Archive: April 2010
Art Contest Winner
We’re excited to announce that Josh Stoken, age 11, is the winner of the first What’s in the Bible? Art Contest! He made this awesome sculpture of Buck Denver:
Congratulations, Josh!
We also had 4 amazing runners-up:
Chuck Wagon, by Carolynn Scherle:
Buck Denver, by Dayna Beatty:
Clive and Ian, by Gracie Zenz:
Buck Denver, by Johnny Martin:
Thanks to everyone who participated!
iPad, you Pad, we all Pad…
Okay, I got an iPad. On day one. It wasn’t my plan… I don’t know what happened. I was going to wait and let other people go first – let other people remind us why we shouldn’t buy “generation 1″ of any new product. But then the glowing reviews started to hit… then I found myself in the vicinity of a Best Buy… found myself calling just to see if they had any left (they did)… found myself looking for justification (“I’m going to by one eventually anyway…”).
And then, boom. There I was, walking out of Best Buy with an iPad in my hands. And I really, really like it. My kids and I were all snuggled in bed the night before last, watching “The Muppets Take Manhattan” streamed directly from Netflix to my iPad. Whee! This morning I was thumbing through today’s issue of USA Today on my iPad while eating my cereal. (Honey Nut Cheerios, if you’re interested.) We’ve been taking it out to eat with us, and we’ll all play shuffleboard on the iPad together while we wait for our food to come. Unlike a little iPod Touch or my iPhone, the iPad games just yell out “play together!” It’s family fun. And I think it’s going to catch on.
Why is that relevant to this blog? Well, maybe it isn’t. But technology is always changing, and we need to figure out how to use what’s next to help kids learn about God. So as we adapt What’s in the Bible to be used in Sunday Schools, one of the ideas being kicked around is creating activities to support the teaching that leaders would walk kids through on an iPad. Maybe we’re ahead of the market there, but an iPad is cheaper than a laptop, and much easier to use and more interactive than a tiny little netbook. So we could be on to something here.
By the way, thanks again for all the Big Bang – Genesis 1 comments, and the continued civility of the discourse. I’m not going to jump in to the discussion with more opinions of my own, because fundamentally what I’m trying to do with WITB is teach the essentials of our faith, and recognize when there is an area that is unresolved. Genesis 1 is an unusual genre of Scripture known as “exalted prose” and has been confounding theologians since the time of Augustine. Once the majority of conservative Evangelical scholars come to agreement on how best to interpret this tricky bit, I’ll present their conclusion clearly and with zest! Until then, though, in the words of the leading Intelligent Design proponent Philip Johnson, when there is a controversy, “teach the controversy!” We’ll talk about the major positions and let you decide which you believe is correct. Hope you don’t mind!
On that note… here’s a really nice review of What’s in the Bible we just came across today… (click here to read it).
Buck Denver’s Hopping the Pond!
Great news for all of our British friends … Buck Denver and crew will be headed your way soon!
We’re excited to announce a brand new partnership with Kingsway, who will be distributing What’s in the Bible? in the United Kingdom. We expect that Clive and Ian will feel right at home and that folks abroad will learn to love them and all the other characters quite quickly. The first DVDs are tentatively set to release sometime in May. We’ll keep you posted as we get more details!
We’re really excited about all of the fun things Kingsway has planned for the series, and can’t wait to see how quickly What’s in the Bible? spreads across the globe. We’re working on a deal for Australia and New Zealand that hopefully we can announce soon.
Where else would you like to see What’s in the Bible?
Curriculum Questions Answered
FAQs about the new curriculum from Amy of LemonLime Kids:
Wow! We are thrilled that you are so excited about the upcoming What’s in the Bible? Curriculum! We are having a lot of fun developing it – and are really to show it to you!
Thanks for all of your great comments, and for your passion for kids to learn the Bible! You asked some great questions in your comments and we wanted to take a minute to answer each one. And, please keep asking questions! We’ll answer as many as we can.
How much will the curriculum cost?
Great question! We know budgets are tight both at home and church – that’s why we are creating the curriculum so it’s affordable. And by affordable, we mean that we are creating the curriculum so that you chose how much or how little you want, and can afford. You can buy a complete curriculum package if you want every component, or you can buy individual components for a smaller price and add it to the curriculum you’re already using! You are the expert because you know the kids in your church and home best, so you decide what curriculum components are best for your context!
What age is the curriculum geared towards? Will there be a preschool component?
Because of the depth of Biblical content, the curriculum is geared toward elementary ages (K-5th grade). Right now, we don’t have plans for a preschool curriculum, but some of the pieces we create could certainly be used in a preschool class.
Are you planning apps only for Apple’s technologies or will apps also be available for the Android and Blackberry?
Great question! Currently, we are in development on children’s ministry activities intended for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. But, we know that many children’s leaders use Blackberry devices in their everyday lives, so we are hoping that our volunteer tools will be designed both for Apple and Blackberry.
Will the curriculum contain any extra videos?
Yes! We know the current length of the What’s in the Bible? DVDs are too long to run in a children’s ministry Sunday morning program, so the curriculum mostly will include shortened (edited) videos from the DVDs. But, we are creating a few additional short videos that you (and the kids, of course) are going to absolutely love!
Will you be at any upcoming conferences?
Yes! We will be at the Orange Conference, April 28-30 in Atlanta, GA! Be sure to stop by the What’s in the Bible? booth and say hello!
How can I stay updated about the curriculum?
Sign up for our church/curriculum email list here!
A “What’s in the Bible?” Art Contest!
Today we’re launching a “What’s in the Bible?” art contest for kids! All the kids we know LOVE What’s in the Bible?, and so we wanted to give them a chance to SHOW us how much they love the characters. Here are the details … Enjoy!
Who: The contest is open to any and all kids who love “What’s in the Bible?” However, we do ask that parents (or a family member/friend over the age of 18) submit the artwork.
What: An art contest! Have your children paint/draw/sculpt their favorite character (or characters) from What’s in the Bible. Any medium is fine – be creative!
When: Contest begins Monday, April 5. All entries must be submitted by Sunday, April 18.
Fan voting runs Monday, April 19-Friday April 23.
The winner will be announced Monday, April 26.
Where: At Facebook.com/whatsinthebible (click the “Contests” tab).
Why: The grand prize winner will receive a phone call from Buck Denver! They will also receive an autographed copy of DVD 3 when it is available, as well as their picture displayed on facebook and whatsinthebible.com.
4 runners-up will receive an autographed copy of DVD 3 when it is available.
How:
1) Have your child draw or paint a picture of his/her favorite character(s) from What’s in the Bible?
2) Take a digital picture of the artwork and upload it to the contest page
3) The What’s in the Bible? Team will choose 5 finalists from all submitted entries
4) Fans can vote the week of April 19-23rd
5) The winner will be announced on April 26
