Author Archive

Top 10 Ways to Use the Kid’s Activity Pak Books

ruth smallYou just never know what you are going to learn at our VBS Preview Events! This past January, I got to hear Kelli McAnally share some creative ways to use the kid’s activity paks with preschoolers. Kelli wrote the 15-page storybooks for the VBS 2013 Kid’s Activity Pak: Babies–2s and the VBS 2013 Kid’s Activity Pak: 3s–Kindergarten.

vbs13-3-k-act-pak-cover

 

 

  1. Act out the book—kids choose colored craft sticks to determine which character they will be.
  2. Match colors in the book—kids draw pieces of colored paper out of the VBS 2014 Inflatable Coaster Car.
  3. Match letters and words—match foam letters, clothespins with letters, or tiles with letters to those in the book. Easy words (such as “God”) also can be matched.
  4. Listen for a word—kids clap or raise hands when they hear the word.
  5. Make up a finger play or hand motions.
  6. Create cards with review questions on one side and answers on the back. Use with a flip chute.
  7. Record the book on your phone—Play the tape while kids follow along in the book.
  8. Put the story in order—talk about what happened first, next, and so on.
  9. Make a flap book using sticky notes.
  10. Count items—use craft sticks to tally.

Kelli also gave us some great tips for reading with preschoolers.

  1. If preschoolers are on the floor, you should sit on the floor.
  2. Hold the book so kids can see it as you read.
  3. Encourage children to talk about the pictures during the reading.
  4. Allow a child to turn the pages.
  5. Guide children to ask questions about the book.
  6. Respect the child who chooses to look at the book alone.
  7. Provide time after a book is read for kids to respond to the plot and characters of the book.
  8. Read a book many times for kids to connect with the characters.
  9. Encourage children to play out the story from a book.
  10. Allow a younger child to skip around in the book if he wants.

Thanks, Kelli, for the books you’ve written and for teaching us how to use them!

Happy reading with your kids at Colossal Coaster World!

A Lesson in Trusting God

Esther, Joy, Elijah, and Josiah

Esther, Joy, Elijah, and Josiah

When Esther and Joy were newborns, they moved to Peru so that their parents (my niece and her husband) could serve as missionaries with the International Christian School of Lima. Today the twins are five years old! Along with their younger brothers, Josiah and Elijah, they are always on the go—attending Sunday School and church, going to preschool, learning to speak Spanish, or eating at McDonald’s!

Recently, their parents had some exciting news for them! This summer, when they go back to the states, they won’t be there for just a few weeks. They will be there for a whole year (while daddy and mommy are on sabbatical)!

Listen to a bit of the girls’ phone conversation with Nana and Papa (two of their state-side grandparents):

Joy: I will be sad to leave my friends.

Esther: But, we don’t have to worry when we leave Peru because we won’t leave God in Peru. He will go with us.

Joy: Yeah, Nana, God has a plan for us.

What great insights! For these preschoolers, coming back to the states is both exciting and a little scary. But in the midst of their uncertainties, they are learning to face their fear and trust God. After all, He’s the One with the plan, and He will be with them wherever they go.

Our preschool Bible verse is “God helps me. I will not be afraid.” Hebrews 13:6 Do you have a story about a preschooler in your life who understands this truth? Share it with us!

Hands-on Learning at the Preschool Missions Global Expo

Hey y’all, I’m writing today to tell you about something really neat for our 3s–Kindergartners this summer! The missions materials located in the VBS 2013 3s–Kindergarten Rotation Pack have been redesigned! We hope you will love the lessons as much as we do!

Kids will take a break from roller coasters and come to the Missions Global Expo to learn about the work of two missionary families—the Pillays in Norwich, Connecticut, and the Flooks in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. They also will experience some of the cultures of these locations.

Look for these new daily features!
—As kids enter the Global Expo, they will watch a short video clip of Shaun and Deshni Pillay, North American Mission Board missionaries serving in Norwich, Connecticut. These transplanted South Africans have come to the United States to tell people about Jesus Christ!

—After teachers divide kids into two groups, each group will experience some of the culture of Connecticut or Bolivia. They might “shop” at a Bolivian marketplace, play “Thunka,” or play “Red Light, Green Light” while pretending to drive a church van. These hands-on activities will get kids up and moving!

—Next, the two groups will swap so that everyone gets to try out both activities. Then kids will take a break and watch a short video clip featuring the work of International Mission Board missionaries Steve and Marilee Flook and their family, followed by prayer.

—One More Thing! This year’s hands-on mission project, “Colossal Care Kits,” is easy to do and will directly impact people in your area who are homeless, poor, or otherwise don’t have much. There are a couple of suggestions for distribution of these personal care kits.

So, why did we change the missions materials? That’s easy! First, we are so committed to helping preschoolers learn about the world around them and the need that people everywhere have for Jesus. And, we want to make learning about missions fun! Also, we want to make it so easy for your teachers that teaching these materials will be a priority! We hope you have great experiences this summer with your kids and missions!

A Peek at the Preschool Paks!

Hey y’all,  I am so excited to show you some changes to the 2013 Activity Paks for preschoolers. These handle books are both keepsake books and teaching tools. They bring the theme park to life through a great story with interactive punch-out shapes.

Take a look!

The books are bigger (about 6 x 9.5 inches) and, thanks to your great feedback, we’ve kept the handle to make it easy for little ones to hold and carry. Five punch-out shapes can be tied to the handle and matched to images in the book. You’ll also find a punch-out picture frame on the back cover. For a great souvenir of the week, take a 4-by-6-inch picture of a child (or your class) and insert it into the back cover. Five activity pages follow the 15-page story and reinforce the heart of what kids need to know each day.

Another cool twist . . . books for both age-groups are about the same family as they explore the sights, sounds, and smells of a theme park. See and Hear with Your Eyes and Ears (for Babies–2s) highlights the experiences of a 2-year-old boy, while in Click, Clack, Up the Track (for 3s–Kindergarten), his big sister goes on her first roller coaster ride. Both books reinforce our Bible verse “God helps me. I will not be afraid.” Hebrews 13:6 

We hope that these activity paks will help you as you teach this coming summer and as you follow up with preschoolers and their parents!

Geek of the Week—Kathy Martin

Meet my friend, Kathy Martin. She’s one of the “geekiest” VBS geeks that I know and serves at Higher Ground Baptist Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. Kathy didn’t tell you below, but she’s also an excellent writer and has written preschool VBS curriculum for several years. Thanks, Kathy for sharing with us!

How do you serve in VBS? 

Over 30 years ago, I served when my children were preschoolers. The next year I was asked to be the director. Now I serve full-time as Director of Children’s Ministry at my church—it all began with VBS!   Each year I bring out my sailor hat—and become “DINAH” (my alter ego). Dinah has been around the world with VBS. She boasts that she’s the “best of the best—when it comes to VBS”. She’ll do anything to make VBS a success.

What is your “geekiest” VBS moment? Dinah always has a plan to make our penny offering more interesting. We love to take it to CentriKid camp to contribute to the missions offering. My geekiest moments? Dinah has given and received a pie in the face; been slimed; doused with apple-sauce and some kind of wiki-wiki pudding (so disgusting!); kissed a pig, a frog, a gorilla, and a cow (and liked it!); swallowed not one, but TWO gold fish (hard to top that one); put on sumo wrestling suits and wrestled on stage (knocking over the entire set); and ridden a Harley-Davidson, a rigged up Surf board, and a golf cart down the aisle of our  worship center! In 2006, she also rode in a hot air balloon—not so “geeky”, but oh so fun!

Dinah is also known for  her super-blaster water gun. I squirt the kids who are participating—they get happy and start singing when the super-blaster comes out! In 2004, we began taking our VBS “on the road” to lead a day camp for a church in New York City. Can you imagine East Tennesseans trying to speak Japanese words to New York City children? Yep, pretty “geeky”, lol—we had 17 3rd-6th graders make professions of faith that first year!

What makes you continue to do VBS year after year?  

1) I love God—and I am so thankful that He loved me so much that He gave His Son, Christ Jesus, to die for me. VBS gives us a great format to fulfill His command to go and tell.

2) I love people—The truth is, VBS is NOT just for kids! For the past three years, we’ve had as many (or more) adult volunteers as we have had kids. The VBS bug is contagious—and it should be. People will show up when they understand they have a part in making an eternal difference in the lives of others and the message always challenges our volunteers—we’ve had adults accept Christ through VBS!

3) I love kids—One of my favorite parts of VBS is worshiping with children and adults of all ages. It is incredible to be a part of a ministry that gives children the opportunity to grow in their faith as they choose Jesus and decide to follow HIM.

What is your favorite VBS theme to date?

At “Rambling Road Trip” (2005), we kicked off VBS with a hot rod/car show. I loved clipping on a pony tail, and donning a red poodle skirt and blouse embroidered with a “D” for Dinah. Our Worship set was a 50’s café, and riding down the church aisle with “the Fonz” on a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle was…sweeeeeeeet!

What kind of advice could you give to someone directing VBS for the first time? 

Begin early, pay attention to details, and don’t be afraid to try something in a new way. We begin our VBS planning as soon as Christmas break is over. Our VBS staff  attends Lifeway’s VBS preview each year—and we always go one night early to pray and plan out our VBS. Details—like screening volunteers, delegating leadership roles, outreach, registration, and communication all help make VBS successful. Take care of the hard work in the months before your big week and you’ll enjoy VBS for the wonderful ministry opportunity it is.

Complete this sentence . . . You might be a VBS Geek if . . . you check LifeWay’s website 10 times a day during June to get the clues posted for next year’s theme….then throw a special “called meeting” of your staff so you can start planning for a year down the road. Let the brain-storming begin—woo-hoo! I love VBS!

Connecting Faith and Life

Meet Ana Melendez. Ana teaches VBS in lots of ways . . . as a national and state leader/trainer for our Spanish materials, and by teaching VBS on mission trips and in her own church in the Chicago area. We asked Ana to share some of her favorite stories. Read on . . .

“While in Guatemala, our team went to this town called Guazacapán. Here we worked and spread the gospel with more than 350 kids. It was honestly really amazing to see over 350 kids singing along to songs from The Big Apple Adventure in Spanish and how they even followed the choreography and steps. On that specific day, between the women and kids, 30 of them made the amazing decision to accept Christ as their personal Savior, and many more lives were impacted at this event.

“Our VBS back at home was held June 13-17. In my adult VBS class on Wednesday, the day of evangelism, this young man came to my class and he was a totally new face and person to the church. He was putting a great deal of attention to the class and seemed very intrigued. When I asked who wanted to accept Jesus to come into their lives and hearts, this new face immediately responded to the call of the Lord, and he, on the day of evangelism, became a son of God. I asked the class to come to the front and welcome this new believer to the family of God. It was amazing to see the ladies from the church take this total stranger and give him hugs, advice, and words of encouragement on what it really means to become a Christian. Praise the LORD for the miraculous ways he works in people’s lives.

“It was also so nice to see Camila, a 5-year old-girl who came to VBS with her older sister and brother. Camila came early every single day, and she waited at the door of the church for her teacher. She didn’t want to miss any of the Bible studies of the week. For Camila, music was fun, games were fun, snack she enjoyed them, but in Bible Study, I am really sure that the Lord touched Camila’s life in a wonderful way.”

Thanks, Ana, for letting us tell your story. Connecting faith and life . . . what’s your favorite Big Apple story?