Got strategy?
  Effective children's ministry requires a clear focus and strategy. A key element to that strategy is measuring kids spiritual skill development. Discover how to create a skill development chart based on a vision-driven strategy. If you want to get your children's ministry more clearly focused, this workshop is for you!