It was Sunday morning and we had overslept. A nightmare for any children’s ministry volunteer. In the shuffle of trying to get out the door as quickly as possible, I left my small group curriculum on the kitchen counter! Can you relate?
On the car ride to church I wondered if we turned back, would we make it on time? My husband turned to me and made the best suggestion, “Sandy, why don’t you just download today’s curriculum on your phone? That’s what I do.” That thought had never occurred to me! Earlier in the week, my leader had e-mailed the curriculum to me. I simply needed to open it as a PDF, and teach the lesson from my iPhone.
It was an instant hit with my small group! They loved taking turns reading the lesson from the phone, and I loved that it helped keep them engaged. After a few weeks of utilizing the curriculum on my phone rather than paper, I noticed that it was actually enhancing the small group time. I had a pretty squirrely group of second and third graders and was constantly looking for ways to help focus their attention. When playing a game, I would allow each girl to take a turn reading questions from the phone and they loved helping me “lead” the lesson. And, there was a girl in my group with special needs. There were a few weeks that her physical limitations would make it challenging for her to participate in what we were supposed to do that day. But she loved being able to hold my iPhone and either read part of that day’s story or lead us through part of the game.
I really was shocked that something as simple as using my phone to access the curriculum instead of a printed copy was making such a difference in my group. When I told my husband how much I enjoyed his suggestion, he told me he was experiencing a similar situation with the group of boys that he led. When we shared what we were doing with the other leaders at our church, they also found it to be a win! My friend Matt didn’t have a smart phone, but he realized that his iPod Touch worked the exact same way.
This is what led the What’s in the Bible? team to create a mobile website. No adjustments needed for you. The mobile website is just right for teachers, so you can access the What’s in the Bible? Leader’s Guides and teach the lesson right from your Android, smart phone, Blackberry, or iPhone I love not having to worry about printing out my curriculum each week. Plus, I love the ease of not having to shuffle through paperwork! If you haven’t tried using your phone, eBook reader, or iPod to access your churches curriculum, I definitely think you should give it a shot! Hopefully you’ll love it just as much as I do! Sandy Riggs currently works as a Lemon Lime Kids’ Intern, and loves working on the What’s in the Bible? curriculum!
