Using this Site
GREEN AND PURPLE DOTS:
Materials preceded by a green dot are free and available to everyone. You can view, print, and make as many copies as needed for use in your class. There are hundreds free items, including complete lesson plans.
Items with a purple dot require membership. For more information about membership, click here. When you become a member, you select a username and password. When you try to view an item with a purple dot, you will first go to a log in screen where you will enter your username and password. You only need to log in one time for each session.
HOW TO NAVIGATE THE WEBSITE:
As we discuss how to navigate the site we will start at the top of the page and work our way to the bottom.
Links to Teaching Aids, Bulletin Boards, Printables, About Us, Contact, and the link to toggle between English and Spanish are located in the upper left hand corner of the page. The material contained within these areas is applicable to both grade school and preschool teachers.
Links to register and log in or out of the site are located in the upper right hand corner of the page.
By default, the grade school portion of the site will be active upon your arrival. To move between the grade school and preschool sections of the site you simply click on either the gradeschool or preschool tab located at the top of the page. As you click the two different age ranges notice that the colors change, blue for grade school and orange for preschool. This will help you keep track of which area of the site you are located.
Once the appropriate age level has been selected you may access the activities, crafts, games, lessons, object talks, puzzles, skits, songs, stories, and topical index by clicking on the link bearing it's name. This links are available both in the colorful ribbon bar that runs across the top of the page or from the side navigation that runs vertically down the left side of the page.
Navigation within each category (Activities, Crafts, Games, Etc.) is fairly straightforward. Arrangement of material within each section is alphabetically by title, with a brief description next to each. To view the actual content, simply click on the title. Material can also be broken down into smaller segments by clicking on the corresponding alphabetic range you would like to see, for example, A-B, C-D, Etc. Grey text links, called breadcrumbs, are located just above the title of the material, to help you quickly maneuver around the site, reducing the need to continually click the back button.
To return to the home page at any time you may click on the site logo.
From the "News and Events" area of the home page you can find any new resources that have been added by clicking on "What's New." Other news or events will also be featured in this section of the site.
Three informational panels towards the bottom of the home page will provide you with more information on how to become a member, find help with teaching aids, and show you how your membership helps support children's ministry around the world.
Text links on the bottom of the page give you the option to return to the home page, find out more about us, view your user profile, logout, contact us, or find help on how to use the site.
HOW TO FIND CERTAIN RESOURCES:
Topical Index
One of the quickest ways to find material for which you are looking is to use of our handy topical index. Separate topical indexes are available for both Grade school and Preschool to make finding the material for your particular age group as easy as possible. For more information on how to use our topical indexes please click here.
Site Search
Another tool, which is helpful for finding material, is the site search. The site search is located at the bottom of most pages. Simply type the word or phrase you would like to find into the search box and press enter. The results of your search will be displayed, along with the option to refine your search to specific areas of the site.
To refine the search, click the button "Refine Search" and place checkmarks next to the areas in which you would like to search. This panel also gives you the ability to sort the results either alphabetically or by the newest material first.
Find Recently Added Resources
Quickly find what materials we added during the past year. Visit our What's New page. Click here
HOW THE WEBSITE IS ORGANIZED:
Non-age Releated Resources
The non-age related sections of the site include, teaching aids, bulletin boards, printables, outreach ministry, registration, news and events and about us. Materials in these sections of the site can be used either preschool or grade school teachers.