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.
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.
Lesson Inspiration
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."
Schedule - 5 day VBS
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Songs- 10 min
Prayer- 5 min Small Group- 10 min Craft- 15 min Games- 15 min Story Time- 15 min Q&A- 5 min Prizes/snacks as they leave Total: 1. 25 hours |
We shortened this year's VBS by 15 minutes because we had an adult program scheduled shortly after the VBS. The 15 minutes gave us some transition time to get the kids out and the adults in.
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Memory Verse
Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.
Jonah 3:3a |
Tag Line...
This year's tag line:
We say: When we go down.... Kids says: God brings us up. We tried to vary the volume; working the kids up to shouting it out. This worked well to get them comfortable. They really liked to whisper. |
Lessons
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.
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Day 1:
Jonah Runs from God- Jonah 1:1-10 Lesson point: God sees us where we are Day 2: Jonah Overboard- Jonah 1:11-17 Leson point: God is with us in the storm Day 3: Jonah in the Belly of the Whale-Jonah 2 Lesson point: God hears us Day 4: Jonah Goes to Nineveh- Jonah 3 Lesson point: God has a mission for us Day 5: Jonah's Dilemma- Jonah 4 Lesson point: God Loves us All |
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<- We made scripts this year! Feel free to download, use, and improv from there.
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Registration
Registration was done by the church members at the Bethel church. Covid restrictions meant that everyone had masks. The registration form was basic. The file is a microsoft document.
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Music
Theme Song: Over the Sea
We stuck with our three songs and the theme song this year. The kids in Bethel especially love songs with action. The theme songs was a perfect fit. 
Q&A/Prize bags
After story time each night the kids get to answer questions for a prize. This year we gave the kids a piece of paper that they redeemed for a prize bag at the door. This was quickest to get them out the door at the end. The prize bag had one larger item such a coloring book, puzzle, game, etc.
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Games
This year we did not get rained out like we had last year. Below is a list of games that the kids liked to play during the week.
1: Balloon pop game (here- look for Outdoor Balloon Pop) 2: Tag or Mosquito (variations here) 3: Box tag (Set up boxes made of string around an circle and give them a number. The person in the middle closes their eyes and counts while the others run to a box. Then the middle person calls out a number and those in that box are out. The game continues until one person is left or all are out.) |
Goodies/ Snacks
Because of Covid restrictions we kept snacks prepackaged and threw them in the goodie bags. The goodie bags had odds and ends, such as pens, small toys, buttons, and books.
We gave out this book as a special item on sabbath: God Said it- Old Testament Heroes- 4 We were fortunate to have school supplies donated by the Kennewick SDA Church and Arctic Mission Adventure. These we gave out separately in small back packs. 
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Small Group Time
We added small group back into the rotation year. It is always a extra special time to get to know the kids personally.
We set it up for them to do the following: 1) Review the Memory Verse 2) Go over the daily theme 3) Activity Find the Difference/ Map to Tarshish Jonah Runs Away from the Lord Maze Jonah Coloring page Jonah Preaches in Nineveh Challenge Page Write Your name in Cuneiform 4) Pray
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Crafts
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We had a mix of homemade and premade crafts this year. The key is to prepare more for the little kids than the big kids. This helps with pacing. We also try to help the kids tie the craft direct to that day's theme. Below is the crafts with links to ideas.
Day 1: Binoculars Day 2: Jonah Stickers Day 3: Slime Day 4:Jonah foam craft Day 5: Jonah in the Whale Cup |
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Decoration
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!
Ta-Dah! A Jonah, Overboard DIY VBS
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.
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Don't forget that you can print and use any of our original materials for free.
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