Courtney Baker, Author at Kids Ministry

May 3, 2013

A creative space for Kids Ministry brainstorming!

Earlier this year, our team here at LifeWay decided we wanted to add a little excitement to our floor. That sounded like the perfect project for Pam and me, so we started a project that would take us much longer to finish than we ever imagined, but the result was worth all the patience it took for us to see this project come to life.

Here’s how Pam and I like to start….with a clean slate.

However, that is not how it was for this project. I’m sure many of you also have to work with what you are giving, and that was certainly the case with this project. We had some great book shelves, but we had a lot of random stuff on them. Our first objective was to get some great artwork on the walls. If you’ve seen our LifeWay Kids catalog, you might recognize the art.

Next we decided on a pretty strict color pallet, tangerine, surf, grass green, and black & white. We then decided to take all the random stuff on the shelves and paint it all with chalkboard paint. Take this Ship’s Wheel from a previous year of CentriKid Camps.

Or this globe…

There are a lot more super random objects. See if you can spy the following:

– Bobble head

– Skateboard

– Football

– Trophy

– Viewfinder

– Clock

– Bowling Pin

If you want to take on a similar project here’s a few tools we found really helpful:

– Chalkboard spray paint

– Chalkboard Paint

– Goodwill

– A good dose of patience

Here’s a few pictures of the finished space:

If you’re looking for some great artwork, we’d be glad to send you the image for our catalog cover. We mounted ours on foam board, but there are lots of ways to utilize it. Just leave a comment here, and we’ll connect with you.

Resources, Sunday School

May 23, 2012

The Gospel Project for Kids Pricing

By Courtney Baker

If you haven’t caught on by now, this week on Kids Ministry 101, we’re making sure you have all the information you need about our newest curriculum, The Gospel Project for Kids.

One of the great things about The Gospel Project is that you can decide which delivery format works best for your church– print or digital resources. We want to make sure you have all the details; hop on over The Gospel Project Blog where you’ll find over views for preschool AND kids materials, along with some helpful tips for making sure you have everything you need for your kids ministry!

Ready to get started? Order online.

Fun, Resources

March 30, 2012

LifeWay Kids Pinterest Update

By Courtney Baker

Have you checked out the LifeWay Kids Pinterest boards lately? There’s a ton of new fun ideas. Carol from our VBS team is queen of Pinterest these days, and she’s added a ton of fun ideas for kids.

Here’s just a few that I really liked:

Painting with corn syrup. It makes a really cool effect. You can find directions here.

Review books of the Bible with cup stacking.

Stick Art Table. You can find out more details here.

If you’re on Pinterest come check out our other boards:

VBS Teacher Appreciation

March 23, 2012

The Latest from LifeWay Kids

By Courtney Baker

There’s a lot hapening here at LifeWay! Here are a few things I want to make sure you are "in the know" about. Make sure you read to the bottom (hint, hint).

The Gospel Project Webcast.jpg

Last week Bill shared about how excited we all were about The Gospel Project for Kids and the webcast last week with Matt Chandler, J.D. Greear, Ed Stetzer, and Trevin Wax. Did you miss it? If so you’ll definately want to go check it out here.

Did you know we have a monthly email newsletter for both LifeWay Kids and LifeWay VBS? You can sign up here.

Im.a.Christian.Now.What.jpg

Last but certainly not least, we have several new products coming out in May and June. I’m a Christian, Now What? is a 90 day devotional for kids to utilize at home. It’s a great companion product to I’m a Christian Now, or as a completly stand-alone product to give to new Christians. Here are a few topics covered in the journal: How Do I Know the Bible Is True?, What Is Worship? When and How Should I Worship?, What Is a Quiet Time?, and Why Should I Study My Bible?

How would you like to win a copy of I’m a Christian, Now What? Just leave a comment below letting us know one topic you’d like to hear about here on the Kids Ministry 101 blog. We’ll pick one random winner to send I’m a Christian, Now What? to when it releases in June.

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Don’t miss Foto Friday over on the LifeWay VBS Blog!

Events, Resources

March 5, 2012

The Gospel Project Webcast

By Courtney Baker

A few weeks ago we spent the week here on the blog sharing more about The Gospel Project and specifically The Gospel Project for Kids. Today I want to share with you two more exciting things related to The Gospel Project.

Last week our brand new website for The Gospel Project launched. Make sure you go check it out, and if you haven’t already, make sure you sign up for the pilot program. Once you’ve signed up (and did I mention it’s free), you’ll have access to the first four lessons for EVERY age group.

The Gospel Project Website.jpg

The second thing I want to make sure you don’t miss is The Gospel Project Webcast on Wednesday, March 14 at 2:00 p.m. (CDT). You’ll hear from Matt Chandler, J.D. Greear, Ed Stetzer, and Trevin Wax as they discuss the need for gospel-centered discipleship and missions.

The Gospel Project Webcast March 14.jpg

You’ll also find some of your favorite KidMin bloggers will be blogging live during the event from Nashville!

Have you already checked out The Gospel Project samples? Let us know what you think!

Events, Fun, Resources

February 28, 2012

The Gospel Project for Kids at CPC San Diego!

By Courtney Baker

This week we are at CPC San Diego talking about The Gospel Project! Yesterday was our first day getting ready for all the kidmin attendees, and we were all feeling the effects of jet lag. Here’s a little glimpse into our day.

We started off like this:

The Gospel Project Booth CPC.jpg

Then we did a little of this:

The Gospel Project Booth CPC 2.jpg

And this:

The Gospel Project Kids CPC.jpg

Until we got this:

The Gospel Project Curriculum.jpg

And then we looked like this (except for Meredith, I think her years of work at CentriKid Camps is paying off):

Gospel Project Sunday School.jpg

And we loved every minute of it. If you’re at CPC this week come stop by The Gospel Project booth to learn more about it and sign up for the pilot program!

Fun

February 16, 2012

What makes you laugh?

By Courtney Baker

We want to know what makes you laugh! I’ve polled my fellow bloggers, and there’s a lot that makes us laugh. Leave a comment telling us what makes you laugh!

But first, what makes me laugh? Well, today I’ve been spending the day with the VBS team getting ready for our VBS Preview event in Kissimme, FL, and Keith has keep me entertained most of the day. Here’s a picture of Keith turning kartwheels around EXPO at Ridgecrest! Of course you can always catch Keith’s Foto Friday on the LifeWay VBS blog.

Keith KartWheel.jpg

What makes Jeff laugh?

People of WalMart

Jerry 100x100.jpg

What makes Jerry laugh?

My grandkids (pictured below)!

Vogel Grandkids.jpg

What makes Lance laugh?

I love to laugh and it doesn’t take a lot, my friends know that I have lots of not very funny jokes. I always told my kids that I believe in quantity not quality of humor. However, my dearest friend Jason Ellerbrook always makes me laugh. He is an incredibly smart, out of the box thinker, and we talk work and dream new ideas constantly. When we aren’t doing that we laugh a lot. He is the one in green (pictured below).

Santa and Elf Jason Scott.jpg

Meredith, what makes you laugh?

Super cheesy laffy taffy jokes.

What makes Klista laugh?

Kids! And, I pretty much do something everyday that causes me (and others) to laugh at myself!

Scott, what makes you laugh?

The main thing that makes me laugh are the kids I’m with each week. Often they say things that are just laugh-out-loud funny (intentionally and not). But I also laugh at the joy they get from even the most basic things.

I also laugh at puns and movies filled with silly puns (like "Airplane" and "Clue").

Don’t forget to let us know what makes you laugh below! Maybe we randomly send out a prize to one of the comments!

Events, Fun

February 8, 2012

Valentine’s Day Party Ideas

By Courtney Baker

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I’ve been tagging some party ideas on our LifeWay Kids Pinterest account. If you’re looking for a few last minute ideas, check out some of these:

Decorating

Everyone loves a streamer ceiling. Try just red, white, and pink and hearts instead of dots for a Valentine’s Day theme.

Just attach the streamers to a hola hoop and hang!

Games/Prizes

If you grew up watch The Price is Right, this may look familiar. If anyone decided to make this, let me know. I might just show up!

Here’s a tutorial for how to make it!

And who doesn’t love a decorated kraft bag for Valentine’s Day. It’s a fun way to encourage kids to show God’s love to each other!

Crafts

There are several more craft ideas on the LifeWay Kids Pinterest, but here are a couple of my favorites.

From MarthStewart.com.

I hope you enjoyed some of these ideas! We’d love to see pictures of your Valentine’s Day activities, just post them to our LifeWay Kids Facebook Page. And if you’re on Pinterest, you can follow us here.

If you have any Valentine’s Day Party ideas share them in the comments below!

Fun, Sunday School

January 25, 2012

The Gospel Project for Kids: Timeline Map

By Courtney Baker

Bill wrote yesterday a little more about The Gospel Project for Kids. I wanted to share with you another element that we are really excited about, The Gospel Project for Kids: Timeline Map. We’ve (and by we, I mean some really fantastic graphic designers and not me in particular) created a huge … HUGE visual timeline of Bible. It’s actually 4 feet by 36 feet. Yes, I typed that correctly … 36 feet. Here is just a little piece of the poster, the first two quarters to be exact.

I can’t wait to see how the timeline will be utilized by churches! If you’re a visual learner like me, I’m sure you can image how helpful the timeline will be as you help kids understand how each story fits into the grand narrative of scripture.

And just because I’m amazed at how things like this are created, I wanted to share a little of the behind the scenes work on this poster. Check out this original sketch that the artist created for the timeline poster.

The_Gospel_Project_Timeline_1.2.jpg

We’ve also utilized this art in several other ways. Each one of the Bible story pictures have been turned into The Big Picture Cards for Families. Each card features the Bible story, The Big Picture Question and Answer, and the Christ connection.

We’ve also utilized the same Bible story pictures to create coloring sheets. Here is the very first one.

Click here to download: The_Gospel_Project_Gen.1.2.pdf

Want to win the first quarter’s worth of curriculum and your very own Timeline Map? Break out your crayons, and get coloring. Once you’ve completed your masterpiece, upload your picture to our Facebook wall. Well, pick one random winner on February 8.

Resources, Sunday School

January 23, 2012

Introducing The Gospel Project

By Courtney Baker

Have you ever had the opportunity to work on a really exciting project that for a long period of time you really could not talk about? It’s hard isn’t it? That’s one (and certainly not the most important) reason I’m thrilled to be writing this blog post today.

The Gospel Project_whte.jpg This Fall we have a brand-new curriculum coming … The Gospel Project. The Gospel Project for Kids is a new Sunday School curriculum that shows how Christ fits into the entire gospel story, pre-creation to eternity. What’s even more exciting is that it’s not just for kids, The Gospel Project will also have components for students and adults! Are you excited yet? We are.

The_Gospel_Project_ Logos.jpg

Before I tell you more, check out this video that tells you a little more about the overall project.

You can find out more about The Gospel Project for Adults, The Gospel Project for Students, and The Gospel Project for Kids at gospelproject.com. You can even check out some samples, and sign up for the pilot program, where you’ll be able to preview the entire first month of the curriculum starting in March.

I’m sure you’re ready for more details, so this week the Kids Ministry 101 blog is all about The Gospel Project. Check back daily for more!

In the mean time, check out these links to stay in the know:

The Gospel Project on Twitter

The Gospel Project on Facebook

Christian Post: here and here

Baptist Press

A creative space for Kids Ministry brainstorming!

The Gospel Project for Kids Pricing

LifeWay Kids Pinterest Update

The Latest from LifeWay Kids

The Gospel Project Webcast

The Gospel Project for Kids at CPC San Diego!

What makes you laugh?

Valentine’s Day Party Ideas

The Gospel Project for Kids: Timeline Map

Introducing The Gospel Project

All Ministry Sites

Digital Resources

LifeWay Network