Ministry-to-Children.com » VBS 2010

Review: VBS Curriculum from the Seventh Day Adventist Church

Wayne Stocks — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:57:39 +0000

Last month, we agreed to review a copy of the KCGN – Kids’ & God’s Communication Network curriculum. I decided the best way to present my evaluation was to walk you through the evaluation process itself. For more information check out their official website.

What is KGCN?

KGCN describes itself as a “child evangelism kit.” The most likely application is for a vacation bible school, but as the manual points out, this could also be used for children’s church, children’s prayer meeting or short-term evangelism meeting.

This VBS curriculum is produced the Review and Herald Publishing Association (official website | Wikipedia article), a publishing house for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. That said, nothing jumped out at me that would be considered “strictly denominational,” and I don’t believe other denominations (or non-denominational churches) will have any problems with the material.

My Initial Impressions

When the package arrived and I opened it, the first thing I noticed was the great packaging of the kit itself. It comes in a high quality messenger bag which makes a great first impression. I have to give the creators of the kit credit for that because the first impression they give is one of attention to quality and detail and it made me want to get into the rest of the material. I was hoping that the rest of the material lived up to that initial impression.

The Contents of Bag

Here are the contents of the bag:

KGCN Director’s Manual
Good News – God’s News Live Program Manual
Good News – God’s News Tour Program Manual
Play-by-Play Program Manual
Do It Yourself Program Manual
Snack Attack Program Manual
Builder’s Square Program Manual
History Mystery Program Manual
Operation Cool Aid Program Manual
Package of posters
Music CD
Music DVD
Special Features DVD
Media Resources CD-ROM

What is the basis of KGCN?

This kit is built around the idea of teaching kids five different ways in which God communicates with us. Each day is built around a daily headline which summarizes the main point for the day. These include:

God Calls (Verbal Communication)
God Shows (Visual Communication)
God Writes (Written Communication)
God Cares (Body Communication)
God Comforts (Intuitive Communication)

Each day is reinforced by an individual Bible story and a memory verse.

How does it work?

KGCN is built around different stations with tour guides who lead kids from station to station. The stations include:

1. Good News – God’s News Tour is the introductory phase of the evening with all kids gathered together for a presentation which includes music and a presentation of the memory verse.

2. History Mystery/Do It Your Self uses drama, storytelling, and other interactive methods to teach the day’s Bible story. There are at least two different options provided in the kit for how to tell these stories (one involving puppets).

3. Snack Attack provides the kids with a healthy snack each day. These snacks were not an afterthought. Some of the snack ideas presented are incredibly creative and reinforce the story at the same time.

4. Builders Square is the craft station of the day. The crafts are designed so that the materials needed can be purchased from well known retailers detailed in the manuals.

5. Play-by-Play is game time. The games include various types of activities – some more rambunctious than others.

6. Good News – God’s News Live is the final section of the day and reemphasizes the songs, bible story and skit for the day.

Each station (including games and snack time) includes questions and other activities to help reinforce the main message.

My overall impression

As I said above, when I first got KGCN in the mail it looked like a top notched product, and I was excited to review it. Unfortunately, the first thing I grabbed out of the bag to review was the music CD. I am not a musical person, but I do believe that music is critical to a VBS or other event like this. Music has a way drawing kids in and getting them excited. To be perfectly honest, I did not care for the music included in KGCN. (See the video below to decide for yourself.) While I do think that they picked songs which fit well in flow of the event, I didn’t find the music to be exciting or all that engaging. It felt like music that would be better for a pre-school VBS rather than an elementary age VBS.

So, after the music, I was little worried about what I might find in the rest of the kit. Things took a turn for the better again though as I started to review the manuals for the various stages they are well put together, and I think they would be engaging and keeps a child’s attention. KGCN is well thought out, full of good content, and well presented. The whole kit is very cohesive, put together in such a way that every activity further emphasizes the main point, and presented in a manner that will be easy for the various leaders to follow. The directors manual in particular includes tons of great resources related to preparing for the event. I also appreciate that the kit includes built in options for some of the stations.

Other than the music, if there was one thing I thought was problematic about the kit, it was the lack of gospel content on several days. There is one day where the gospel seems to be highlighted, but the remainder of the week, it was deemphasized (at best) or not present (at worst). There is solid biblical content each day, but I would prefer a more consistent presentation of the gospel – especially in something dubbed a “child evangelism kit.”

Overall, I appreciate the effort the creators of this kit put into teaching kids about communication with God. I think this is critical in helping kids to understand that God’s story is about relationship and communication is fundamental to that relationship. I would have liked to have seen some more emphasis placed on prayer as a way we communicate back with God. The music left a lot to be desired, but the quality of the manuals is top notch, and it is clear that a lot of thought and work went into to putting it all together. Any purchased outreach or VBS generally requires some modification, and this KGCN is no exception. That said, with some minor modifications, I think this could make a great VBS experience for your kids.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a free copy of KGCN in order to do this review. That did not impact the contents of the review.

Need More VBS Ideas? Check out our resource page for Vacation Bible School. You might also enjoy our 2011 VBS Curriculum reviews.

Praise Party VBS Starter Kit (Abingdon Press)

Tony Kummer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:03:14 +0000

This post is your chance to win a VBS starter kit from Abingdon Press called “Praise Party.” Abingdon is a division of the United Methodist Publishing House and sold through Cokesbury. You should also check out the Cokesbury VBS twitter account.

The giveaway has ended, thanks to all who entered and left such great feedback!

Praise Party was created to fit the needs of churches with an African American heritage, but this curriculum could be used in a variety of ministry settings. Here is their description of this VBS program.

Praise Party is a heritage-based Christian education curriculum that will have your community celebrating the saving grace of Jesus Christ with head, heart, hands, feet, and SOUL!! Through Bible study, crafts, skits, movement, contemporary music, and well-loved hymns and songs of the Black Church, Praise Party will create passionate worship that truly makes disciples for Jesus Christ.

How You Can Win

To enter this giveaway is simple. Just check out this video about Praise Party VBS and leave a comment below to share your first impressions. Feel free to be honest with any concerns. This program may not be right for your church. If you love the program say why and how you might use it if you win. I will randomly pick one a winner next Wednesday 9 June 2010. If this is your first time to comment, it may take a few hours to appear because of my spam protection. I will only be able to ship this to US addresses. Good luck! This contest is not officially sponsored by Abingdon, this is simply my way of passing along the review copy they sent me.

Watch The Preview Video

God Rocks VBS Starter Kit

Tony Kummer — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:49:04 +0000

A few months back, the people at Kidmo contacted me about their VBS program called God Rocks Starlight Rescue. I wanted to do an in-depth review, but just wasn’t able to block off the time. Here is a description of the program that Kidmo sent. Click here for more information and to order this VBS program.

God Rocks! Starlight Rescue VBS and comes from the God Rocks! ministry folks out of Canada. It has a exciting outer-space theme to it. We specialize in media-driven resources and this VBS has the most and best media I have seen in a VBS. It seemed like something we would have done if we produced a VBS so it was a natural fit and so we have been helping God Rocks! get this distributed to churches in the USA.

The opening session has an interactive cartoon with a continuing storyline for each of the five days. The church provides a host that has a script and interacts with the cartoon. The worship music videos are very relevant sounding for kids and have a great but not distracting look to them.

One of the breakouts sessions has a 12 minute cartoon and then a lesson for the teacher to follow. Another breakout area is for learning the motions to a new worship song each day and an opportunity to have an air-band competition to it while watching the music video for it.

There are also games, crafts & snack ideas (3 of each to choose from each day) that keep the theme going the whole time.

All of the printed materials, teacher manuals, marketing, etc are on CD-Rom so they can be e-mail or printed in quantities needed. There are very few extras to buy beyond the Mega Kit. Plus there is also a Preschool version included in the kit.

It was all written and put together by children’s pastors with a large amount of VBS experience and we have gotten amazing reaction from churches about how it is complete, thought-out and easy to use.

I’m going to make this one simple. Just check out this video about Starlight Rescue VBS and leave a comment below to share your first impressions. Feel free to be honest with any concerns or get excited if your a God Rocks fan. I will randomly pick one a winner next Wednesday 2 June 2010. If this is your first time to comment, it may take a few hours to appear because of my spam protection. I will only be able to ship this to US addresses. Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered with all the great feedback. Click here to see our latest giveaways.

Giveaway: SonQuest Rainforest VBS

Tony Kummer — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:15:26 +0000

I just posted an update with my full review of the Gospel Light 2010 VBS curriculum. The company was kind enough to send me a copy to look at first hand. Overall I was very impressed with what I saw and believe this VBS will be helpful to many churches. For more information you can visit their official website.

This giveaway has now closed, thanks to all who participated.

This post is your chance to win the starter kit they sent me to review. Just check out the video preview below and leave me a comment with your first impressions. Next Monday 19 April 2010 I will use random.org to select one winner.

If this is your first time to leave a comment, it will take up to three hours for it to appear. I moderate new commentators to prevent spam. Just make sure you use a real email or I won’t be able to contact you. I can only ship to addresses in the US on this one.

Need More VBS Ideas? Then browse our tips for planning Vacation Bible School or check out our 2010 VBS theme reviews.

“God’s Extreme Power” VBS from City Light Ministries

Tony Kummer — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:25:19 +0000

Last year, I introduced our readers to City Light Ministries. They are one of the sponsors that helps our site continue to grow, and they are cool enough to do another VBS giveaway for our readers. Here is your chance to win this God-centered Vacation Bible School Kit.

Note: This contest has now ended and I’ve notified the winner. Thanks to all who participated. Check out the comment section to hear what our readers thought of this VBS theme.

One download copy of their Vacation Bible School curriculum called “God’s Extreme Power.” Here is an overview, they also have a sample on their website.

Lesson One: The Israelites Cross the Red Sea // Aim: God is Powerful
Lesson Two: Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand // Aim: God’s Power is Personal
Lesson Three: Lazarus Rises from the Dead // Aim: God’s Power Brings Life
Lesson Four: Jesus Frees the Demon Possessed Man // Aim: God’s Extreme Power Saves my Life
Lesson Five: Saul’s Life is Changed // Aim: God’s Power Changes my Life

Digital Edition Curriculum includes: Teachers Manual, Planning Guide, Applications, worksheets, coloring pages, craft ideas, song ideas, and memory verses.

Our God is an Awesome God! His power goes to the extreme. Take your VBS on an exciting adventure. God’s power is shown in nature and in my life. Show your children that God’s power will change my life. He has the power to help me live a righteous life.

How To Enter

Take a look at the curriculum and then leave a comment on this post sharing your first impression. It can be positive or negative, the people at City Light will value your feedback.

Monday 15 March 2010, I will use Random.org to select one winner from the comments on this post. This one is open to readers around the world, you just need to have Internet access to download the VBS curriculum.

VBS Review: “Back Stage with the Bible” from the Go Fish Guys

Tony Kummer — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:40:41 +0000

I’ve heard of the Go Fish guys a few times, but didn’t know much about them. This year they sent me a copy of their VBS to review. What I found impressed me in many ways. “Backstage With the Bible” is a rock concert theme that will connect very well with kids in our American Idol culture.

Here are my review notes from this Vacation Bible School program. I would love to hear your comments about the theme, especially if you have used their music in your church. Just leave a comment below. For more information, be sure to check out their official website and YouTube channel.

High Energy Music

The first thing that impressed me about this VBS was the quality of the music. This program is built around several popular songs that the Go Fish Guys have been performing for years. This gives them a real advantage over other publishers who are forced to composed original VBS songs to fit a predefined theme. The music in this VBS is the same music that families flock to see at their Go Fish Guys concerts.

Excellent Supporting Media

The DVD that comes with this curriculum will bring the concert experience to your VBS. Each song video includes concert footage, fun animations, and real kids leading the choreographed dance movements.

Clear Gospel Focus

Sometimes the Gospel message gets lost in all the creative theme elements in a traditional Vacation Bible School. That is definitely not the case with this VBS. The teaching focus clearly moves the children through the basics of a Gospel outline. Here is a look at the daily themes:

Day #1 Superstar: God made you in HIS image (Psalm 139:14)
Day #2 Ten Commandments: Are you good enough? (Romans 3:23)
Day #3 The Cross: Find out what Jesus did for you (John 3:16)
Day #4 Saved: Saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8)
Day #5 Go Fish: Share the Good News! (Matthew 4:19)

Bible Saturated Teaching

Another strong point for this VBS is the amount of biblical content contained in each lesson. They have included far more Bible teaching in their lessons than in the typical Vacation Bible School. “Putting the Bible back into Vacation Bible School” is more than a marketing phrase. If you want meaty Bible content, this one won’t disappoint.

Simplicity

This VBS curriculum has all the normal activities including music, bible lessons, snacks, crafts, and games. One major difference is the intentional focus on simplicity. They don’t load you down with dozens of options, instead it’s all focused on having fun & sharing the Gospel. The directions in their manuals are very clear and to-the-point.

Concerns

With any new or self-published VBS some aspects will not measure up to the big budget publishers. One thing that seemed lacking with this theme was the preschool curriculum. I would like to see more preschool specific learning activities included. This is a small concern if you have experienced preschool leaders, but an 11 page preschool manual may be too simple for some churches.

Other churches may be uncomfortable with this theme for cultural reasons. The style of music and emphasis on dancing may put off some culturally conservative congregations. Without qualification, this VBS is using rock & roll to connect children with the Gospel. If that fits your ministry approach you will love it. But churches that are shy about accommodating pop culture will like this curriculum.

My Video Review of this VBS Theme

In just under three minutes, I unpack the starter kit they sent to me. You can watch it below or check out my Go Fish Guys VBS review on YouTube.

Back Stage with the Bible Video

Need More Ideas? Then browse our 2010 VBS reviews or find planning tips for Vacation Bible School.

Need More VBS Help? Then read my tips for planning Vacation Bible School. You can also browse all our VBS 2010 theme reviews.

Sea Quest: Regular Baptist Press 2010 VBS

Tony Kummer — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:25:12 +0000

Is Sea Quest the right VBS for your church? Read my review to learn some pros and cons of the 2010 Vacation Bible School from Regular Baptist Press. The tagline for Sea Quest is “Diving for God’s Treasure” and each daily lesson is build around one of Jesus’ parables. The key Bible verse is Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.”

In previous years, I have not paid much attention to the VBS curriculum from Regular Baptist Press (RBP). I knew they offered a VBS theme that used the King James Version (KJV). I also knew that the Independent Baptist Church in my town used their material. But this is my first year to take a closer look. RBP was kind enough to send me a free starter kit for review.

Learn More About Sea Quest: visit the official site or check out their VBS Community website, Facebook page or Twitter account.

Sea Quest VBS Review

When I opened the box, I was impressed with the quality of the materials. I could tell right away that RBP was not a second rate curriculum publisher. All their teacher guides, posters, and theme elements were comparable to the other major VBS publishers. After spending 2 hours browsing their VBS content, I was still very pleased. This review cannot cover all the details about their theme, but I will share some of the strong points.

Salvation Message: Regular Baptist Press has made evangelism a central feature in their Sea Quest VBS. “How Can I Become God’s Child?” is easy to find on each teacher and rotation guides. This lays out the “ABCs” of responding to the Gospel. There is also an article titled “Leading a student to the Savior” in each teacher’s guide and offers practical advice for evangelizing children.

Craft Options: RBP really goes the extra mile in providing options for your craft time. Each daily lesson has over four choices, plus six general grafts related to the Gospel and even more related to the Sea Quest theme. The craft guide includes some great tips and even a section addressing special needs children.

Mission Offering: Most churches do some kind of VBS missions offering, but RBP is taking it one step farther. They have linked Sea Quest with project titled “Operation Love: Kenya” that is working to build a Christian home for orphans.

Bible Teaching: RBP has written some great lesson plans in this VBS. The content is biblically correct and educationally sound. Every lesson is laser focused on Jesus and God’s love for us through the Gospel. This Bible School is truly centered on the Bible.

Online Support: Like several other VBS publishers, RBP is offering support online. In addition to their website, they have launched a VBS community site where you can share ideas with other Sea Quest churches. The theme also has its own Facebook page and Twitter profile.

Puppet Scripts: Right away you could tell RBP puts real effort into the puppet element of their curriculum. The puppet scripts get their own booklet. This includes directions for setting up the puppet stage and tips for integrating the puppets into your VBS.

Concerns About Sea Quest

Music Is Not Kid Friendly: This was my one concern with Sea Quest. At first, I was excited to learn the VBS songs include some music written by Keith Getty. I really respect his songs for their theological depth. All of the Sea Quest music has great content and are appropriate worship songs for grown-up church. But I question how this music will appeal to children. Both versions of the music (piano and synthesized instrumental) seem overly reflective and stylized for kids. The un-churched children who need the message of these songs will not be able to get past the musical style. I appreciate what RBP is trying to do, but the music is just not fun. If our church picked Sea Quest, we would only be able to use a few songs.

Not Right For Every Church: One thing I respect about Regular Baptist Press is their distinct identity. They do not hide their beliefs to increase sales. They treat VBS as a time to evangelize children. They stick close to their King James Version (NKJV also available). They have serious Bible doctrine even in their children’s music. If that is your kind of church, then you will love Sea Quest. But if the more fundamentalist approach to Christianity is not thing, you might look elsewhere.

What Do You Think About Sea Quest?

I hope this review will help you choose your VBS theme for 2010. Of course, this is just one opinion. I would love to hear what you think about this Vacation Bible School theme. Just leave a comment in the box below.

My Video Review of SeaQuest

More VBS Reviews: Browse all my 2010 Vacation Bible School reviews.

Lifeway’s 2010 VBS Overview (Saddle Ridge Ranch)

Tony Kummer — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:06:00 +0000

I’ve been watching for more information about Lifeway’s Saddle Ridge Ranch. You will remember all the great VBS hint videos they made last summer. Here are a few new videos they posted to YouTube that overview their 2010 VBS curriculum. Check back in a few months for my full review or visit their official website.

These videos offer a good look at their 2010 materials, plus they show some really helpful ideas for Saddle Ridge Ranch decorations. I’m definitely more impressed after watching these videos. Feel free to share you thoughts in the comment section below. Are you excited about this VBS theme? Maybe you have already ordered LifeWay’s Saddle Ridge Ranch.

Saddle Ridge Ranch Overview

LifeWays 2010 VBS Worship Rally Overview

Saddle Ridge Ranch Craft Idea Video

Saddle Ridge Ranch VBS Music Overview

LifeWay’s VBS Mission Rotation Overview

Bible Teaching Overview for LifeWay’s 2010 VBS

Recreation & VBS Games at Saddle Ridge Ranch

Snack Rotation Overview

Looking for more VBS ideas? Then browse my practical tips for Vacation Bible School, browse all 2010 Bible School themes or talk it over in our VBS forums.

Hero Headquaters VBS 2010 from Standard Publishing

Tony Kummer — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:55:01 +0000

Standard Publishing has announced their 2010 VBS Theme. Hero Headquarters will feature “five unlikely Bible heroes who are often overlooked.” The tag line is “Where kids join forces with God.” Children will discover how God can use them to make a difference any situation. The graphic design appears to be inspired by the style of classic comic books and graphic novels. At first glace, this VBS theme will have a strong appeal. I’m looking forward to learning more.

From the theme song, I am glad to hear “God is my hero” as the focus of this Bible school. Too often using Bible characters for models can miss the point that God is the real protagonist of the Bible storyline. It sounds like Standard is on the right track.

My Review of Hero Headquarters VBS theme

I’m waiting for more information, but check back later this Fall for my detailed opinion and review of this VBS curriculum.

More About Hero Headquarters

Visit the official website that features a sound clip from the theme song.

Check out all the 2010 VBS themes or read tips for Vacation Bible School.

Praise Party VBS from Abington Press for 2010

Tony Kummer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:46:16 +0000

This is the first year I’ve taken a look at the VBS offering from Abington Press, which also produces the Cokesbury VBS theme. This year they offer a block party theme titled Praise Party. It has an urban feeling and serves churches from a more diverse background, especially historically black congregations. The tag line for Praise Party says, “Worshiping God with head, heart, hands, feet, and SOUL!”

Praise Party Daily Content

Willing Hands (Exodus 35: 4-10a, 22, 25-26; 36:2-3a) The Hebrews offer gifts to God.
Stomp (1 Chronicles 13:1-8) David and the Hebrews praise God by dancing.
Stand up Straight in Praise (Luke 13:10-17) Jesus heals a bent-over woman.
Breakthrough (Acts 16:25-34) When Paul and Silas pray and sing, a jailer’s household receives salvation.
Sing a Song (Ephesians 5:15-20) Instructions on a Spirit-filled life

Resources for Praise Party VBS

In this section, I’ll add link out to resources that will help churches who are using Praise Party from Abington Press. If you know of more resources, leave a note in the comment section below.

Visit the official website from 2010 Abingron Press VBS. They will have decorating ideas, and other suggestions as VBS 2010 gets closer. You can also sign up for their email newsletter.
Follow Cokesbury VBS on Twitter
Read my interview with Michael Auliso from Cokesbury / Abington Press