Camp Kilimanjaro Vbs Decorating Ideas

Things I Learned at VBS

"A wise man learns from his mistakes. An even wiser man learns from someone else's mistakes." A great saying, but I have found in the world of VBS, you learn best from your own mistakes. What works for one church might not work the same for your church. The tried and true slime recipe your CM buddie swears works great for them, might stay clumped on the slime-ees head (instead of sliming) when you try it. With VBS, trial and error and often times experimentation is how you improve upon your tried and true ways.

No longer a VBS newbie, I am constantly working to make it better. I take pages of notes and scour Pinterest year round working on VBS! (And you better believe it feels like Christmas to me when my kit comes in!) This year – almost a decade into VBS Directing, I had several AHA moments and learned a lot.

Decorate in layers! The churches I have worked at have not had set designers or extravagant unlimited budgets. Typically myself, and I believe Pinterest agrees with me, most small churches are going the DIY route and try to focus on having one larger set piece and a couple of smaller, complimentary décor items. If you place the few items you have around the stage, it can often times look empty and not living up to the WOW-Factor you thought it would have on paper. Decorate in layers. Spend some time or money to obtain more smaller pieces. You can still get by with just the one larger set piece, but by adding more of the smaller (and often easier to obtain) set pieces, your decorations look fuller and you are closer to that WOW-Factor. For example – if you are doing a jungle theme with a hut some grass and a couple of cardboard animals, don't spread them out to fill up the stage. Group them together and find/create more grasses and vines to fill in. The decorations with look better with a fuller look, even if they take up a smaller portion of the stage, than if you spread them out to fill up the stage.
Cardboard animals and wooden bases are easy to reproduce! I am not artsy – crafty yes, but artsy, no. So I have stayed away from creating my own animals for VBS. Normally I order any animals needed, by I was not crazy about the ones on the marked this year, so I decided to create my own. It couldn't have been easier! Most curriculums come with the clip art files. Find some large sheets of cardboard (or ask the congregation for large boxes), project the decorating clip arts onto the cardboard, trace, cut and paint. Even a novice can recreate great looking set pieces this way!
An extra decorating AHA moment came this year in regards the bases to those cardboard set pieces. Curriculum ideas tell you to create a L frame out of 2x4s. My dad was building a deck while I was decorating for VBS and had several triangular pieces of boards left over. These triangles made a better base for the cardboard cut outs than the L frames did! It was also cheaper than building L frames and easier! Grab some 2×16's and cut some triangles – they work great!
Opt for that extra digital file of all the books! Someone is going to lose a book, have questions that need answered, or in my case, just not show up for the first day. We had to scramble to make up a game for recreation on day 1 because our recreation leader didn't show up. I knew the name of the game and the supplies needed, but not how to play it or how to tie it back to God. Keep a digital copy!
Create consistency in your exploration stations! This year I had three classes sharing one room (at separate times) and the supplies for the exploration stations. Best idea ever! If all of the classes are using the same things, no one class can feel cheated that their teacher didn't or couldn't put in as much prep time as the other. Also, a lot of the exploration station supplies can be used year from year. This year's animal dress up pieces can be used for next year too. You aren't re-buying or wasting resources if the church provides the supplies, you have them year to year at your disposal.

These are my top five notes from VBS. To me, they are huge! I have learned from this year's successes and mistakes. On to prepping next year!

This week, my church held it's VBS. We did Camp Kilimanjaro VBS from AiG. I love, love, love AiG's VBS – will never use another brand again. (That will be another post, though). We had a great week! The kids had a blast trekking through the book of Proverbs! Have you ever heard of a VBS set in Proverbs? It was great though!

With several VBS's under my belt, each year I strive to improve upon it. I want everything to be smooth and flawless, and to amp up the teaching times (and craziness). And each year, I set goals. This being only the second year of VBS at my current church, my goal was to boost attendance, from almost 50 last year to 75 this year. We did not meet the goal. We never broke 50 this week, which I was kinda bummed about. But VBS isn't just about the numbers. These kids had a great week! They learned their memory verses, listened to the lesson times, enjoyed snack and rec. Even my four year old (who has trouble listening) could tell me what they talked about in Bible study!

Though attendance wasn't where I was aiming for, these kids brought in over $750 to be donated for missions. Wow!!!! Two siblings emptied their piggy banks and donated over $130. Wow, talk about doing what the Word says! I couldn't be happier with how VBS went this year! Kids were learning and living it; and that is what it is all about

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I am not artistic. I am a children's minister, so of course I love glitter and love being crafty. But, I am not very artistic. I wish I was! For this years VBS, Camp Kilimanjaro, I wanted some African animals for decorations. The ones on the market are disappointing. They are either small (like a 4 ft giraffe), or they aren't cartoon-y enough for my liking. Most of the large standups have the animal standing in grass. They also range about $30-$50 in price. Per animal.

So I decided to make my own. My dad was able to score me some humungous pieces of cardboard from his work – for free! Go dad!

I hooked up my laptop to a projector and projected the VBS clip art onto the cardboard. I then traced it and cut it out. After cutting, I painted the animals. I prefer them having the black outline; I think it gives it more definition. I am pleased with how they turned out – 6 animals all for the low, low price of free!

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Most Vacation Bible School curriculums assume you are using their suggested dramas to fill up the ceremony time. If you don't have a stellar drama team or at least several committed volunteers, there aren't many suggestion options. Never having been blessed with a stellar drama team, I have had to come up with my own ideas for ceremonies.

Split the kids into teams.

Decide how you want to split the kids up – boys vs. girls, older kids vs. younger kids, left side of the sanctuary vs. right side, etc. You also need an energetic (willing to be slimed) adult or youth leader for each team.

Set up your competition.

Decided how the teams are going to earn points for their teams. I award points for attendance, missions offerings, bringing friends, participating in spirit day dress up, and winning games. On Friday, the two leaders will compete (based on their team's points) for a set punishment – pie in the face, dunk tank, slime, etc.

Find a praise team or some great videos.

If you are not doing dramas, fill up some of that time during both opening and closing ceremonies with praise music. I have found that repeating the same 5-6 songs all week works best for the younger kids who cannot yet read the words on the screen. If you do not have a praise team that can perform the music live, there are great videos you can find online. Decide if you want fast upbeat worship songs with motions, slow worship songs, or a combination of the two. And don't forget to teach them the theme song during the ceremonies!

Games and silliness are a must!

Also consider playing some games just for fun, to get them excited for the day. Think giant rock, paper, scissors, reversed charades or even Simon Says.

Utilize games for the competition, daily. Select appropriate Minute-to-Win-It style games for kids to perform. Pre-select the kids, and try to involve as many kids as you can through the week. The winning team receives points for their team.

Vacation Bible school is meant to be fun, so add some games and silliness! Pass around some giant beach balls to upbeat music. Throw out prizes. Play silly, short videos during transitions.

Give a daily teaser and a recap.

Introduce the day's theme during the opening ceremony. At closing, see if any children remember the days verse or theme poster. Closing also makes a great time to recap the lesson and stress the important parts. Can you tie in any object lessons or props when recapping? Even better!

Don't be afraid of an altar call!

Decide which day to do an altar call. Inform your workers of what to do during altar call. You might not have any kids come down. That doesn't mean God isn't speaking to them, but you need to be available just in case. And obviously the tone for the ceremony with the altar call in it should be more worshipful and less crazy.

Reveal the point standings!

During both ceremonies, reveal the point standings. Encourage the kids to step it up or keep it going. This is a great time for the leaders to play up the competition. Do a cheering competition. Encourage the children to help you meet your goals in addition to winning for their team!

Remember your ultimate goal!

Do I feel that you can share God's love while screaming and dancing crazy with blue hair? ABSOLULTELY! Children (and adults) should have fun at VBS. Make your ceremonies a praise party for Christ!

Remember your ultimate goal for VBS – sharing the love of Christ to each child. No matter what curriculum you use, whatever the theme is, you want your children to experience God's love, to know that Christ loved them so much that He died for them.

Pick the right curriculum for your church.

There are many VBS curriculums on the market; you must decide which curriculum is the right fit for your church, (or if you are really adventurous, you may decide to write your own).

Some things to consider when purchasing your curriculum are:

Available help – Do you have enough volunteers to do a full-fledged week long VBS or do you need to look at a weekend or one day VBS?
Expected amount of kids – Will you have enough kids attending to justify spending the money on a VBS?
Budget – Do you have monies budgeted for VBS?
Location availability – Is there enough space at your church for the amount of kids expected or do you need to consider a backyard VBS?
Ease of curriculum – Does the curriculum seem manageable for your particular church and workers? Will you be able to rally behind that particular theme?
Content – The first question you need to ask is – does the content follow the Bible? Is the content strong enough for your kids? Do you want an Apologetic based VBS or Salvation based?

Go over ALL the material.

Once you've picked out the right curriculum and received your order, go over all the materials. The director's guide will be an invaluable source of information, especially if you are new to directing VBS. Read over the lessons and pull out the posters. Familiarize yourself with the materials so you can start planning.

Search for inspiration.

Now that you've gone over everything, it is time to head to a VBS Director's favorite pastime – Pinterest! Do your research. Find decorating ideas that you like. What resources are available to help with the theme? Compile all of your ideas (including ideas of your own). This will help with the planning stage, even if you do not use all of those ideas.

Pray, Plan, & Prep!

Pray over your VBS. Pray for the planning, the teachers, and the students that God will send to your VBS. Enlist the help of others to pray as well.

Now it's time to plan your VBS. Create the schedule, decide on name badges, make your decorating plan, and set your budget. Now is the time to figure out exactly how the week will go. Test out snacks and games. Make sample crafts and decorations. Make sure everything is going to work the way you need it to for the week of.

Recruit your team.

VBS cannot take place without volunteers! Pray for God to send you volunteers. Try to get at least two volunteers for each class/area if at all possible. Don't be afraid to utilize the youth in your church. Youth are a great asset to VBS!

Don't forget to run background checks on all volunteers – even if you think they will not have direct contact with children.

It's all in the details.

Pay attention to tiny details when prepping for VBS. Have you double checked to make sure none of the schedule conflicts? Do you have plans to remove the hymnals and Bibles from the pews to remove any distractions during the ceremonies? Did you print off class lists for the teachers to have with them?

Little details can make a big difference in how smoothly VBS will run. Check and double check everything!

Advertise.

What's a VBS without the children? Advertise! Put large signs out on the church lawn. Advertise on Facebook, your church website and Twitter. Mail postcards and pass them out for your children to give to friends. Depending on your budget, you might even want to place an ad in the local newspaper.

Be prepared for the unexpected.

The unexpected will happen. Lead teachers will back out on you a week before VBS starts. The awesome set you spent hours putting together will fall apart at the last minute. You realize you forgot to get the final supply for snacks that day.

There are a million different things that can go wrong. Take it to God. Know that He has the plan for your VBS. The Holy Spirit can still move in the hearts of the children, even if you had to change the game that day because the giant beach ball broke. Be flexible and know that God is in control!

Enjoy VBS!

Have fun the week of VBS! The children (and volunteers) need to see you having fun, not stressing out. Take the time to love on the children instead of being short with them due to stress. Wear your crazy costume and be prepared to be slimed if your team loses – the children will remember.

Take notes for next year.

Take notes during and after! What worked great? What needs improvement from next year? Enlist your teachers and helpers to give their feedback as well. Take notes and start prepping for next year's VBS!

On today's snow day, I decided to work on some VBS décor; thankfully we have lots of boxes at our house. My church is doing AiG's Camp Kilimanjaro VBS this summer. (Answers in Genesis, in my opinion has the best VBS out on the market – apologetic based, and gives the kids a deeper Biblical study!) I was not crazy about the cardboard mountain stand up from oriental, so I made one myself.

I used a really large box to make most of the mountain, then duct taped another box to fill out the mountain sides. I made my gray paint, but purposefully did not blend it well and I did not paint smoothly.

After I got the base layer of gray, using a sea sponge I added the snow peak on top, then added some extra swipes with the unblended paint to give it more texture. I am happy with how my mountain turned out….and it didn't cost $40 like Oriental Trading's.

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