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.
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.
Lesson Inspiration
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.
Schedule- 4 day VBS
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Songs- 10 min
Prayer- 5 min Video- 10 min Craft- 15 min Games- 15 min Story Time- 15 min Q&A- 5 min Prizes/snacks as they leave Total: 1. 5 hours |
*Please note we shaved off one day due to our particular travel schedule. Typically we would have attempted 5 days. Should you like to try that we recommend that you add on your first night the story of Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 13-14). This story happened many years early but gives some additional insight into the stories for rest of the week.
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Memory Verse
As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15c
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Tag Line...
The year's tag line:
We say: GOD MAKE ME! Kids say: BRAVE! *It helps the kids to memorize the memory verse if you give it hand motions. |
Lessons
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.
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Day 1: Rahab and the Spies
Joshua 2:1-24 Day 2: Crossing the Jordan Joshua 3:4-7 Day 3: The Walls of Jericho Fall Joshua 6:1-26 Day 4: Joshua is tricked by the Gibeonites Joshua 9:2-27 Lesson ideas for each of these can be found at: https://freesundayschoolcurriculum.weebly.com/old-testament-lessons.html |
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Registration
We kept registration simpler this year. Due to Covid, we went back to one time use sticker name tags. We also had to have masks available for each kid as they came in. Thankfully the Bethel Church took care of that part.
We had the help of local church members. This helps the kids see faces that they are likely to see the rest of year when there is no VBS. |
Registration form
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Video time
We shared two videos this year. Each video was 20-30 minutes and we broke those in half. So two nights the kids watched one video and then another two nights o the other video.
Videos shown: VeggieTales: Josh and the Big Wall Torchlighters: Harriet Tubman (this might seem an unusual choice but we wanted to bring a story of a person outside the bible that was brave.) |
Games
Games were a moving target this year. Usually we can play outside but this year we had two night where it was too rainy and the team had to adjust for indoor games. However, below we will give you what was planned.
Day 1: God says (Play like Simon Says) Day 2: North, South, Central (Instructions here) Day 3: Fruit Basket Upset (Instructions here) Day 4: Free pick (We omitted a game due to timing on Sabbath) |
Crafts
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We went back to homemade crafts this year after trying premade craft previously. Part of our reason is we found the homemade crafts were cheaper and more engaging for all ages.
Day 1: Rope Making Supplies: Red yarn, Tape, Scissors Note: This was by far one of the coolest crafts we did! Day 2: Painted Grapes Supplies: Acrylic Paint, Toilet paper rolls, paper plates Note: Consider having newspaper down on the table. Day 3: Kazoos Supplies: Toilet paper rolls, Wax paper, Rubber bands, Stickers Note: Fair warning the kids loved this and will blow this all the time. For extra fun let them blow them when the walls of Jericho come down. Day 4: House Bookmarks Supplies: Construction paper, stickers, markers, pencils/pens Note: We were supposed to do this with popsicle sticks but we forgot glue (I know!?) |
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Music
Theme Song: Be Bold, Be Strong
The sweet spot seems to be 3 songs then the theme song. Bonus, you can always sing the theme song again at the end if you need to fill time. 
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Q&A/ Prize Box
After the story time we always give three questions to the kids to see if they were listening. It works really well to have a prize attached to it. We keep our prizes to give out at the end of the night. Usually the prizes are larger items such as coloring books, bubbles, toy cars, etc.
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Goodies/Snacks
This year, with added Covid precautions, we decided to send the snacks (store bought packaged items) home in the goodie bags. The goodie bags are made up of small fun items like notepads, pens, bouncy balls, bible story activity books, etc.
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Decorations
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.
Ta-Dah! A God Makes Me Brave DIY VBS
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.
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Don't forgot any materials we have created are free for your use. Enjoy
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