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10 Reasons To Still Do Vacation Bible School

Wayne Stocks — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:01:09 +0000

In churches across the nation, this year’s Vacation Bible School is quickly becoming a memory. There are many people out there who think that VBS is an outdated program whose time has come and gone. Fresh off of the excitement and exhaustion that is the controlled chaos that is VBS, here is my list of the top ten reasons to still do VBS at your church:

Kids love it. If you’re doing it right, VBS is just plain fun, and the kids love it. Fun is, of course, not the end all and be all of children’s ministry, but it is a big selling point. When kids are having fun, they are more apt to be paying attention and learning, and they are more likely to invite their friends.
It’s still a great outreach event. Again, when something is fun, kids are likely to invite their friends. In my small group of six kids alone, we had one little girl that brought two different friends during the week. At least one of those kids never goes to church.
It is an opportunity to share the gospel of Christ. I talked to another little boy who lives near the church and comes to VBS every year. It is his only exposure to church and the only time each year when he gets to hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It gives the kids in your church a chance to spend some time together. In addition to reaching out to the community, VBS let’s your regular church kids spend some time together and continue to build those relationships.
It gives adults a chance to serve and see how much fun and how rewarding working with kids can be. Many people who won’t sign up for a six month or year long commitment will commit to one week. What a great opportunity VBS presents for finding new volunteers for your ministry. I found two people to ask within the first couple of nights. I don’t know if they will plan out, but I would never have met them if it hadn’t been for VBS.
Parents get a chance to hear the gospel. If you organize your VBS in such a manner that at least one night involves parents, it gives you an opportunity to share the gospel with them. It can be at a closing ceremony, or something planned during the week. During our VBS (we used Gospel Light’s SonQuest Rainforest), we had a zoo night where the local zoo brought in rainforest animals. We asked parents to stay with their kids, and they all heard the gospel presented by our lead pastor.
You can’t buy that kind of excitement in your weekend program. There is just something special about an action-packed week of VBS that just builds to a certain level of excitement. That is the king of excitement we should feel about God and about his Good News every day, and VBS week helps to remind us of that.
You get to build relationships with kids. When else during the year do you get to spend every night of the week with the same kids? That kind of proximity and consistency is hard to come by in children’s ministry, and isn’t something you should give up up.
You get to build relationships with adults. In addition to relationships with kids, you get to serve with other people from your church that you might not have a chance to meet otherwise. It is a great time to initiate lasting friendships.
It’s just plain fun. No matter what else you say about VBS, it’s just plain fun for both kids and adults. There is no other week during the year that I find so exhausting and so fun all at the same time, and I wouldn’t skip it for the world.

Get a jump on next summer’s VBS. Read our tips for planning VBS or check out our 2011 VBS curriculum reviews.

Printable VBS Evaluation Forms

Wayne Stocks — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:07:08 +0000

This is the time of year when churches all around the country are either wrapping up their VBS for this summer or getting their VBS in before the school year starts again. All the planning was done months ago, volunteers were recruited, supplies were purchased, skits were rehearsed, games were planned, and VBS went off without a hitch. Everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief and wishes one another a hearty, “I can’t wait until we get to do this all again next year.”

Often though, as we move on towards getting ready for the new fall season in the children’s ministry or any number of other things, we forget to capitalize on a valuable assets. That asset is the collective knowledge, comments and suggestions of those who worked your VBS. While it is still fresh in their minds, ask your staff and volunteers for their input on what went well, what didn’t work and what should be done differently next summer. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to to constantly improve by reflecting on the past. Immediately after VBS is over, give everyone a questionnaire and ask them to give you some input. I do suggest waiting until they’ve had a good nights sleep though. If your VBS week is like ours, it can be extremely exhausting! Here are some questions you might consider including:

Practical Tip: When you first draft your VBS schedule, always plan for evaluation meetings in advance. Otherwise you might forget this step. You’re VBS publishers often want to hear this feedback too. Check their official websites for comment forms or surveys.

General Background Questions

What is your name (you may fill this survey out anonymously, but we would appreciate the chance to follow up with you on your comments is you are willing)?
What was your position in VBS?
What age group did you serve with?
Have you volunteered before?
How many years have you done VBS?
What positions have you had previously?

Questions related to Administrative Issues

What could have been better organized?
Do you feel like you received adequate training prior to VBS?
Do you feel like you received adequate written materials prior to VBS?
Are there any portions / stations / aspects of VBS which could be run better?
Is there anything you would do to make the whole process more efficient?
Where you given adequate resources to fulfill your role at VBS?
Was the “chain of command” clear to you?
Was the person you reported to able to provide clear guidance and answers to questions?

Your Impression of VBS

What part(s) of VBS went well?
What could have been better?
Was VBS well planned?
What was your favorite part of VBS?
What was your least favorite part of VBS?
Did you find your role in VBS to be fulfilling?
Did you have fun?
Please share one “success story” from this week.
If you have done VBS before, how did this year’s VBS compare to prior years?

How did Kids respond to VBS

For the kids you led, what was their favorite part of VBS?
For the kids you led, what was their least favorite part of VBS?
Did the kids you led have fun?
Did you see God working in the lives of any kids this week? If so, how?
Did your kids related to the VBS theme?

Looking Forward to Next Year

What would you change for next year?
What do you wish you would have known going into VBS?
What could be done to make VBS more fun next year?
What could be done to make VBS more effective in terms of outreach?
What could be done to make your role in VBS easier next year?
Based on your experience, would you volunteer again next year?

You can download these questions in a formated Word document or print friendly PDF file. Be sure to browse all our resourced for Vacation Bible School.

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.

Popular Ideas for VBS Themes

Mimi Bullock — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:27:37 +0000

Spark interest in your event by promoting these popular VBS themes. These favorite themes are ideal for drawing kids who may never have attended church or your church before. Utilize these ideas to create a VBS your kids will be proud to attend and tell their peers about.

Archaeology
Archaeology is a subject that interests kids and adults alike. Use an archaeology theme at your next VBS. Teaching kids about past civilizations of the Bible lends to the ideal of continuity with God. Ancient Egypt, Jericho and Jerusalem are good civilizations to use at your Archaeology themed VBS. Use foam sheets to make hieroglyphics for an Egyptian museum. Build the massive walls of Jericho with cardboard boxes. Help kids create a replica of Solomon or Herod’s temple in Jerusalem. Set up a large area outdoors for an archaeology dig. Create a sand pit and hide fake artifacts like pottery, jewelry and ancient toys. While your kids dig up Bible history, you can help them dig up truths in the Bible. Wear khakis and lots of linen. Give kids sand bucket sets for take home gifts.

Game Shows
Game shows are fun to play and fun to watch. Make two Buzz Boxes to create competition amongst teams. You will need to make three sided plywood boxes for kids to stand behind. The top of the boxes should hold a light bulb that lights up when a button is pressed. Paint and decorate the boxes in a colorful manner. Paint neon question marks all over the box. After your daily VBS lesson, call kids forward one at a time to answer the trivia questions. Let them compete to see who the best game player is. Award prizes to the kids who answer the most questions correctly. Have a teacher act like a game show host. You could even give away corny prizes like a week’s supply of canned peas or bottles of bubbles. Buy Bible trivia to use as questions or create your own from the lessons.

Safari
Take your kids on a virtual safari with safari themed ideas. Set up classrooms safari style. Each time classes or stations exchange have kids be on alert for “local wildlife”. Teachers and volunteers can dress up as zoo or safari animals. Alternatively, you could play safari sounds like elephants and lions in the background. Set up funny cartoon animals out of cardboard in the lobby or auditorium. These make great backdrops for photographs and safari game playing. Butterfly nets and binoculars make terrific giveaways for kids to take home.

Need More Ideas? Browse our tips for Vacation Bible School or read our 2010 VBS curriculum reviews.

Studio GO: Standard Publishing’s 2009 VBS

Tony Kummer — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:13:48 +0000

[ad#kids-links]I never got around to reviewing Standard’s VBS theme last year. But prompted by their mailings to my church, I decided to take a look for my VBS 2009 curriculum reviews. Here is my first look review of Studio GO VBS by Standard Publishing. My opinions in this review are based off their marketing materials, forums, friends who have used Standard, and their website.

If you’ve used Standard’s VBS materials, please leave a comment below this article.

First Impressions Of 2009 Studio GO Vacation Bible School

Bible Content: I’m a little cautious from what I’ve seen.
Theme Appeal: Most kids love game shows.
Supporting Materials: Looks good.
Music: Limited samples on their website (8/22/08), but the theme song seems in line with previous years quality.
Overall grade: B-

Studio GO Theme

This Vacation Bible School has a game-show theme. They even have slick game-show host graphic on the starter kit box. Studio GO will appeal to churches who want a high energy theme. The concept is heavy on fun, but I normally prefer the VBS themes that are set in different world locations.

The theme verse is Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” I’d be interested to see how they use this verse, because it seemed a little out of place on a Game Show set.

You can learn more about Standard’s Studio Go them from their website and forums. If you are considering this theme, I suggest you read the VBS forums from their 2008 VBS God’s Big Backyard. This will give you some feedback from churches that actually used Standard’s vacation Bible school.

Standard’s Studio GO Bible Lessons

Standard is taking the typical approach to VBS curriculum. Each day’s Bible teaching is based on an application statement that is illustrated by a Bible character. Many publishers stick with this format, but I would like to see more focus on God’s character.

GO Lead: Gideon from Judge, 7:1-22
GO Risk: Esther from Esther 4-7
GO Tell: Women witness to Jesus from Matthew 27
GO Obey: Peter preaches under threat of prison Acts 5:17-32
GO Serve: Ananias helps Paul Acts 9:1-19

Service Showcase

This is a special feature of Studio GO that continues Standard’s emphasis on volunteerism. The idea is to give kids real life examples and opportunities for serving others. This replaces the lesson time about missionaries that many traditional VBS curricula include.

Concerns About Studio GO

Application Driven Lessons: My concern is that building the whole lesson around a themed application point will distract kids from the real point of these stories – God’s Glory. (See my review of Group’s Crocodile Dock for examples of God-centered lesson titles.) This is not a issue unique to Standard, many Christian publishers default to this approach. However, churches should guard against using the Bible for moral teaching while missing the Glory of God and his loving plan to save sinners.

Volunteerism Over Gospel: Of all people, Christians should be the most dedicated to loving their neighbors. But as our culture adds volunteerism as a key feature of its social religion, we should be careful not to confuse doing good things with following Jesus. The message of Christianity is God’s plan to save sinners and remake the world through Jesus Christ. We should remember that good works are the outcome of changing lives, and changing lives are the outcome of God changing people when they hear about Jesus.
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What Do You Think?

Please share your opinions about Studio GO VBS in the comment selection below. My comments are just one opinion, so let me know what you think.

Need More Help? You can find even more practical ideas on my Vacation Bible School resource page and my Vacation Bible School crafts page.

Crocodile Dock: Group’s 2009 VBS Theme

Tony Kummer — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:13:02 +0000

I’ve almost chosen Group’s VBS several times over the last few years, and why not? They have built a strong reputation for producing excellent Vacation Bible School curriculum. But each time other VBS themes seemed to fit our church just a little better.

This year Group has done something that might finally earn them my business. Here is my preview of the Crocodile Dock VBS for 2009. Be sure to visit my Vacation Bible school resource page and my theme reviews for VBS 2009.

Be sure to check out our new VBS forums. That is a great place to share ideas or your opinion about this year’s Vacation Bible School themes. Stop by and leave me some feedback about this theme.

First Impressions Of 2009 Crocodile Dock VBS

Bible Content: Very promising focus on God and the Gospel.
Theme Appeal: Not a great first impression, but it works.
Supporting Materials: Excellent, Group makes VBS easy.
Music: Limited samples available (as of 8/2008), but what I’ve heard so far is good.
Overall grade: A -

Crocodile Dock Theme

The setting for Group’s 2009 Bible school is the bayou (aka the swamp). This location shows some original thinking and will capture kids attention. Don’t confuse it with Crocodile ROCK vbs – which doesn’t exist and reminds me of Elton John a little too much.

The reaction on the Group VBS forum was a little mixed. The theme is outside the box with its location, but the field test videos helped people picture the theme in action. They do admit the inaccuracy of having crocodiles instead of alligators in the bayou. But when animal characters talk, it’s easy to overlook.

Crocodile Dock Bible Teaching

[ad#kids-links]I was really excited and pleasantly surprised with the daily Bible points listed on Group’s website. Everyday offers a rock solid God-centered lesson. This is something that few major VBS curriculum publishers have been able to do. Four of the five lessons are from the book of Exodus and directly speak to God’s character. Plus on day four they jump to the New Testament to cover Jesus’ death and resurrection. Here is the day-by-day breakdown of Crocodile Dock.

“God is with us” is based on Moses and the burning bush.
“God is powerful” is taken from the God’s judgment plagues upon the Egyptians.
“God does what he says he’ll do” is based on the first Passover.
“God gives new life” recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus.
“God cares for us” is based on the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea.

The Easy Vacation Bible School

Group has marketed their VBS materials as “the easy VBS” for several years. This is something I’ve grown to appreciate. It’s not that I want to promote low commitment ministry, rather less stress for VBS volunteers means more energy to actually minister to the children.

The Crocodile Dock VBS forum at Group is filled with practical advice and help to make Crocodile Dock even easier to use in your church. I’m always amazed at the fan base Group’s VBS has earned. You can visit Group’s Crocodile Dock VBS website here.

Music and Video From Crocodile Dock

I’ve always thought Group was ahead of the other curriculum publishers when it came to media. I really like the way they mix original VBS music with kid friendly praise songs. These repackaged songs can become a part of your ongoing mix in children’s church.

The DVD led worship rally is also appealing to smaller churches. Having the video playing, even behind your music leaders, is a great idea.

Concerns About Crocodile Dock

Too many churches doing Group VBS. This is a constant concern for churches that choose Group VBS. They are almost too popular in some towns. Since many kids make the rounds for Bible school, doing the same theme more than twice is generally a let down.

Some churches might not go for so much Old Testament. In the past I’ve been critical of curriculum publishers who seem to avoid the Old Testament. This year Group has gone the other way, which I think is wonderful. However, many theologically liberal churches avoid the hard parts of the Old Testament. The plagues, passover, exodus, and the crossing of the Red Sea are all stories that offend theologically liberal Christians. I applaud Group for their bold use of the whole Bible and am praying that Crocodile Dock VBS will help many children come to know God.

What do you think?

Please share your opinions about Group’s Crocidile Dock VBS Theme in the comment selection below. My comments are just one opinion, so let me know what you think.

Need More Help? You can find even more practical ideas on my Vacation Bible School ideas page and my Vacation Bible School crafts page.

How To Choose The Right Vacation Bible School Curriculum

Tony Kummer — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:25:09 +0000

Photo by Freeparking

Vacation Bible School curriculum options are getting better every year. With the host of excellent VBS themes comes a problem – which one is right for your church? Here are the top elements I look at when choosing a Vacation Bible School curriculum.

Theology
Vacation Bible School publishers typically downplay doctrinal distinctives. This makes sense, because they are trying to reach the largest cross section of churches. But you can’t assume that every Vacation Bible School Curriculum is theologically neutral. How can you evaluate the theological bias of a VBS program?

Check to see if the publisher has a statement of faith.
Dig a little deeper and see what types of churches typically use their curriculum.
Read the sample lessons carefully and with discernment.
If you are trying a new publisher, always check with your pastor or church board.

Quality Of The Lesson Plans
Not all Bible lessons are created equal. When I think about quality I like to see lessons with clear learning objectives. Good curriculum will balance between challenging church kids and connecting with the unchurched. This is not an easy task! I also check to see of the Bible references clearly support the lesson aim. Too often verses are jammed into lessons just fit with the daily theme. Look carefully at the Bible teaching; it’s the heart of every great Vacation Bible School Curricula.

Support
Many curriculum publishers have online forums where you can share ideas with other Vacation Bible School directors. This is a great way to get support and make new friends. Some publishers even offer regional training meetings. This is strength of using a major publisher’s Vacation Bible School Curriculum.

Ministry Setting
Think carefully about your ministry setting. Not all themes will fit well in every community. For example, some Vacation Bible School curricula might not connect with city kids the same way they connect with rural children. If you reach unchurched children, find a VBS program that leans toward evangelism. If most of your VBS learners are from other churches, select a curriculum that leans toward discipleship.

Music And Video Demonstrations
What music styles are influencing the culture in your town? I give a lot of weight to the music when choosing a Vacation Bible School curriculum. If possible, let some kids in your life sample the music off the publisher’s website. I have been surprised to find that music I thought was “cool” sounds like “pre-school music” to our kids. It’s also important to find a publisher that offers DVD music demonstrations.

Marketing
Vacation Bible School as a concept has less cultural draw than in previous generations. Most publishers offer a good selection of publicity material to help boost attendance. Be careful, the cost of these can add up quickly. I usually make flyers with the approved advertising logos that are included in the curriculum. We also place a large sign on the road by our church. This works well because of our location, but you may need to get more creative.

Easy To Use
“Easy” has become a buzzword for children’s ministry curriculum. While there is a danger in lowering expectations for your volunteers, but we all have to negotiate time in our busy lives. I try to make things easy on the preparation side, but expect a lot of energy and compassion from our workers on the scene. Finding a VBS program that makes things easy is always a plus.

Price
Many of the larger Vacation Bible School curricula have similar price points. Watch out for hidden costs such as workbooks, craft kits and extra teacher manuals. If budget is a concern, get creative with snack donations, and craft supplies. I know of several churches that work together to save costs by sharing their materials. You can also shop around online and find steep discounts on Vacation Bible school curriculum.

Related Articles

Browse my listing of Vacation Bible School Curriculum 2008
Preview the Amazon Expedition Vacation Bible School Curriculum
Preview the Group Power Lab Vacation Bible School Curriculum
Preview the Outrigger Island Vacation Bible School Curriculum
Read my 2007 Vacation Bible School report

What do you think?

Which elements do you look at when choosing a Vacation Bible School curriculum? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.