Posted by: Kathryn Good
Our church goes all out with decorating for VBS as I’m sure a lot of your churches do. It is so fun to see a fellowship hall transformed into a beach boardwalk or a gymnasium transported to Africa. And what a great message this is for kids - learning about Jesus is fun!
While the decorating is exciting to see, it is a lot of work! Our church is trying something new this year, and I wanted to share this great tip with you. We’ve asked our adult Sunday School classes to take charge of an area of the church. Our hope is that this will get more of the church involved in VBS and generate a church-wide excitement for VBS. It will also be a great help to the VBS team who usually decorates the whole church. So far, we’ve heard so me really great ideas coming from the Sunday School classes!
Posted in Decorations ~ 1 Comment
By Patricia Meyers
How does a Vacation Bible School without the endless runs for “one more thing” sound? Our goal this month is to trigger your thoughts regarding every aspect of VBS so your list is complete. This is the year of the smooth running VBS!
Remember those silly phrases we used as kids to help us remember things? Well, here’s one to help you keep some VBS tasks on your mind. Using the acronym MAT’S GECKO, spend some time doing some thorough thinking. Let your mind roam over each segment completely. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s get started:
M – Music
Where do you need music? Before service, during worship, for puppet songs? What about during craft and snack time? Do you need to order CDs or sheet music? Who needs copies? What about visuals for the words? What kind of music equipment do you need?
A – Arrive early, finish fast
Early arrivers and early finishers can equal trouble. What will you do with kids before VBS begins or those who finish their crafts and activities fast? Extra projects, puzzles, and preparedness can help avoid tense moments.
T – Teachers and Helpers
How will teachers get lesson materials? Are copies needed? How is the daily schedule being communicated? Who takes the kids where? What do you need during assembly time, music time, games, etc? Clear instructions will make everyone feel successful, encourage helpfulness and increase the desire to assist again next year.
What about thank you’s? Will you send form letters, hand write a note, host a luncheon, send a gift card? Do you have up-to-date addresses and phone numbers? Have everything ready ahead of time and you’ll thank yourself later.
S – Safety
Child safety is huge. Think through every area: parking lots, admission, dismissal, etc. Review your registration paperwork. Do you have emergency contacts for each child? Does the paper work include allergy alerts and all other important medical information? What about first aid kits? Are they well-stocked? Does everyone know where they are? Does someone know CPR? Put everything under your safety-scope.
G – Games
Think through every age group’s games. What equipment is needed for indoor games? Outdoor games? Do you need whistles? Stop watches? Score cards? Prizes? Boundary markers?
Do you have kids with health issues? What will they do during this time? They need to have something exciting and invigorating scheduled.
E – Eats
Snack time can be a great memory maker. How creative do you want to be? Some brainstorming now can add zip to your snacks. Who will handle the snacks? Where will they be served? Who is responsible for clean up? How are supplies being gathered? Snacks do not have to be expensive or sugary to be fun and memorable - just thought out.
And back to safety for a moment, how will food allergy information be communicated from the registration table to the snack preparers/servers?
C – Crafts
A major stress-reducer is ordering complete craft kits. Craft time headaches virtually disappear! Check out what Guildcraft is offering for your theme by clicking here: http://www.guildcraftinc.com/vacation-bible-school-vbs-crafts.html. Themed-related items often sell out quickly, so order early so you can be sure that you get what you want! In addition to the main projects, this is a good time to freshen your basic supplies: glue, crayons, pencils, markers, construction paper, etc.
K – Kids’ Eye View
Mentally walk through the day from a kids’ eye view. For example, what happens upon arrival? This is a dangerous time to have nothing planned. Perhaps your puppet team or a theme-related character could host Q&A time. Maybe have silly contests, trivia questions or puzzles going on the PowerPoint. Think through what they will do each day and what item(s) will be needed to keep that time from getting out of control. How will they travel from segment to segment?
Kids have a blast at VBS. Then what? How will you follow up? A letter? A theme-related follow up event? Now’s the time to decide. Attempting to pull something together during VBS will be stressful and haphazard, and not planning something is like leaving fruit on the vine.
O – Object Lessons and Other Visuals
From promos to décor, make a note of every visual needed: outside signage, registration table, hallways, classrooms, etc. Decide who is responsible for what, and be very specific - from the big visual pieces down to the adhesive.
Next, think through all the visuals needed for each lesson from large-group assembly time to small-group story time. Visuals are a great way to help get across your message, so take the time to think about what will work most effectively. Decide who will provide the visuals – you or the teachers?
We hope you enjoyed our acronym of Mat’s Gecko! Just remember it to help you stay on top of that never-ending VBS task list. You are going to have a fabulously organized VBS!
Posted in Crafts, Decorations, Games, Music, Planning, Safety, Snacks ~ No Comments
