One of our readers pointed us to a cool source for sand art.
-click on the photo for a link-
These folks offer a wide variety of bottles and sand. Their sand comes in 18 vivid colors.
At $0.82* a craft their prices are reasonable. Quanity discount do apply if you bulk order.
*Shipping is additional. Price for 12 pieces includes sand, bottle and necklace
Thanks for the tip Cindy
“Watch out for Jordan. He’s the kid that will throw the entire class into chaos.”
You know those kind of kids. So for the entire evening you keep your eye on him and call him down every 5 seconds. Nothing works.
So let’s try to rethink what might work. Positive reinforcement? Notice what he does that is good. Still the rest of the class seems to go unnoticed. Here’s another angle to think about. Let’s reward the “good” for all the kids. Make following the rules a fun, cool thing to do. No strikes for 2 nights straight means a choice of small prizes such as a balloon, pencil, candy, or bookmark. Staying in line means they get to be the leader. Other rewards could include, setting up snack, helping with motions during singing time, pass out craft supplies, choose a game at game time.
So basically we are going to be watching for positive behavior rather then trying to always watching for the “bad kid” and get him into trouble. Those kind of kids are looking for attention and in general that’s how they get it, by acting out. Show these kids that there is another way to get attention and that’s is fun and cool to follow the rules.
Acting out may be a good time to just pull out. These pull out times can be good times to get to the core of these kids and find about who they are, what usually happens when they act out, who benefits? One on one time can be a huge help in dealing with these kids. That’s what they really need/want anyway, time that is spent with them.
New Idea
Here’s a way to reward kids for a wide variety of things.
Set up a small store with small items that kids like. Such as, balloons, pencils, bookmarks, candy, keychains. Then purchase some “play money”. Set up a system that lists the amount of money that will be rewarded. Some things that may be rewarded are, bringing a friend, bringing a Bible, saying a verse, no “strikes” in an evening, etc.
Have a time when your “store” will be open each evening where the kids can come and make a purchase using their “money”.
Take one brown pipe cleaner and bend a circle at the top for Joseph’s head.Use a second pipe cleaner to form the shoulders and arms. Bend pipe cleaners into a V and hang over the shoulders, forming a vertical striped coat.Wrap one pipe cleaner around as a belt, gluing it in place.
There are lots of different VBS curriculums options available today. Some stick with Bible Stories and stay fairly close to Scripture, some adopt themes such as TV shows or the Wild West, and draw in Bible themes.
Is there a clear Bible theme?
For in-depth reviews on VBS curriculums, check out this site.
Check out this video, Terry does a good job of explaining how to pick a curriculum.
There are several ways to do VBS. Three that we will be discussing are: Classroom, Activity Centers, and Stations. Each of these, if properly staffed is effective. This is a preliminary overview, for detailed set-up instructions, consult their individual chapter.
Divide the group by grade into classes of 12-14 max. Each group goes to the classroom and stays there the entire class time. The teacher and helpers do the Bible Lesson, Snack, Activity, and Craft.
In this model, groups of student travel to different locations to do different things. In one room they might sing, in the next room, they do a craft. Once they leave the craft room another group comes in and does the same craft. Stations include Bible, Crafts, Games and Snack, and Singing/Bible Memory. Several teacher guides stay with the groups as they move around.
Similar to stations, except there is only one group of students. This works well when you have a few staff and under 30 students.
Set a date well in advance. Check with the neighbor churches to make sure you don’t compete for children. Check with your volunteers to make sure the dates suit them. Notify your church secretary.
Most churches have a certain week they always do VBS. This allows your church families and potential volunteers to plan their vacations accordingly.
Is your VBS going to be a morning, afternoon, evening or all-day affair? Check with your staff to see what works best for them.
VBS should not start before 10:00 am and should not go later than 8:30 p.m.
When setting a time, consider your staff needs time before and after to set-up and clean up.
Will you be holding your VBS in your church building? Or in the community center? Find a suitable location and contact the owners to reserve the facility.
Tip: Most churches are cleaned once a week by a paid cleaning person. Having a week of VBS in your building will necessitate additional cleanings. Either budget extra money for it to be cleaned, or ask for a volunteer housekeeping committee to keep the building looking neat and tidy.
VBS costs money, and that money comes from somewhere. Before you begin planning too much, find out what funds are available for VBS. Sources of funds might be church general budget, ladies missionary society, and generous individuals.
Advice for budget allocations: When making requests for funding, keep in mind the growth your VBS might experience in coming years. Rather than asking for a lump sum, ask for a specific amount per child. If your VBS grows over the years, it allows you to make a case for more funding, while showing that your expense per child is not increasing. Example: Instead of asking for $500, Say your projected attendance is 50 children and your projected expense is $10 per child.
Establish a budget. Here is a model VBS Budget form.
Try to come up with a fairly accurate budget of what this VBS is going to cost. Make sure your pastor and church treasurer approve it. It might not be a bad idea to designate one of your committee members as VBS treasurer.
Tip: Records from last year are a beautiful thing. If your church has done VBS before, check with the church treasurer to see if they have any records of expenses. After VBS this year, submit a financial report to the treasurer to file for next year.
Tip: Watch your crafts. A lot of money can be wrapped up in crafts if you are not careful. A good number to budget for crafts is $3-5 dollars per child for the week. Try to consolidate your projects into a few basic ingredients and bulk purchase. One great source for VBS craft supplies is www.Orientaltrading.com
We talked in the last section about focus. Who you decide to reach will determine your approach.
Is this a time of introducing your church to the neighborhood, how about a Bible Fest in the local park? Plan fun, quick, easy to understand Bible lessons in an exciting atmosphere. Have the church kids help host it.
Are there other churches in your town that will be hosting a VBS for these same kids? How about contacting them to work together for a Multiple Church VBS? Or veer off the beaten track of VBS by having a Discovery Camp? There is no rule that says your VBS has to look similar to every other VBS in town.Or perhaps you have a number of contacts in the community that are past the introduction phase and you want to offer them good teaching. Great! Tailor your program for them.
Ideas:
Something Cool – one inner city ministry rents a farm in the country to hold their VBS. Kids ride a bus to the country and spend the day on a farm and learn about cows and God! It’s the kids favorite week of the summer.
Identifying your target group of kids will determine what other types of logistics you will need. For example:
You probably have an idea in your head who you are trying to reach, and how you are going to go about doing it. Start jotting down these ideas and make sure your pastor and the other people on your committee are on the same page as you are.
Who will organize the VBS? Every successful VBS needs someone in charge.
A good leader will delegate responsibilities.
Some churches appoint a committee to organize VBS. Usually one person on the committee is in charge of a different area of organization.
Note about Pastors – While a pastor need not be on a VBS committee, make sure you have his approval before you begin. As you develop plans, run them by him for his input and advice. And don’t give him too much work to do that week. Most pastors love to sit back and mingle with the new-comers. Some pastors like the job of welcoming everyone the first night. Talk with your pastor about what role he’d like to play.