It's the 12th year of going to Bethel, Ak for Vacation Bible School. This year we were blessed with a small and dedicated team from Wrangell, Bethel, and an outlying village. We are especially thankful for the teaching couple that joined us to round out the team, making the total 6 of us. We had a wonderful group of kids too who were engaged and ready to learn more about this year's theme.

We were inspired to share the story of Ruth and our Redeemer God after the Wrangell SDA Church has learned more about the story from the SouthEast SDA Women's Retreat last year.  We brought back the snack booth. calling it Ruth's Kitchen. And brought in a science feature, which was a big hit with the kids. Another blessed year with team.

Using the book of Ruth for this VBS, we naturally followed the 4 chapters of Ruth. This worked out since this year we did a 4 day VBS instead of a 5 day one like we usually do. After some discussion, it was also decided to bring back character acting for the story of Ruth. Brooke, VBS leader, stepped into the role of a somewhat clumsy but good hearted Ruth. Since she ad-libbed it all we will just give you some suggestions for what you could do. All the stories were told from the perspective of Ruth with no additional characters. 

Day 1: Famine Journey (Ruth 1)
Ruth is on her way to Bethlehem. She stops to tell the audience tells the story of loss in the family and explains her move to Bethehem with Naomi. 

Day 2: Gleaning the Fields (Ruth 2)
Ruth is now in Bethlehem gleaning in the field of Boaz. She tells how she ended up here  and must hurry home to Naomi to share the good fortune.

Day 3:  God's Provision at the Threshing Floor (Ruth 3)
Ruth is on her way to the threshing floor of Boaz at night. She explains to the audience what Naomi has told her about kinsman Redeemer and what she must do.

Day 4: The Redeemer: Celebration (Ruth 4)
Ruth returns now married to Boaz and with a little one. She explains to the audience all that has happened and how God our Redeemer has been so good to her and Naomi. 

This is the second year that we have done this type of activity. The team says it is growing on them. It a great way to gather the kids and have them get some movement in before starting fully. It also allowed time for kids to arrive without missing too much at the beginning. Feel free to adjust these recipes to your group's preferences and allergy needs. 

Day 1: Trail Mix
Ingredients: Mixed nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips (sandwich bags)
Instructions: Allow the kids to mix the ratio of ingredients in their sandwich bag.
Lesson tie in: Ruth and Naomi are on a long trip, and here's a snack that people after take on a long trip. 

Day 2: Flat Bread
Ingredients: 2 c all purpose flour, 3/4 c warm water, 3 tb olive oil, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt (frying pan for cooking on stovetop)
Instructions: For the sake of speed, these flat breads are cooked on a stovetop. That being said, it took a lot longer than expected to get everyone through the activity, but the kids enjoyed. Mix all ingredients together and knead for 1-2 min. Have an adult cook it on the stovetop (or a flat griddle).
Lesson tie in: Making a quick bread like Naomi and Ruth might have done with their gathered grain.

Day 3: Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients: 1 c graham cracker crumbs, 3 Tb coconut oil, 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 c powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup whipped topping
Instructions: Each kid can make a mini cheesecake in a cup or bowl. Mix graham cracker crumbs and coconut oil together; press into the cup. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and whipped topping together and put on top of the graham crust. Eat immediately. 
Lesson tie in: Kids get a chance to grind the graham crackers and taste the fruits of their labor like Boaz at the threshing floor party grinding wheat and eating. 

Day 4: Wedding Feast Fruit Kebabs
Ingredients: Bananas, grapes, blueberries, honey (plus skewers)
Instructions: Chop up fruits into bite size and put in a tray. Have kids, carefully, thread the fruit onto the skewer and add honey as desired.   
Lesson tie in: Celebrating the wedding of Boaz and Ruth

This year we tried a few new ideas using mostly items we had on hand in our church in Wrangell. Some went much better than expected and others were underwhelming. And yes we brought glitter back, because who doesn't like glitter?

Day 1: "Cracked Earth" Painting
Lesson tie in: "In Bethlehem, the ground was dry and thirsty. Sometimes we go through 'dry' times, but God is planning a way back to the harvest."

• Supplies: cardstock, glue, tan or brown paint, dish soap, paintbrush
  
• How-To:
  1. Paint a thick layer of dark brown over cardstock.
     
  2. While wet, brush a layer of white school glue over the top.
     
  3. Immediately paint tan/light brown paint (mixed with a drop of soap) over the glue.
     
  4. Watch as the drying glue pulls the top layer apart to create "famine cracks."
     

*Note: This did not turn out as we expected, so we suggest testing this out early enough to find the right ratio to make it work.

Day 2: "Field of Blessing" Finger Knitting (Optional craft: Braided Barley)
Lesson tie In: "Ruth gathered grain bit by bit. God takes our small efforts and turns them into a big blessing."

• Supplies: Yellow, tan or brown yarn
  
• How-To:
  1. Hold the yarn tail with your thumb.
     
  2. Weave behind/over fingers until you have two rows of loops.
     
  3. Pull the bottom loop over the top loop and off the finger. Repeat to create a "rope" of grain.
     
  4. Need a visual: Finger Knitting
     

 (Optional): Braided Barley 

• Supplies: Yellow, tan or brown yarn
• How-To:
  1. Cut three 36-inch strands of yarn.
  2. Tape the knotted top to a table.
  3. Braid ("outside to the middle") until desired length
  4. Need a visual: Braiding 101

Note: The finger knitting can be complicated, so little ones will need extra help. This is where having a simple braid activity as an alternative is good. And also good for the older kids who finished finger knitting fast. Once the kids got it, it became a popular craft. Kids would ask to make another one in the days ahead when they finished their craft activity.  

Day 3: Barley Kernel Pixel Art
Lesson tie in: "Every square represents one thing God provides. All these little 'squares' of grain add up to a big miracle!"

• Supplies: Yellow, brown and green foam squares, blue paper, glue (unless foam is the peel-off version), optional: yellow yarn and scissors to cut yarn
• How-To:
  1. Have kids glue form squares in the form of a stalk of wheat. Can add yarn for part of silk of the stalk
     
  2. Need a visual: see picture above for example
     
  3. 
     

Day 4: "Redemption" Spin-Art
Lesson tie In: "God takes our messy lives and spins them into something beautiful."

• Supplies: Salad spinner, cardstock, scissors, and paint (gold, but any colors you have), glitter, scissors
• How-To:
  1. Cut out circles that fit the bottom of the salad spinner
  2. Place a paper circle in a salad spinner
  3. Drop in gold/bronze paint and a handful of glitter
  4. Spin to fling the "grain" outward like it’s being winnowed in the wind!

Note: Use or find a salad spinner you don't care about using ever again. Also check that it is the kind that doesn't let water through directly to the sink. If it has holes directly out, then you'll want to find another container to spin into or else you will get it everywhere. Don't ask us how we know!

This was an inspired activity because we planned this in lieu of games, and later found out that one of our volunteers is a science teacher. This was right up their alley, and they brought it all to life.  This was also a crowd pleaser for the kids. We found that we had enough time to do two experiments during our allotted time, except for the last day, when we had less time

Day 1: Balloon Experiments
Lesson tie in: "These balloons need air to fly, just like we need God's breath and strength for our journeys! Ruth didn't know what would happen, but she trusted God to lift her up. When have you had to be brave and trust God with something new?"

Balloon Smooch (Video directions here)

• Supplies: 2 balloons, string, tape (to hang from a doorway or table), 1 straw.
• Directions:
  1. Blow up both balloons and tie a string to each.
  2. Tape the strings to a door frame or the edge of a table so the balloons hang at the exact same height, about 6–12 inches apart.
  3. Use the straw to blow a steady stream of air directly into the space between the two balloons.
• The "Why": Fast-moving air creates an area of low pressure. The higher air pressure on the outside of the balloons pushes them together, making them "smooch".

Self- Filling Balloons (Video directions here)

• Supplies: Empty plastic bottle, vinegar (1/3 cup), baking soda (2 tsp), 1 balloon, small funnel (optional).
• Directions:
  1. Pour the vinegar into the plastic bottle.
  2. Fill the deflated balloon with baking soda (using a funnel or small spoon).
  3. Stretch the neck of the balloon over the mouth of the bottle, but keep the heavy part of the balloon hanging to the side so the powder doesn't fall in yet.
  4. When ready, lift the balloon up to dump the powder into the vinegar and watch it inflate!.
• The "Why": Mixing the acid (vinegar) and base (baking soda) creates a chemical reaction that releases Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas, which needs space to expand and fills the balloon.

Day 2: The Science of Sound
Lesson Tie in: "Sound makes things vibrate and shake—you can't always see it, but it changes everything! That day at the field, Ruth's whole life was about to shake and change in the BEST way. Sometimes God works in quiet moments to transform our lives. What's something God has changed in your life?"
 
Screaming Balloon (Video directions here)

• Supplies: Balloons, 1 small metal hex nut (from a hardware store)
• Directions: 

1. Drop the hex nut into a balloon, blow it up, and tie it. Swirl the balloon in a circular motion to make the nut spin inside

 Chicken Cup (Video directions here)

• Supplies: Plastic cup, string, 1 metal washer, water.
• Directions: 

1. Poke a small hole in the bottom of a plastic cup. Tie a string to a washer, thread the string through the hole (so the washer is inside the cup), and let the string hang down.
2. Wet your fingers and slide them down the string in short, jerky motions.

• The "Why": Sound is caused by vibration. The edges of the hex nut or the friction of your fingers on the string create vibrations that the balloon or cup amplifies so we can hear them.

Day 3: Magnetic Experiments
Lesson tie In: "Just like magnets pull metal toward them without touching, God was pulling Ruth to the right place! She was just picking up grain, but God had a bigger plan. God draws us to the right people and places too, even when we don't see it yet." 
  
Homemade Magnet (Written directions here)

• Supplies: 1 large iron nail, copper wire (insulated), D-cell battery, electrical tape, items to pick up with battery
• Directions:
  1.  Wrap the copper wire tightly around the nail dozens of times. Tape each end of the wire to the positive and negative terminals of the battery. The nail is now a temporary electromagnet!

Magnetic Fishing 

• Supplies: Paper fish, paperclips, string, a stick/dowel, a strong magnet, bucket.
• Directions:
  1.  Slide a paperclip onto each paper fish. Tie a magnet to the end of a string attached to your stick. Go "fishing" in the bucket!
• The "Why": Electricity flowing through a wire creates a magnetic field. By coiling the wire around iron, you concentrate that field to create an electromagnet.

Day 4: Unpoppable Bubbles (Video directions here)
Lesson tie- In: "These bubbles seem too delicate to last, but they're stronger than we think! God's love and promises are like that—they might seem too good to be true, but they LAST. Ruth thought her story was over, but God was writing a beautiful new chapter. God can do amazing things in YOUR life too!"

• Supplies: 1 cup distilled water, 2 tbsp dish soap, 2 tbsp vegetable glycerin, a bubble wand, thin fabric gloves (winter mittens or magic gloves work best).
• Directions:
  1. Mix the water, glycerin, and soap in a container. Stir very gently to avoid creating suds.
  2. Crucial Step: Put the mixture in the fridge for at least one hour (cold solution evaporates slower!).
  3. Put on your gloves, dip the wand, and try bouncing the bubbles on your hands.
• The "Why": Bubbles usually pop because the water layer evaporates or oil from our skin breaks the surface tension. The glycerin acts as a "moisturizer" to slow evaporation, and the gloves protect the bubble from the oils on your hands.

This year our decorations focused on the color gold and wheat fields. We used our favorite streamers and added in paper lanterns throughout. We created a little field area with "wheat" and bees. We also added some birds throughout the scene to add to field theme. We kept it basic again since we had to decorate and start in the same day. 

We hope this has inspired you to make your own Ruth, Redeemer DIY Vacation Bible School. We enjoyed bringing this to life this year. As always it is a joy to share the process with you. Enjoy!

It's year 11 for VBS to Bethel. This year, we took a small team once again. This had it pluses and minuses. The plus side much easier to cook for and plan sleeping arrangements. The minus side it's alot of kids to manage with fewer people on deck. All in all, though, we had a great crew that stepped up and gave their energy to the cause. And we were blessed to share once again with the Bethel church family.

The theme this year was Nehemiah, Building God's Kingdom. As per usual this was inspired by a Bible study on Nehemiah last year.  This year, we also had our first "food booth" activity, which we will tell you more about below. We could relate to the adversity Nehemiah went through as he was going about God's work. We had some challenges, but God saw us through all the way through. .

We made it work with a guitar and a singer. Each year is different. However, we learned our lesson last about making the song list set small. And then to use it on repeat so the kids will learn the songs faster.

The theme song this year was made by Brooke Reynolds with lyric assistance by Claude AI. We have the chord sheet below and an audio clip if you want to learn the song. 

This year's decorations were all about the walls. We ended up doing progressive decoration too. The first day we only had a part of the wall up and then each day it went up higher. We also had white ribbons dangling from the ceiling in the sanctuary for the first few nights to show how the city was in ruins. Then we put up these awesome streamers, see pattern here. They took some time, but well worth the effort. Elsewhere in the church, we had the memory verse hanging up for easy reading. We had pictures of foodstuffs in the kitchen for Nehemiah's Food Booth. We kept it light and simple so that the small crew could accomplish the setup in time for VBS to begin each night. 

We hope this has inspired you to make your own Nehemiah, Building God's Kingdom DIY Vacation Bible School. We always enjoy the planning and executing of it all, especially when we know that we will get to share this with others. Enjoy!

Our 10th year of VBS! Hard to believe we have been doing this a decade with our friends at the Bethel, AK Church. We came early this year because one of our missionary friends was going to be moving. They invited us to come for an extra weekend with hopes of going to another village. Unfortunately, that didn't pan out however we were able to do an extra weekend of kids programming. Which you will get as bonus material at the end.

The theme this year was Good Shepherd. We were inspired by reading through the parables of Jesus, yes similar to last year. This is the first year we had "repeat" stories (check here for another variation on the theme: Lost and Found.) It was one of our smallest teams yet with some of the biggest kid crowds we had seen. We were blessed to see God providing for us each day as our Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd was our VBS theme. It came about from reading through the book Christ Object Lessons and the corresponding parables of Jesus for Friday night Bible Study. The obvious stories where the Lost Sheep and the Good Shepherd from John 10. When it came to picking the other parables it was harder but made sense that we'd do the Good Samaritan and the Unmerciful Servant both of which answered the question "If Jesus is our Good Shepherd than how should we treat others?" And finally we threw in Psalms 23 on Sabbath as the classic example of God as our shepherd in scripture.

Due to the small number of team members, we decided to once again invite the children to be in the story. We utilized stick puppets for this purpose. First we'd read the story so the kids could know what to expect and then we'd give them a character from the story and re-read it with them playing the parts. This went so well that we ran through each story twice. That way s every kid could have a turn.

Day 1: Shepherd Wind Sock*
Instructions here: https://www.daniellesplace.com/html/bible-crafts-jesus-calms-the-storm.html
*We borrowed a cut out from another project for the shepherd, but not sure of the original source. However we think you can figure out how to make it work from there.

Day 2: Sheep
Instructions here: https://onelittleproject.com/sheep-craft/

Day 3: Walkie Talkie Craft
Instructions here: www.handmadecharlotte.com/80590/

Day 4: Grateful Spinners
Instructions here: https://makeandtakes.com/thankful-wind-spinners

Day 5: Puppets*
Instructions here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkMPxS0sj9Q&t=1s
* Yep, the same as the puppets for the story time. Helpful hint is to pick only one character to make and you'll want to have things pre cut to make it go faster. We made a shepherd puppet.

Day 1:  Beach Ball Towel Toss
Instructions here: https://birthdaypartyideas4kids.com/beach-ball-games.html#google_vignette
 Application ideas: The game is about listening to each other and working together. Just like we listen and work with the Good Shepherd.

Day 2: Lost Sheep Ring Toss
Instructions here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/95279348359220174/
  Application ideas: We are searching for the lost sheep just like the shepherd did.

Day 3: Shepherd's Relay Race
Instructions here: www.daniellesplace.com/html/psalm234sample.html
Application ideas: The Good Shepherd looks after the sheep and is ready to get them across the line. We are helping our sheep like the Good Samaritan helped the injured man.

Day 4: Bowling
Instructions here: https://kansasdiscovery.org/diy-bowling-discovery-at-home/
Application ideas: We are bowling to pay back our debt. Knock down as many pins as you can to see if you can pay your debt back unlike the man in the story.

Day 5: No game (due to timing during sabbath school)

Day 1 and 2- The Lost is Found
https://nestlearning.com/products/the-lost-is-found-video-on-interactive-dvd?_pos=5&_sid=19b7b137d&_ss=r
Day 3 and 4- Forgive Us Our Debts
https://nestlearning.com/products/forgive-us-our-debts-video-on-interactive-dvd?_pos=2&_sid=699e7420c&_ss=r

This year's decorations was all about the sheep! We had sheep everywhere! In the sanctuary where the main program was we had a scene of a shepherd with sheep around them. Above that we put the theme "Good Shepherd." We repeated this scene in the hallway and the craft room. Elsewhere, we had the memory verse hanging up and sheep between it. We also put up streamers, of course, our favorite lightweight travel decoration. Mostly we wanted it to be simple because we had a small team of helpers and not alot of time between travel and start of VBS.

We hope this has inspired you to make your own Good Shepherd DIY Vacation Bible School. We enjoyed it and know you will too!

This was our 9th year of Children's Programming in Bethel, AK. We took a two person team from Wrangell to join with the Arctic Missionary team on the ground in Bethel. We shared two days worth of programs for Kasigluk, AK and Bethel, AK.

Our theme this year was Good Soil, Jesus in my Heart inspired by a reading of the Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13.  We kept the decorations very simple because of various time constraints. As usual we found this theme to speak to us as well as the children. We hope you enjoy!

As mentioned above we were inspired to do the Parable of the Sower. This inspiration came later than usual. As we were reading  the parable with the book Christ Object Lessons (book by Ellen G White), in July, we knew we needed this theme! And we were leaving in August. Anyways, we ended up using a couple more parables throughout the program including the parable of the wheat and tares for sabbath school and then using the first the blade then the ear parable along with the parable of the mustard seed for a sermon.

Our programs were only an hour this year since they were linked with other programs, like in Kasigluk where we had an adult health program shortly after the kids program. This lead us to par down the programming from year's past to what we considered the essentials.

This year since only two of us went from Wrangell, we made a decision to have the kids do the acting for the story time. The way we set it up was to read the story once to the kids from the Bible, then we would ask for volunteers for each part (we will list optional parts below with each parable). We had some costuming or a stuffed animal the kids could act with. This was quite a hit with the kids and fun to watch.

We ended up with a basic design this year. Some of it had to do with decorating two places (one of which we had less than 30 minutes to put stuff up) and the other was because of our flight schedule. We had to take down quickly after the last program. We also didn't have our lovely decorating people with us (you know the folks that have an eye for this stuff!) Anyways... the inspiration was garden. We used greens and decorated with birds, bees, flowers, and stuffed animals.

Another year down and what an adventure. We were excited to be able to do something with the small amount of volunteers that we had to work with. We are thankful to the Arctic Mission Volunteers, Collette and Joy, for suggesting this alternative to a full VBS program this year. We hope that this helps you in your children's programming and that are inspired to do your our DIY of Good Soil parables.

Our 8th year of VBS, we joined forces with folks from Kennewick SDA church and the folks from SDA churches in Anchorage.  We went to Bethel, AK with this fun group.

Our theme this year was Jonah. The crew here put their heart into the acting and props. We had some fun improptu props such as a boat and this whale pictured here. We found this theme to speak us adults as we spent time our morning worship studying the story of Jonah. We hope you find some inspiration in the following VBS materials, too.

This year's inspiration to do the book of Jonah came from a sermon series on the minor prophets that Brooke, our team leader, preached at her local church in Wrangell. Here's what she had to say about it, "When I was doing the research for the minor prophet book of Jonah, I found this story to have so much depth to it. I was especially inspired by a sermon series done by David Asscherick called in a Felly of a Bish.  So, when it came time to do VBS, I knew this was the story that I wanted to share."

 This year we had another group that loved acting and prop building. We had our Jonah and cast of characters who took us from Jonah's running away to Jonah sitting under the vine upset with God. This story was told from the perspective of a mom telling her young daughter, Aleah, the story of Jonah. Spoiler alert, in the end it turns out that the mom and daughter are Ninevehives who were saved by Jonah's preaching. The kids especially loved the night where Jonah was in the whale. 

The team from Kennewick was in charge of decorating this year and it was fantastic, as you can see from the pictures. The idea was to create an underwater scene in most areas, except the front of the sanctuary where we made it more like an ancient  home scene. The home scene we used for the play. We used streamers, die cuts, plastic table cloths, preprinted backgrounds, and so much more. The lighting was key in the water scenes in the lobby area. We had a globe that made it look like underwater! So cool! 

Another year and another excellent VBS team and group of kids. God always provides and this year was no exception as we had team members who brought diverse skills to the set up. From music, decorating, making props, acting, and setting up goodie bags it was a whole experience. The kids were especially engaged and we had a great time sharing with them. As always we hope this provides some inspiration for you to create your own version of a Jonah, Overboard DIY VBS. 

Our 7th year of VBS, we are back in action. We managed to get to one place, tried and true, Bethel, AK. It was touch and go at the beginning. Due to Covid, the church in Bethel was not open until the beginning of June. However we made it work and are so glad we did.

Our theme this year was about Joshua. The kids especially loved helping act out the story of the walls of Jericho. We found the theme to resonate in these times. We hope you find some inspiration and creative ways to share this story. 

This year we had one month to prep the lessons due to short notice (Thank you Covid). This is where preparing ahead pays off. We had started with this theme last year and didn't go anywhere. But since we had one month to do all our prep and planning, we pulled this out and were able to make our from "scratch version" again this year. Joshua was a story we had read together in a Bible study. Many times we tend to only tell one part of this story (e.g. the walls of Jericho) but the story has so much more to it. Joshua was a mighty man of God and his story is worth the sharing with our kids.

This year, we were blessed to have a team who enjoyed acting and telling the story. While we have had acting every year, this year we received extra help and energy from the Alaska Camps team. We didn't know each other's strengths prior to meeting in Bethel so it was  pleasant surprise to put their creative energy to use. We had a narrator and all the cast of characters: Joshua, Rahab, Spies, Priest, Israelites, etc.  We also had the kids help us fill in roles such as walking across the Jordan River with Joshua and then another night march around the walls of Jericho. The kids loved it. Because we improvised most of this on the spot there was no script this year. However, we believe you will be able to use the following materials for your VBS needs. 

The year we tried to recreate the city of Jericho. At the front of the sanctuary we made a wall with soldiers on it. Then to one side we built Rahab's window, where we hung a red cord. Additionally, when the walls of Jericho fell, we took down part of the Rahab window to represent the broke walls. As usual streamers and balloons were our friends. Since we are a traveling VBS team we have to think lightweight and compact for decorating. We were especially pleased with the streamers at the windows, which turned out amazing. We also put our memory verse on the walls throughout the building with pictures of the Bible stories. 

This is no exaggeration to say that this was funner (that's a word, right?) than the previous VBS. What we learned is having a team the works together makes any VBS better. This year was no exception, only God could have put this together. Many of us did not know each other before we got to Bethel. As for the kids, the enthusiasm for learning about how God makes us brave was contagious. We hope that we have inspired you to create your own version of a God Makes Me Brave DIY VBS.

Our sixth year of VBS we were able to branch outside of Alaska! We shared in Trout Creek, MT in May and then Bethel, AK in August.

Our theme this year was based off of the life of Jesus and all the things he did around water. We especially were aiming to connect with the kids in Alaska who are familiar with waterways, but the kids in Montana enjoyed it to.   We are excited to share this year's journey and theme. We hope you can find some inspiration and something that is useful for your VBS.

While there are many stories to chose from about Jesus, we narrowed our picks down to stories mostly related to Jesus using water. You will note some stories that don't fit that criteria, but we wanted to tell them so we added them as a segue into the story that is about water. We also didn't tell the stories entirely in order, again we did that for effect such as telling the Cana Wedding story at the end and inviting the kids to come celebrate with us. Finally, it helps to have a strong knowledge of the gospels in general, especially Matthew and John. 

This year, the creative juices were flowing plus we were down a couple of people so we changed a few things up. The story was told from the front with a character named "Darlane" who was a descendant of the woman at the well, but the kids don't find that out until the 4th night (and yes made up that character. Don't go looking for a Darlane in your Bibles.) Darlane is the keeper of the local well and one day two sisters (Sasha and Manna) show up looking for some water. The rest of the week progresses with Darlane telling them a story about Jesus each night. The girls get more and more excited about the real water of life: Jesus. It is always hard to tell what the VBS kids will like, but this year's idea really caught their attention. We as per usual wrote our own scripts and have posted a copy for your use for free below. 

Something else new this year was we recorded a short segment that we called Water of Life Videos. These videos used people from our church that were willing to share about their answer to the question "What does Jesus, Water of Life mean to you?"  We encourage you to consider making your own videos to share, too. 

Theme song: I've Got a River of Life

About 3 songs this year filled up the time. We made it a little shorter because we felt like the kids got bored with the longer set up.

Special music: There were only two On Fire for Him members that went to VBS this year so we kept it to a special at church. Here is a link to the song: here  (shown as performed for Easter not during VBS).

This year's inspiration, of course, was WATER! We decorated the front of the sanctuary with a water background, with boats, fishes and streamers to represent waves. The main attraction up front was the well that the Water Seekers met at each night to hear the story of the night. We got creative and made one with wrapping that looks like stone and covering the outside of a laundry hamper.  And we had some posters of various water scenes with kids on them that we put on the walls of the church. The registration table had the theme on the front "Jesus, Water of Life" as well as some boats and fishes.  We did streamers elsewhere per usual especially in the craft room at Bethel we had fish hanging from the ceiling. We posted the memory verse everywhere at kid height so that the kids could see it and learn. 

This was the most fun VBS that any of us could remember. The flow worked out really well with the double rotation. We had a lot of laughs. The kids got into all of it, but especially loved the water activities this year.  Anyways, we hope we have inspired you to try your hand at your own variation of a Jesus, Water of Life DIY VBS. And per usual all the materials we created are free to use. 

Our fifth year of VBS included two full VBS weeks in Bethel,AK and later in Craig, AK. We also did a mini-VBS in Ketchikan, AK.

Our theme this year came from our classes’ Sabbath school study of David’s life. At first we knew that we want the theme on prayer. This came from our Pastor’s emphasis on having a prayer life. We started deciding what types of prayers we wanted to teach and were going to use different Bible characters to tell the story. Once we got into it, we thought of Prayer Warriors and because we had recently studied David, well… the rest is this VBS’ history. Read more below...

We recommend for you to read 1 Samuel 16-31, 2 Samuel as a whole, 1 Chronicles 28- 29:10-20, and then 1 Kings 1:28-3. This will give you the whole of David's life and beginning of Solomon's ruling, which you will understand why when you see the lessons. We think this helps to tell the story, knowing the background of what happens between each lesson.                                                                                                                                                                                                         

This year we decided on continuing what we did last year in that we taught the story in two different formats. At the beginning of the VBS, we had two prayers warriors introduce the prayer topic of the day. One prayer warrior was in training. They got a video from HQ or Headquarters nightly that reinforced the mission of the VBS for the evening. After the kids came back from activity time, they would receive another video from HQ that featured "David" speaking one of his Psalms. We wrote and video taped all our own materials to use. Below is a copy of the scripts for the Prayers Warriors, HQ, and then David. They are free to use.

Day 1: Sling Shot Throw
How to: Put down three lines and a starting line. Have the kids make sling shots out of string, cups, and aluminum foil ball. See who can throw their foil ball the furthest

Day 2: True and False Game
How to: Put up signs between two objects, two walls or two chairs. One sign says "True" and the other "False". Then ask the child questions related to the topic of day or bible story of yesterday and have them run to where they think the answer is.

Day 3: Praise Game
How to: Put down lines on either end of the room. The kids line up at one end. The caller yells out something they are thankful for, if the kids are thankful for the same thing they run to the other side. The caller tries to tag them.

Day 4:  Balloon Popping Game
How to: Kids get a balloon with string to tie around their ankles. Then, they get to run around trying to pop each others balloons.  

Day 5: No game, because it was sabbath morning

Tip: After each game, have a debriefing about how the game fits the theme of the day. 

 Snacks: This year we requested for the church's to provide snacks. Some ideas from that were: Apples, cake, carrots, and animal crackers. And as always make sure you are aware of any food allergies.

Goodie bags: The usual brown paper bags, marked "G" for girls and "B" for boys. Inside each bag was some non-edible goodies such as a ball, small game, coloring pages, and other various items.

Prize box: Kids got prizes for learning the memory verse and for answering the nightly questions. These were usually larger items and not something found in the goodie bags. Kids got to pick what they wanted from a box. ​The things that work well here are larger items like bubbles , small games, and art supplies.

Alas, as we look over the photos we took, we missed a very important decorated element and that was our mural of David's life. The idea was to show visually David from being a shepherd to becoming king. You'll have to use your own creativity to recreate that idea. We had a sign with it too that said Prayer Warrior: Life of David. Anyways, everything else is pretty much here. We were even shorter on VBS team members this year so our decorating was very simplified (except Ketchikan, who gracefully set us up with an elaborate Prayer Garden). We used poster showing kids praying. We had posters that said "Prayer Warrior" and also copies of the Memory Verse up. We used many prayer hands around the spaces. And, of course, streamers... what would our VBS be without them. We decided for the most part less twist and to make it look like "ribs" of a whale.  

 ​We learned a lot about prayer this year. One story from our Bethel VBS is this. A little boy’s mother told us that after he left VBS one night he told her that they had forgotten to pray in the car. This was after we had told a story about the importance of prayer. We hope we have inspired you to try your hand at your own Prayer Warrior Vacation Bible School. And as usual feel free to borrow/use material and make it your own. All our posted materials that we made are for use for free.

As a side note: If you'd like to know more about how our VBS Trips went this year, we did a vlog each day of our travels. Click below if you'd like to watch them. 

Our fourth year of VBS, included three locations: Bethel, Craig, and Ketchikan, AK. 

This year's theme was once again inspired by reading with our church's Bible study group which focused on Genesis. Originally the plan had included a night for Moses and Joshua (to extend our story into the promise land), but quickly it became apparent that our stars this year would be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. This year also marked another creative inspiration that we called OT News. Want more? Read below

We recommend you read Genesis 12-50. Yes that is chapters not verses. This will help set up the background so that you can tell the story effectively. 

​Games- 10-15 min
Songs- 10-15 min
Group time & Memory Verse- 5 min- 10 min
Craft- 15 min
(rotate for larger groups)
Activity-15 min
Lesson- 20 min
Q&A- 5 min
Snack time/Prize bag- 5 min
Total: 1. 5 hours

This year we decide to present the story in two formats. The first way was in the activity where the kids got to listen to the story of the day while coloring. The second way was in the lesson time where we shared the lesson in a news story format. Each night we had three newscasters at our Old Testament News Channel (OT News) who reported on the story. The two in the studio, who set up the background for our story, and then a roaming reporter who met with the characters. Below is a copy of the scripts that we made. Feel free to use!

Day 2: Isaac
Emphasis: God leads His people to obedience
​Genesis 22:1-19

Day 3: Jacob
Emphasis: God leads His people in determination
Genesis 27-28

Day 4: Joseph Pt. 1
Emphasis: God leads His people in faith
Genesis 37

Day 5: Joseph Pt. 2
Emphasis: God leads His people to listen to His voice
Genesis 39-40

Day 6: Joseph Pt. 3
Emphasis: God Leads His people to be strong
Genesis 41-50

Snacks: Fruit was the order of the day. Fruit cups worked well because then kids could pick out what they liked to eat. Apples and grapes are a hit. And of course we had some cookies. Word of caution: remember to check for food allergies.

Goodie  bags: Brown paper bags again. We decided on only putting in 3-4 items each especially at some of the locations where they had easier access to fun little items in their town.

Prize box: We used our prize box for both answering questions at the end of the night and memory verse memorizers. We had our highest number of participants this year for memorizing the memory verse.

This year we were inspired by our studio set up for OT News. And we tried to keep everything else deserty since these stories were in the desert areas. So we decorated in the main room for the desert with a image for each night of story on the wall, except the jail which we put up the night of during the Joseph 2 story. We especially liked the "V" formation this year with the streamers. We had to get creative as we use them every year. We also like the decorative balls . We made signs for the different rooms as well such as "crafts" and "story." We made sure to post the memory verse all over and also have a couple of signs for our theme "God Leads His People."