Great Bible Software for Kids at a Permanently Great Price

Sunday Software has been a promise to Sunday School kids. A promise to help make learning God's Word memorable and fun. We've supported other people's software, and released 18 CDs of our own --while at the same time watching Christian publishing increasingly ignore new media.

When I first started teaching with software, the average price of a title was over $40. Some over $50. When I began making and selling my own software, we kept the price under $30. We were also the first Christian publisher to offer regular quantity pricing.


And now we're taking it a step further...

Throughout 2017 and 2018, we are permanently lowering prices on ALL 18 of our CDs.

Abraham and Sarah for $12! 

Good Sam and Prodigal Son at $15 each 

Bongo and Cal & Marty at $18 each

Each has been updated since its original release. Their new permanent prices are 25% to 40% lower than they were in 2016.  More software prices will be lowered in the months ahead. Subscribe to our email newsletter to get the announcements!

Why?  Because part of our commitment is to churches with tight budgets (and teachers saddled with "tight" decision makers). I know what it's like to teach with a limited budget, or to explain resource needs to those who still think folding chairs and construction paper are creative resources.

-Neil

www.sundaysoftware.com 

Free Sunday School Lessons and Curriculum

Free Sunday School lessons and curriculum?

It's all over the web, and most of it is either garbage*, or less than good. I can say that because I regularly look at what other people are posting, and I have been a Sunday School teacher and Bible lesson writer for over two decades.

I started one of the FIRST online sources of free lessons Sunday School lessons back in 1997 over at www.rotation.org. Our goal was to collect creative lesson ideas for teaching Bible stories from friends, colleagues, and complete strangers --all of whom were using the Workshop Rotation Model to organize their Sunday School. We felt the publishers lessons "looked polished" but lacked creativity. So we tried to harness the power of the grassroots to give us choices and inspirations.

In those early years, honestly, many of our lessons were less than good too. But we were just interested in seeing people's creative IDEAS. Wrapping a lesson plan around it was up whoever took the idea.  Creative teachers are like that... they are looking for the creative inspiration, not the "blah blah blah" of a lesson. That's who we catered to, ...for free.

Over time, people started writing and posting "complete" Sunday School lesson plans at rotation.org. Many of them are still there, quite awesome, and free. But as the site grew (it now has over 8000 members), so did the amount of "less than stellar" ideas. Old "blah blah blah" started to creep in to the content. Even our volunteer "writing team" content started to suffer from quality control. That happens with an expanding community, but fortunately, the folks who run Rotation.org came up with a plan to correct it as they grew.

I had left active administration of the site in 2008 to concentrate on my Sunday School software ministry at www.sundaysoftware.com. Then in 2012, www.rotation.org hired me to take on a massive"Weed and Feed" of their free Sunday School lesson content. Why me? Because they needed someone who understood both the technical and lesson plan side of things.

We "retired" about half of the accumulated content, and fluffed and fixed a lot of the nice content. That said, the site is about having choices, and not simply finding a single lesson plan on a single Bible story that you can print and teach 15 minutes before you walk into class.Creative teachers want CHOICE and inspiration. They aren't afraid of prep.  And sometimes it's the slightly off idea that sparks a teacher to something better, so we didn't gatekeep completely.

Then in 2015, the folks who run rotation.org hired me for another big project. I was asked to come in and revise their writing team's lesson sets, -over 250 of them. These sets were free to supporting members. At $30 a year, though, having access to all that content is a bargain compared to curriculum prices, and those helped those who need something a little more "put-together."

The New Rotation.org Writing Team's lesson sets ARE complete lessons, and super-creative. They are designed for the creative person who is looking for inspiration, and the creative leader who needs to hand a complete lesson plan to someone else to teach with. They are meant to be adapted, because that's what the best teachers will do.

Want to learn more?

• See the free Sunday School lesson plans at www.rotation.org
• See the Writing Team's lesson sets I've been working on
• Read my article about the Rotation Model
• Learn more about software for Sunday School

Neil MacQueen is a Presbyterian minister, Christian education resource provider, and lesson writer.

________________________

*garbage

1. Coloring is not learning. 
2. Popsicle-stick Jesus crafts are not memorable ways to make content stick, they are time fillers. 
3. A lot of the so-called "free" lesson sites are CLICK BAIT sites. They post mediocre crap, or hire lesson writers to come up with uninspired content, with the hopes that you'll see the ADS they are running all over their site.
4. A lot of the so-called "free" Bible lesson sites are posting lessons full of "what to say" with little hands-on learning (unless you count coloring as that). 
5. Many of these so-called "free" Sunday School lesson websites are only posting lessons for LITTLE children. Their lessons will bore the tears of your 4th and 5th graders. 
6. Many of these "free" Bible curriculum sites have questionable theology, and/or reduce Bible stories down to "do this, don't do that" morals. 
7. They often have little reflection
8. They usually offer ZERO in the way of multimedia activities. No video or drama suggestions. They are all about the crafts.
9. They are retreads of the kinds of in-creative, talk-talk, "Bible lessons lite" that BORED the last two generation of kids out of Sunday Schools.

If you disagree with my point of view, email me your link to good free material. neil@sundaysoftware.com

Workshop Rotation, A Brief Introduction

Workshop Rotation, A Brief Introduction

Software works great in a Rotation model Sunday School! This article is part of a group of Rotation articles I've had posted at my software website. In addition to the one below, I've also revised and posted my article about How to Create a Rotation Model Scope and Sequence of Stories. You can find many more articles and years worth of free Rotation lesson plans at www.rotation.org.

 

Workshop Rotation, A Brief Introduction

by Neil MacQueen Posted at www.sundaysoftware.com. This is an updated version of the original Rotation article first published in Christian Educator magazine.

The Workshop Rotation Model for Sunday School began in 1990 when a Presbyterian church in Chicago decided it was time to reinvent Sunday School or close it down. By 1995 enough churches in the Chicago area had successfully adopted the Model to call it a movement.  www.rotation.org was created in 1997 to provide resources, lesson plans, and community for the grassroots movement. Many of the original Chicago Rotation educators began organizing conferences. Several started publishing ministries. By the 2000's, it was estimated that over 8000 churches in the U.S. and Canada have adopted or adapted the Model. And after a decade of showing little interest, several major denominational and independent publishers are now publishing Rotation-style curriculum. In 2006, an article about Sunday School in TIME magazine called Rotation, "one of the most popular innovations in Sunday School."  

Being "popular" however, was not our original intent.

"We weren't trying to invent a new model, -we were just trying to solve our problems," said Melissa Hansche, D.C.E. at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington, -the church in Chicago Presbytery where the model got its start. What problems is she referring to?

• Bored kids and teachers
• Declining attendance
• Lack of Bible literacy
• Drab and uninviting classrooms
• Sedentary teaching
• Expensive curriculum (that's half used)
• Poor teacher preparation
• Trouble recruiting teachers
• (your problem here)

The decline in Sunday School is one of the worst kept secrets in the Church. Some say "it's a sign of the times." Others of us wonder out loud whether the traditional model EVER worked. (Where are all those kids we had in our Sunday Schools back in the so-called "good old days" of the 50's and 60's? They're at home reading the Sunday paper.) "Like a lot of other churches, we knew we had to do something and soon." said Hansche. "And we knew that looking for yet another ‘new and improved' curriculum wasn't the answer either. Been there, done that."

Here's the Workshop Rotation Model in a nutshell: 

• Teach major Bible stories and concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops: an Art workshop, Drama, Music, Games, A-V, Puppets, Storytelling, Computers, and any other educational media you can get your hands on.

• Teach the same Bible story in all of the workshops for four or five weeks rotating the kids to a different workshop each week.

• Keep the same teacher in each workshop for all five weeks -teaching the same lesson week after week (with some age appropriate adjustments) to each new class coming in.

Example of a typical four week rotation for 3 different grade groups.

STORY: PRODIGAL SON	VIDEO Teacher: Jane	ART Teacher: Amy	DRAMA Teacher: Bill	BIBLE GAMES Teacher: Jo
Week 1	Grades K-1	Grades 2-4	Grades 5-6	Open
Week 2	Open	Grades K-1	Grades 2-4	Grades 5-6
Week 3	Grades 5-6	Open	Grades K-1	Grades 2-4
Week 4	Grades 2-4	Grades 5-6	Open	Grades K-1

Grades rotate, teachers stay-put repeating their lesson. You can add more grade groups by adding additional workshops, such as, Computer, Cooking, or Storytelling. You can let the Preschool or teens use the "open" workshop slots.

The results, says Linda Beckham, D.C.E. at Tampa's Palma Ceia Church are astounding. "The kids love it, the teachers love it, and we can't ever imagine going back to the old way."

Here's why it works: 

The Workshop Rotation Model concentrates on the major stories of the Bible over and over again. It eschews the popular but educationally unsound lectionary idea of changing the story each week. The model's philosophy recognizes that kids not only love repetition, but they need it to develop a lasting memory and understanding of content. In Rotation, we believe it is more important to teach the major stories of the Bible more deeply, than to try and race through as many possible stories as we can.

The multi-intelligences (creative methods) approach in the model isn't a fad or merely kid-friendly, it is calculated to take advantage of our student's God-given thirst for multi-modal learning. Traditional designs have long attempted to teach through multimedia, but their frenetic lessons with six or more different steps, a game, a craft, Bible study and music all in 45 minutes left our teachers breathless. And few had the gifts to teach in each mode properly. Creative teaching also makes for happier students and better long term memory.

The model allows teachers to get better at their lesson each week. By the second week of the rotation, the teacher is already improving the original lesson plan for the next class. No more "if I only would have...." in the parking lot after class. No more Saturday night planning. No more recruitment hassles, --teachers are happy to sign up for five week rotations. And because the teacher is assigned to teach in the creative mode they are comfortable with, the teaching and learning experience are enriched. No more lectures and music cassettes still in their cellophane wrappers, no more overused worksheets, or fumbling popsicle stick Jesus' crafts.

The Model also buries the beige and boring classroom in a blizzard of creative kid-oriented design. It says "we're teaching kids, not cons," and we want them to come back. Because each room is organized around a specific teaching medium, dramatic makeovers don't get torn down a week or a month later like they do in traditional classrooms or VBS. Theater workshops can sprout theater seats and a popcorn machine. Drama workshops get a stage and accumulate props and lighting. Computer workshops get dedicated secure space for their equipment. Art Workshops become messy exciting places to learn. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

There is no need to buy printed curriculum, prompting one denominational publisher to describe it as "the third rail for curriculum publishers." Instead, in a fit of connectionalism, educators are calling each other and saying "I'll trade you my Moses rotation for your Ruth, and do you have any good art projects for the Prodigal Son?" Churches are gleaning from each other. They're digging into their stockpiles of creative materials and hitting their resource centers. In-house "design teams" composed of a minister, elders and C.E. leaders provide the educational and theological backbone. Together they help shape the simple but creative lesson plans and then count on the teacher to improve on them each week. Unlike earlier models which fell by the weight of their planning, this model is proving easier to implement and maintain. Because each workshop uses essentially the same lesson plan for about five weeks in a row, every week isn't a gauntlet of planning.

A website for the Rotation Model ---www.rotation.org-- features the model manual, thousands of volunteer created rotation lesson plans, and a creative ideas area for each workshop, all of which can be printed out for free. "All along one of the strengths of this model has been the willingness of churches to share with each other. We believe that the grassroots sharing of resources and lesson materials is a vivid manifestation of the connectional nature we have professed for so long.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The growing success of the model underscores several important issues in Christian education.

First, the model demonstrates that the spirit of innovation is alive and well in the grassroots. Rotation has flourished outside of the traditional curriculum establishment. The gifts to reinvent ourselves and be successful in our ministry are out here.

Second, the model seriously addresses the underlying problems of Sunday School and offers practical solutions. Because Rotation is a response to realities, it's "DNA" understands that it must adapt to changing situations. In fact, Rotation educators are often the first to admit what else doesn't work anymore, and examine the model, instead of assuming the solution is "new and improved" curriculum.

Third, the model's early and continuing co-operative impulse -enhanced by the use of the internet, demonstrates the ability of individuals to resource each other outside the publishing establishment and beyond traditional denominational boundaries. www.rotation.org is thus, also a proto-type. It is a free resource paradigm made possible by new technology that challenges the foundation of traditional curriculum publishing.  

Pictured: the official logo of the Rotation website featuring "Wormy"

---

 

A Personal History of The WoRM... by Neil MacQueen

The name "Workshop Rotation Model" was coined by Melissa Hansche and myself (Neil MacQueen) in 1991 at the Presbyterian Church in Barrington Illinois. We named it that to describe the Sunday School model we had drawn up on a flip chart one day in June of 1990 to solve our problems. Initially we weren't fond of the name, but it stuck, and seemed to be the most descriptive when talking with other educators. Our congregation called it "that great Sunday School." Like all good cooks, we "created" "our" model from a lot of things we had learned over the years. We added a few "new" things, -the computer lab, for example. And did some things that you now see in a lot of Rotation churches, such as theater seats and murals. At first, we were surprised it all worked so well, and worked well for other churches who adopted it.

In the early 90's, Melissa and I published several magazine articles and held a series of seminars in the Chicago area about our creative Sunday School. We began to find other churches who had been experimenting along similar lines, most notably, The Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook Illinois and Southminster Presbyterian in Arlington Hts., Illinois. The Workshop Rotation "Movement" began as other churches adopted our basic design and found it worked for them too --or borrowed elements from our basic design to improve their own creative design. We've since found churches who were doing something similar to the model "way back when," usually with a few differences and always calling it something else. Old Solomon was right when he said, "There's nothing new under the sun." If we Chicagoans created anything, it was a wave of "militant hope" for Sunday Schools looking to break free of the traditional model.

By 1995, several Chicago area churches using the model began networking among themselves. We shared ideas and lesson plans. Melissa and I produced a xeroxed Workshop Rotation manual which sold for the cost of copying and postage. In 1996 the Association of Presbyterian Educators annual conference was in Chicago. Over 50 participants came up to Barrington and spent the day with us. Another 50 took the workshop the following day down at the conference hotel. From those two seminars WoRM churches sprang up all over the country. Many of those first wave Rotation churches began training other churches in their area.

In the Fall of 1996, a more formal Chicago network was established with the name "The Opening the Doors Network." At that time the Network also began sponsoring annual conferences on the model. Some members of that group went on to publish their Rotation curriculum and some created an organization called Children's Ministry of America which sponsors Rotation training seminars and a national conference.

By early 1997, the Model was spreading faster than anyone could imagine. Local networks began popping up around the country. Articles started appearing in denominational magazines and even local newspapers. Resource centers started talking about it and sponsoring seminars. In 2002 it is estimated that over 5000 churches are actively using the Rotation Model in the U.S. and Canada. And many more are using ideas and materials generated by the Model and website.

My personal involvement with the Model changed quite a bit in 1996 when I left Chicago and the Barrington church and moved back to Ohio to start a new full-time ministry/company called Sunday Software. From 1996 to 2002, I traveled extensively talking about computers in Christian education and "The WoRM" as the Workshop Rotation Model came to be known. 

In 1997, I launched this website -www.rotation.org- as a way to give away Barrington's original Rotation manual and lessons, and collect free materials given to me by other Rotation pioneers. The manual was later revised and published by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, though extensive excerpts remain at the site. Since its beginning, Rotation.org has greatly expanded. It now contains thousands of free Rotation lessons, articles, and has a very active message board. The message board averages over a quarter million page views each month.

Rotation.org is not officially connected with my software company (though some folks are occasionally confused about that). The site is now run by an independent Board of Directors, with whom I still consult and help. A lot of the original Rotation web articles were penned by me in response to frequently asked questions.  

There are many Rotation leaders in the forefront of the movement. They include pastors, educators, denominational staff, and Sunday School volunteers coast to coast from all the major denominations. There are also a number of Rotation churches overseas. While the concept of sharing free materials still lies at the heart of the model, there are now companies and denominational publishers which sell Rotation curriculum and provide training. Many of us at Rotation.org -the free lesson crowd- view these publishing efforts as complementary and helpful to churches who don't have all the tools to pull it all together on their own.

As the Rotation Model moves into the future, we hope that whoever or whatever is involved with it will remember the original motivation and core of the design:

• Being willing to risk change for the sake of our children, and belief in the message.
• Being adamant about creating a program that is attractive, practical and gets results!
• Designing around the needs of the kids, teachers and creative methods, rather than serving the needs of a publisher or convenience.
• Exploring new ways of resourcing each other that facilitate the sharing of grassroots gifts and ideas.

<><Neil MacQueen

Copyright Neil MacQueen. Permission granted to copy, reprint, excerpt -provided that the author's name and website: rotation.org remain with the text.

Neil's Email: neil@sundaysoftware.com

Related: How to Create a Rotation Model Scope and Sequence of Stories

Special Needs Children and our software

Special Needs Children and our software
an article by Neil MacQueen, www.sundaysoftware.com

 

This article first appeared in our October 2011 Email Newsletter. For more help, insights or questions, contact Neil. This page is at http://www.sundaysoftware.com/articles/specialneeds.htm -and you are welcome to print it.

 

Every year I'm contacted by pastors, parents, and teachers looking for software for their special needs kids:

• autistic
• attention-deficit
• mentally or emotionally challenged
• hyperactive
• and sometimes just a kid who doesn't fit in or is having a hard time in class

 
The parents and teachers know what many of us know, and what a decade of education research confirms: computers COMMAND the mind and body's attention, making them an especially helpful tool for those teaching special need kids, many of whom are easily distracted or have trouble in a social context. The parents and teachers see the positive effects of computer-assisted learning at home and school, and they want the same help in church.

And in many cases, getting help is not only for the kids, it is the difference between the parent being able to go to church or not.

 

Interestingly, what's so attractive to special needs is ALSO what's so attractive to the rest of us. Volunteer-led Sunday Schools not only struggle with special needs children, we struggle with "regular needs" children who have attention problems due to boredom, or who easily disengage because they know they are "volunteer" students who aren't going to be graded. Disengagement and disruptions challenge us for whatever reason, ..and computers have the attractive power to overcome it. That's what first got my attention back in 1990 when I didn't even like computers.

 

A study done by Purdue Univ. showed that learning challenged children don't necessarily "learn better" at the computer, rather, what changes is their classroom behavior, --it improves which allows them to learn longer in a manner that's less disruptive or distracting to everyone concerned.

 

This is why I often hear parents and teachers of challenged children say things like:
"He doesn't get up and wander around as much."

"He's calmer in the Sunday School now because he knows he's going to get on the computer."

"She is quieter at the computer where before she would talk out of turn and disrupt the class."

"He doesn't get agitated as much."

Attack of the Sunday School Zombies CD!
A fun game about the right & wrong reasons to go to church.

The same holds true for our more typical students. Years ago our pastor walked by our computer lab and thought something was wrong because it was so quiet. "Is anything wrong?" he asked, and I said,
"Nope, they're just learning Psalm 23."

Psychologists believe that one reason computers are helpful to special needs children is that they don't require the complex set of social skills that a classroom does. Working in small groups, or having to make eye contact across a table, can be daunting to many children, special needs or not. The focus on the screen helps buffer the situation, and personal space issues seem to melt away at the computer.

 

The effect on the parents of special needs kids is often profound.
Case in Point: Two years ago a parent bought software from us for his son Ben to use on a laptop which the pastor had bought for the boy. A group of teens volunteered to be "Ben's Buddies" each Sunday. Until this project, the father seriously questioned whether they could continue to go to church as a family with Ben being a constant disruption in the classroom. Now Ben can't wait to go to church, and he's even helping younger children at his computer.

 

How are churches scheduling computer time for Special Needs Kids?
My customers are describing solutions that are often as unique as the child's needs and church's resources. But in general, they are either supplementing that child's Sunday School or Fellowship lesson time with "computer time"--inside or outside their classroom on an occasional basis, OR, they are using computers on a regular basis in an individualized approach with a helper assigned to the child. Either way, it's quite a ministry and commitment, and we're thrilled to help.

 

What software are they choosing?
The choice of software depends on the needs of the individual student. For example, some special needs children ages 10-12 do well with software designed for their grade level, while others need to use younger children's software. Some do well with story software, while others do better with puzzle or scripture memory programs. Some excel with Kid Pix's illustration tools but need help with creating text in that program. Others have difficulty with mouse-drawing, but do well with point and click. Some challenged children get hooked on using one program over and over again. One customer's mentally impaired son just wants to play Bongo every Sunday, and his parents are happy because it means they are called out of worship less often.

 

 

This is part of the challenge of teaching with software... figuring out the particular needs of the students, and having the flexibility to adapt. And in the case of "special needs" the real "software lesson" becomes the effort itself, --the expression of care and education for the child, but becomes an example and opportunity to the other students and parents.

 

What's sauce for the goose....
I have often quipped that "ALL our Sunday School kids are learning challenged". They are disabled by doubt, --by lack of compelling methods, --by competition from the culture for their attention, --by poor faith role models in the home, --and by their own attitudes and disabilities. We can't afford to bore them away. We have to bring our best efforts, and best tools.

 

If there's a more important and challenging ministry in the church than teaching our kids, I don't know what it is.

  

Copyright 2011, Neil MacQueen, http://www.sundaysoftware.com All rights reserved. Permission granted for local church and teacher training use.
--------------------------------------------------

Neil MacQueen is a Presbyterian minister, veteran Children and Youth minister, writer and consultant, and developer of interactive Bible software for children and youth. For more of his articles about the church, go to http://www.sundaysoftware.com/articles and http://www.sundayresources.net

 

Take a look at Bongo Loves the Bible CD from Sunday Software, http://www.sundaysoftware.com/bongo

 

Sharing the Gospel in their language!

 

 

Tips for Teaching with 3d-style "First Person" Bible software games

 
Kids love 3-d style "first person" games where they navigate a player through a landscape. 
This style of gameplay leads them to be quickly become engrossed and engaged, --which is a state of mind most teachers only dream of in their Sunday School kids.

"3d" refers to the "point of view" of the player in the game. In some gaming circles this point of view is also called "first person"  In the example here on the right, your kids navigate Robin the main character in Joseph's Story CD. They see her back most of the game. Lots of kids video games also feature this point of view. Think Wii Bowling for example.
Some teachers are initially confused by this type of software because they didn't grow up with it and don't play these types of games. They are more comfortable with up/down, left/right moving games (think: Atari 2600!). 

Sunday Software has produced a number of "3d - First Person" style games, including:

• Joseph's Story CD
• Galilee Flyer
• Exodus Adventures
• Attack of the Sunday School Zombies
• Faith through the Roof

One reason we like this type of gameplay is that as the player moves through a landscape, we can present elments of the Bible story in sequence. This is particularly nice for BIG stories like Joseph's story. At various points in the game they must "solve" something or find something in order to move along. This allows us to slow the player down to deal with content. Narration by 'actors' in the landscape also impart Bible content and directions.

     

Neil's teacher-to-teacher tips about teaching with our 3d games:

Read the full article at http://www.sundaysoftware.com/articles/3dtips.htm

1. Preview the game with our outline in hand. Take notes. "Read the cheats!"

Our free guides are at www.sundaysoftware.com/tips

2. Understand how things work. The teaching guide will tell you, but basically, all 3d games work by your character moving around and "triggering" events. They first find this, then walk into that, and a door will open, etc etc. And if you try to do things out of order, the game won't let you advance.

For example, in Exodus Adventures, you can't leave the Burning Bush level until you've found all the places where God wants to talk to you (there are three of them, and they must be triggered in correct order). If you're all thumbs with these games, read the guides and get a teen to help you.

3.  Decided what to key on, where and when to pause, what to skip, -and what you may want them to come back to after they've finished. Games are great to "play again". Schedule the time.

4. PUSH your kids along as needed.  Note the "secrets" about certain parts of the game and dole them out to the kids to save time. . For example, in Exodus Adventures' game inside Miriam's Library: read the guide about bypassing Mirriam's Song Game if you're short on time. Or in the Land of Goshen, TELL them where to find Dabney's video recording (inside the Hebrew home) rather than having the kids wander around looking for it after they meet Dabney down in the digsite.

5.  Play along with them. If you're not going WITH your students, you're not using the software the way it was designed. Sit with them the computers. I have specifically put in questions, comments, and misc content that I KNOW the kids will bypass. Kids will be kids. But they are there for YOU the teacher to grab hold of and comment about during or after the lesson.

6.  If you can't be right there, give them a worksheet which has questions about the content they are going to be playing through. This will slow them down and get them to READ. In some cases, we have printable worksheets with game guides for the kids. Check our teaching tips for each game.

7. Have them SAVE their locations as they play. Many of our 3d games have a "Save/Load" feature. These "saved spots" can be a way for you and the kids to GET BACK TO certain locations for further discussion. Some games do not because the expectation is that you can finish the game in under 35 minutes.

8. When you are teaching with a game for the first time, it is easier to FIRST BREAK IT IN with the OLDER KIDS. Their level of gaming proficiency will help YOU become better acquainted with the software. Then use it with the younger children.

9. YES, you CAN use 3D game software with NON-readers. They will love it, but need a lot of help. So make sure you invite some of those older kids to help you -who've already learned the software with you in a previous class.

10. With more complicated games, have High Schoolers help you, and make sure you leave PLENTY of TIME to play the software during class time. The more hands and eyeballs, the better the teaching & gaming experience.

Need help? That's what I do. Email neil@sundaysoftware.com

Read the full article at http://www.sundaysoftware.com/articles/3dtips.htm

Faith Through the Roof CD released

Sunday Software (we) have released a new CD titled "Faith Through the Roof" ...the story of the man let down through the roof from Mark 2:1-12. This 3d style Christian computer game begins with the player steering a boat across the Sea of Galilee towards Capernaum.

Aboard is Peter who introduces the story. Once ashore, the player meets the friends of the paralyzed man who are trying to get their friend into Peter's house to see Jesus. The player must find the stretcher and then help carry the man up on the roof.

After lowering him down, and following a presentation of what happened in the house, the player meets Jesus and speaks to him. Afterwards, the player goes back to talk with the friend before leaving on a fishing trip with Peter. In the middle of the Sea, the player takes a quiz and is then awarded with a wonderful music video featuring the song, "We'll Follow the Son."

Ages 6 to 16. Windows XP/Vista/7 only. Minimum 1.4 mhz processor, 32mb videoram, 1 gb RAM.

www.sundaysoftware.com/peter

Why this story by itself on one CD? 
From time to time Sunday Software has released one story on a CD, rather than our usual "several."  Some stories and budgets warrant it, and we felt Mark 2:1-12 was another one of those ESSENTIAL BIBLE STORIES that deserved such a focus. The story reveals the essence of Christ's mission, compassion, and identity. In addition, it also highlights an evangelical note: friends bringing friends to meet Christ.

Realizing that church budgets have been strained by the recession, we have priced this CD below the typical new release price. For more details, go to www.sundaysoftware.com/peter

What's in the Bible? DVDs --an awesome new series

What's in the Bible? DVDS
--the new series for the creator of VeggieTales.

From the creator of VeggieTales comes a brand new series of really fun teaching videos that take your kids through the Bible.


Fast-paced and humorous "shows" about books of the Bible featuring "muppet quality" puppeteering, songs, and lots of great animations and illustrations, --and infused with the humor kids love, and parents have come to expect from the creator of VeggieTales.

In What's in the Bible #1, In the Beginning, kids are introduced to the Bible and Genesis by your host, Buck Denver, and his cast of friends puppet. Kids will learn about the key people in Genesis and the important lessons their stories teach us.

In What's in the Bible #2, Let My People Go, kids are introduced to the book of Exodus: the oppression of the Israelites and the birth and rise of God’s chosen leader, Moses. The DVD also answers the question, who wrote the Bible? in a way kids can grasp.

In What’s In the Bible #3, Wanderin’ in the Desert, Buck Denver and his cast of friends take us through the next three books of the Bible—Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—helping kids understand how these books fit in with Genesis and Exodus to make up the Pentateuch and to set the stage for the trials and victories of God’s people.

$17.99 each. More DVDs to be released!

Ages 5 to 12.

ORDER THEM NOW via our Sunday Software online order form
www.sundaysoftware.com/order.htm
(Look for them in the "Videos" section at the bottom of the form)

I love great new media for kids, and the What's in the Bible? series is great stuff.
 
Neil MacQueen
http://www.sundaysoftware.com/
www.sundayresources.net/biblevideos

Teaching with Computers and Software within the Workshop Rotation Model

I originally started experimenting with software in my Sunday School back in 1990 when my church created what has become known as The Workshop Rotation Model for Sunday School.

Computers were brand new to education back then and there was very little Christian software in existence, but we couldn't ignore the dramatic increase in ATTENTION our kids were experiencing in our early computer lab. Begun with two donated 386 IBM PCs, we used some simple quiz programs, and Bible trivia games. (Pictured right: two of my students in that original computer lab circa 1992 with the 386 computer).

The Workshop Rotation Model (WoRM) is a natural for incorporating computers into Sunday School. Why? Because in the WoRM, the kids go to a different workshop each week for four to five weeks while the teachers stay put. And all the grades are working on the same story in each workshop each week for four or five weeks in a row.

This means your computer lab teacher sees a different grade group each week.

Benefits include:

1. You don't have to have new software each week because the kids are always changing.
2. You can reuse software every month or two because each grade only come in every month or so.
3. After the first week of a "rotation" the teacher really knows the software and is already improving their lesson plan.
4. As the kids rotate through different workshops, their story proficiency grows --making a computer quizzes easier to use because they have a growing knowledge of what's in the quiz.
5. As kids rotate, they don't get bored with any one teacher or medium.
6. They anticipate coming into the computer lab with great excitement.

Read more of my articles ABOUT the Rotation Model at:

http://sundaysoftware.com/rotation/articles4rotation.htm

You can also order the Workshop Rotation Book at www.sundaysoftware.com/order.htm
Look for it at the end of our online order form.

Neil MacQueen

Name Badger -- Single Nametags made Easy

Sunday Software releases it's first non-game title:

Name Badger

The point of this software is simple: Give Sunday Schools and Churches a simple interface for walk-up users to find and click their name on a laptop, --which prints out a single nametag from a thermal label printer.

Nametags are an essential fellowship tool, especially for the members (staff people often don't understand the importance of nametags because they know lots of people).

The problem with nametags, however, has been daunting:

• People don't wear permanent ones. They tend to forget about them.


• People lose their permanent nametags, or walk out the door and leave them at home.


• New members and visitors don't get permanent tags for a long time.


• Kids mangle permanent nametags.


• And everyone's handwriting is either TOO SMALL or completely UNREADABLE

Enter Name Badger... installed on a used/free laptop, placed at the point of ENTRY for whatever even you need nametags for, and hooked up to a fast thermal label printer.

Release Date: January 10, 2010

www.sundaysoftware.com/namebadger

Name Badger is a great example of the type of church software niche programmers have been ignoring. Yes, there are nametag printing programs if you want to make them IN BULK. And yes, there are nametag programs for preschool security check-in, if you want to pay hundreds of dollars. Name Badger is $35 and works on older equipment hooked up to an inexpensive label printer.

Joseph's Story 2.0 ~ A 3d style "lesson game"

September 2009
Sunday Software just released Joseph's Story CD version 2.0. Our first version was a lot of fun, but had some technical issues, and it took too long for the average Sunday School class to play. So we committed to completely rebuilding the game. Version 2.0 is richer in detail, has tighter code, and its game fits in the average length of a Sunday School class.

www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph

We call it a "lesson game" to differentiate it from the 20 level 3d shoot'em ups that have plagued this category of Christian software.

By "lesson game" we mean: the focus is on teaching the story and the story's meaning, and not on whacking things or solving puzzles.

To be sure, Joseph's Story 2.0 IS FUN, but not in the typical "first person shooter" way that most associate with 3d style software of this genre. Rather, Sunday Software is using 3d game engines to travel through a story landscape, and teach the story's meaning in an engaging "adventurous" way.

Robin, the main character in Joseph's Story 2.0, does get to blast a few spiders in the opening level. But the rest of her adventure consists of finding her way through the "ruins of Joseph's Egyptian Palace" ...found beneath the sands of Egypt by her Grandfather, Sir Dabney MacTavish. Sir Dabney acts as a guide in the game, teaching Robin about key parts of the story.

The "game" part of the content consists of discovering parts of the story, following through on instructions, and finding your way through mazes. Kids love "playing through" a story like this.

The CD's storyline is that "the ruins were created by Joseph to teach his story to future generations." When Robin falls through the well, it's a bit like going down the rabbit hole. The ruins begin to think that SHE is Joseph.

After being sold to Potiphar, Robin finds herself by the pool and Potiphar's wife. The guards arrest her as she approached the wife, and Robin is thrown into prison, until her grandfather comes let her out. Afterwards, she must find the baker and cupbearer, meet Pharaoh and interpret his dream, and find the Cup of Benjamin, --which unlocks a scene at the end where Robin can talk to 3 of Joseph's brothers.

For more details, go to www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph

Review: Bongo Loves the Bible

Bongo Loves the Bible CD is a "Bible Knowledge" 3D adventure game from Sunday Software. We made it to fill a HUGE hole in the Christian software offerings: a game "about" the Bible that wasn't just a pile of Bible trivia. read more about it at (www.sundaysoftware.com/bongo)

Question: How many priest did Saul kill at Nob?

Answer: Who cares. Knowing this isn't going to make you a better Christian!

Rather than trivia, we created 80 questions "about the Bible" that we thought every older elementary students and young teen SHOULD know the answer to. Bongo's four level Bible game has questions like: "What does the word 'Gospel' mean?" and "What were the names of Abraham's two sons?" and "Which book of the Bible is a collection of poems and lyrics?" We researched our 80 questions using a number of "about the Bible" curriculums and books published by a number of denominations. The 80 questions are split into four levels. Bongo runs through the

But Bongo Loves the Bible CD doesn't stop there. Also included is a game about the Books of the Bible.. where Bongo must jump on them in the correct order to cross a canyon and win the treasure chest.

Bongo Loves the Bible CD also has a game about "How the Bible Came to Be" (great for Confirmation classes), and yet another game about "How does the Bible describe itself?" ...light, lamp, treasure, etc.

All these games take place in a 3d environment. Students navigate Bongo through jungles and caves and canyons using their keyboard. Bongo is occasionally chased by Surf Mummies and Bongo-eating plants, which he can repel by slingshotting bananas at them!

Some older gamers will think the game is too easy, and it probably is. We made it for play in a church environment where, on average, students only have 40 minutes of class time to use the computer. We also made it to run on older Windows 98/Me/XP computers... which is the typical kind you'll find in a church or kid's home computer in their bedroom.

For more info go to www.sundaysoftware.com/bongo

<>< Neil

Where O Where is the Christian Game Software?

The 1990's were the heyday of Christian software development. But other than our 15 or so new titles since 2002, and a couple of other nice titles from other developers, the Christian software market has failed to grow. In fact, most of the developers from the late 90's and early 2000's have moved on.

Why?
Economics ...Some producers tried to develop Christian titles like they developed secular titles ...with big budgets and teams of developers. However, the sales of their product never allowed them to keep such a business model going.

Bad decisions ...at one point we kept count of all the Noah software that had come out. We were up to 16! (Thankfully, most are gone and forgotten). Some poor apples spoiled the barrel too. Worse, some of the big $$ projects aimed at teen boys and young adult males --trying to compete against $50 million dollar Halo and Gears of War titles. Whereas, most ignored the preschool and early reader market.

Poor distribution channels. ...Bookstores don't want software that's two years old. And they don't know how to sell software from a shelf. ONline stores often only tell you a little bit about the software.

"Failure to Embrace" ...the Church talks about negatives in the culture, such as violent games, but does little to support the non-violent Christian game industry.

What's needed?
We need the denominations and their publishing arms to embrace this medium. They have a built in need to educate their young people, a sales and marketing apparatus, and the "imprimatur" of their name behind the product (i.e. if it comes from the Methodist Publishing House, 14 million Methodists will trust it). EXAMPLE: Every denomination has a need to teach Church history to young people, especially with those annual Confirmation programs. Why is there no interactive Church history program or online interactive presentation?

Every denomination sells Bible books to children. Why then aren't they ALSO backing an interactive Bible for children?

Part of the answer or 'reason' to all this is the Church is historically behind the times and underfunded for new initiatives. And as the rate of change speeds up in society, this makes the Church seem increasingly irrelevant and out of step with the needs of its members. Yet small developers ARE creating such resources and the internet is helping them distribute on their own (http://www.sundaysoftware.com/ is one such example!). The denom's should be partnering in this.

<>< Neil

New Tech and its Implications for the Church

I'm not just a "Sunday morning software guy." I follow and dicuss and write about technology issues for the church as well.

This past week's TIME magazine had an article about a church using TWITTER during worship services. Members were encouraged to use their cellphones and laptops to 'talk back' especially during the sermon... and their comments were projected on a big screen.

I wrote about Twitter and churches several months ago, -explaining it to pastors and volunteers, and how it can be used to instantly broadcast important messages. (Not sure I'd recommend it for worship however!)

The article also discusses using instant messaging, live chat at church websites, and Facebook in your ministry. You can read the complete article at http://www.sundaysoftware.com/articles/newtech.htm


<>< Neil

Scripture Memory Software with a difference

A number of scripture memory programs have come and gone over the years. I started looking at them back in 1992 and have seen most of them. I offer the following discussion especially to those who might be thinking of making scripture memory software. Most developers keep making the same mistakes over and over again, and that's not good.

Here are the main mistakes which most scripture memory software games make:

1. They don't come with a VERSE EDITOR.
This means you have to select what someone ELSE thinks are the verses to memorize.

2. They come with limited TRANSLATION options. ie... all the verses are in the KJV or NIV, but you might prefer the NLT or NRSV. This means you have to memorize verses in the translation the publisher could afford to include (KJV is free, so most of them use that).

3. Most of these programs can FAIL you. You play against a clock that counts down. Unfortunately this means that a 3rd grader and a 12th grader and a pastor have the same amount of time to learn a verse. Or it means time can run out on you. 'Presure' is not conducive to memory.

4. Most of these memory verse programs have been BORING to play.


Sunday Software to the rescue!

In 2002, my friend Mike Gale and I set out make a scripture memory game that didn't make the same mistakes others had made. Using some our classroom experience, a sense of humor, and some very cool "biovirtual" technology, we created "Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD" ... You can learn more about it at www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin


Verse Editor
Cal and Marty comes with a a built-in verse editor. YOU put in the scripture verses YOU want to learn. (You can cut and paste them from a Bible program if you like.) Better still... what we realized years ago was that kids love to type, and love to type-in their own verses. This starts the memorization process even before the game is started! And you can type verses in any translation you please.

A Clock that Counts UP
Rather than counting down, we simply reversed the clock. This allows younger or less experienced students to take all the time they need and not feel like a loser. Of course, the shorter time you take, the better your score.

Add Comments and Add a Quiz
Along with each verse, you or your students can add a detailed 'comment' to each verse that pops up after it has been played. You can also add a 3 question quiz to each verse. Once again, that's a way to encourage students to engage the verse and add their own content to it.

"BioVirtual" Fun
We used an application from biovirtual.com that animated the famous portraits of John Calvin and Martin Luther to make them "the hosts" of the "Cal and Marty Show" (the scripture memory game). They appear on screen with very bad french and german accents, telling jokes, and encouraging students. More interestingly, the biovirtual software makes their eyes and head FOLLOW your mouse cursor. It's eerie, and eye-catching, --and makes the kids want to play it again and again. And THAT is the name of the memorization game, because "repetition is the cornerstone of all learning."

We also have Cal & Marty briefly introduce themselves and present some brief details about the Reformation in a special section tucked-away in the program.

Neil MacQueen

www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin

List of Christian Software I don't like

Over the years, I've taken some heat for maintaining a list of Christian software & Christian computer games that I DO NOT recommend. I've called it "The No Shelf" because we used to keep samples of all the games people sent us on a shelf in our stockroom.

You can view that 'NO' list by clicking this link: www.sundaysoftware.com/noshelf.htm

Some developers who's CDs are on my "No" list have called it "un-Christian." But here's my theory: if they are giving it away, then I'll take it off my "no" list. But as long as they are asking for your money, then an opinion and recommendation is legit. Paul would have called it "discernment."

Is it a conflict of interest to make our own software and then say "no" to other people's software? No, and here's why: we carry many other people's titles! If we like a program, you can get in our catalog. We're 'picky,' not stinky. The "No" list also contains some "Maybe" recommendations.

For a list of the Christian software and computer games we DO recommend... go to www.sundaysoftware.com/software.htm

Note to developers:
Want to know how to AVOID getting "no" listed? Talk to me about your program before you are finished with it. Not only will I give you free advice, but some of it might even be GREAT advice! ...based on having seen many CDs and their developers come and go, and based on knowing at least what OUR customer tell us they like.

Might some of our software be on someone else's "no" list? I suppose! I guess it depends on your criteria. We're up front about ours.

Review: Interactive Parables CD

Interactive Parables from Graceworks Interactive
(yeah, we carry it!)

Tim at Graceworks is perhaps most famous for his dedication to the Christian Game Developers Conference held annually in the Pacific Northwest. In 2007 he created Interactive Parables CD. Honestly, when I first saw it, it was raw. But to Tim's credit, he was committed to improving his first release, -something other developers seem less willing or able to do. He adopted a couple of my suggestions and when we started to test the game with our customers, they liked it. Sales have since done pretty well, - a testament to both Tim, the game's appeal, and the fact that the game fills an empty niche on the shelf: parables.

Overview:
In Interactive Parables CD, you select from one of 24 Jesus parables to learn and be quizzed about. You learn and play them in a 3d game maze. You can select the style of 3D MAZE to play in (over a dozen maze choices). In order to win the game, you must find your way through the game maze and answer questions correctly about the parable. The questions appear as multiple choice text and True/False.

Details:
You begin by reading the Bible story, then you enter a maze of rooms. Each room is filled with pop-up questions to answer, keys to find, things to jump over, run from and otherwise avoid, plus game objectives to complete, and bonus points to claim. Challenges include chasms, moving floors, barrels to jump, power-up stars to collect, and traps to avoid. Nothing scary... just challenging and fun. (See my note below about the need for better story graphics and interaction.)

In each game you'll meet "Mr. Green Jeans" (pictured right) -a young lad who is confused about the story. You must answer his questions with the correct response in order to receive gems that allow you to complete the level. This is one of my favorite features in the game... it really gives it some "content." Maps and inventories of each level are at your fingertips, though they are a bit obtuse.

On first glance, "gamers" might think the game environment a bit dated, and it is. The game engine is decent, but not as robust as some other 3d engines. The graphics are good but not great. "Better looking" games exist, and some of them are quite good. But IP has a key factor: it's fun to play and it has lots of action. There are better looking games that bore you.

What we'd like to see in a future version:

• Better Bible story graphics. They're rudimentary in this early release. Hire a graphic artist Tim!


• More game play options, such as, "a short game" ...so that kids who only have 20 minutes in a Sunday School class can play a parable. Currently, a parable takes about 40 minutes to play for a 5th grader. This is a great example of a KEY feature which would make the program even more marketable.


• More varied level environments. Most have a basic warehouse or square rooms look. Would be nice to see levels tailored to the story itself. Studying the Sower's Parable? Make the level a farm theme. In games, the visual environment should reinforce the story.

Now here's the cool thing: Tim would like to see some of these improvements too. Many developers play their cards close to their vest. Many never get to version 1.2 or 2.0. And I can tell you from OUR sales of IP, that Tim should be able to afford to continue to improve the game.

Note to game developers:
IP is a good example of a modest game engine with modest graphics (compared to today's 3d extravaganzas), but appealing game play. Tim includes 24 parables and tons of game options, which is good example of "Less could have been More." He could have put in HALF the parables and level options and nobody would have noticed them missing, -then he could have spent more time on making the story content itself, and graphics, a little more interactive. And he could have released a second CD with the other 12 parables. Not that we're complaining... the 24 stories are a blessing of abundance.

Check out the game at www.sundaysoftware.com/image/interactiveparables

Windows only, as are most Christian software computer games.

Christian Software Game Design Tips

I've been to the 7th level of Captain Bible and run the Unibot, ...and played most every other Christian Computer game that ever was. It's part of what I do... and have always done since I began teaching with software in 1990. Amazin Blazin? Bible Builders? Onesimus? Gil's Bible Jumble? Bongo Loves the Bible? Heavenword? Catechumen? Played them all.

More importantly, for over 18 years I've been next to the KIDS who were playing these games. Here are some of the important things I've learned and often share with Christian computer game developers:

1. Pay Attention to What Other Developers Have Made
This would seem to be obvious, but I run into developers all the time who have never seen ANY of our software, or played any of the more popular Christian computer game titles out there. They are just all fired up about THEIR concept. Do the research and talk to other developers. Most of us are very willing to share our experience and advice. Some of it may even be correct.

2. Teach to the mainstream. Don't teach your peculiar brand of Christianity.

There's a game out here about a new world order coming to power and trying to put down the Church. Seriously, you are welcome to such a belief, but it's not going to win you many converts or sales. And you DO want to make more software, right?

A corollary to this is "have a sense of humor." Quite a few Christian software games are a bit too serious, and quite a few 3d Christian games have such dark themes that you'd think "battling evil" was what 3d game engines were designed to do!

3. Keep it simple.
Overly complex games lose players, and more importantly, YOU lose the opportunity you wanted to share the Gospel through your game. Don't make your game overly long either. Most kids and youth are not hard-core gamers. I know from personal experience that it's hard to objectively evaluate the level of difficulty of a game you have spent MONTHS working on. Always put it before new testers who've never seen it before. Watch them play it. In every game we've ever made, we've had to make the navigation easier, and the gameplay more obvious. Many of the games we evaluate from other producers could have used these same adjustments.

4. Don't overspend on layout and graphics, and underspend on the presentation of Bible content.
I see this mistake all the time. Game developers spend too much time on creating cool levels, and the actual Bible content looks crappy, or like an afterthought.

In fact, don't overspend at all. Keep your projects small and on a really tight budget. The Christian software market is smaller than you think.

5. Avoid getting locked into ONE distributor.
I've lost track of the number of developers who have "distributor done me wrong" stories. Diversify. And as you develop your title, ask various distributors to preview it and offer suggestions. I've played many programs that I WISH we could have suggested changes to BEFORE they went out and made 5000 copies of it , ...and those changes would have made it appropriate for OUR catalog, and maybe a few others as well.

Bongo Loves the Bible CD is a great example of a Christian computer game designed to fill a much needed CONTENT and MARKET NICHE.

www.sundaysoftware.com/bongo

• Bongo Loves the Bible CD is FUN, and has a sense of humor.


• It's for both children and youth.


• Each of its four games can be 'won' in under 35 minutes.


• It covers basic Bible content, but also Books of the Bible, and "How the Bible Came to Be" ...all popular topics in many churches. Yet it is fun to play at home too.
  
• It's 3D games can run on slightly older computers (the kind many churches have)
  
• And it was done on modest budget.

Article: How to teach with 3D games

For some reason, teachers and parents seem to back away from the computer when there's a game on the screen. Yet many Christian computer games are BEST played when there's an adult playing right alongside the young person.

Here's the link to the full article: www.sundaysoftware.com/articles/3dtips.htm

Christian Software developers are encouraged to read it as well to gain some extra insight into how their "game" software might be better designed for better learning.

For example, I tuck-in extra content in our games KNOWING that a teacher will be there to point it out. Kids, of course, will be kids and try to bypass anything that slows them down.

I also often design the flow of the game to follow the Bible story outline, so that just by playing the game, they learn how the pieces of the Bible story fit together (Our Joseph's Story CD is a good example of this www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph)