Vacation Bible School 2004 Review
Each year I take the time to review Vacation
Bible
School resources - this year I saw some great improvements in several
of
the resources and like always, I encourage you to consider utilizing
more
than one - you could pick one for your actual VBS and use others
for things like Sunday School, Children's Church, special summer events
- whatever you want! At a minimum, at least select every
companies
music, puppets and craft books as VBS time is a great time to get your
hands on these excellent resources!
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Construction, INC
Publisher - Concordia Publishing House |
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Overall Point - God remodels kids through His Word and makes them bricks in His church through faith in Jesus!
Setting - Construction Zone
Daily Points -
- God made our world
- God made us and cares for us
- God repaired the world through Jesus
- God remodels us to serve Him
- God builds His church
- Creation - Genesis 1:1-2:3
- God promises a Savior - Genesis 2:8 - 3:24
- the risen Christ on Emmaus road - Luke 24:13-35
- Zacchaeus meets Jesus - Luke 19:1-10
- Phillip tells about Jesus - Acts 8:26-40
Strengths -
- daily application activities
- craft kit options for 50 cents each or less - Concordia has tremendous crafts, but they are expensive
- best resources for determining your goal
- ability for churches to share their prayer requests with Concordia Publishing House - CPH will actually pray for these requests
- active learning - stories provide options to select from
- excellent tie in with Bible teaching and setting
- activities continue the learning
- safety and special needs information
- available in a site based format
- excellent tips for directors
- best craft kits
- best music
- best craft book
- best Bible lessons
- best snack ideas
- best overall
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Son Games 2004
Publisher - Gospel Light |
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Overall Point - I can be on God's Team
Setting - Sports events
Daily Points -
- God wants me on His team, through Jesus He offers me love and forgiveness
- God gives me a team so we can cheer eachother on
- God gives me strength to obey His instructions
- God promises to help me through tough problems
- I can celebrate the good things God gives me as a member of His team
- God picks Paul - Acts 9:1-22
- God's team helps Paul - Acts 9:20-30; 11:19-26; 13:13
- Paul stays strong - Acts 16 - 18:11
- Paul weathers the storm - Acts 27
- Paul reaches his goal - Acts 28
Strengths -
- information to help churches know how to include/minister to/with children with special needs
- affordable, cool craft kit options
- information to help churches set a goal for their VBS
- most of the lessons provide active learning
- teacher devotions are excellent
- interesting mission project
- ideas for daily service/application activities
- information to help plan an intergenerational VBS
- best craft book
- best director's information
- best games
- second place overall
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Castle Kids
Publisher - Regular Baptist Press |
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Overall Point - Kids can choose to serve the King
Setting - Midevil Castles
Daily Point -
- God can use me for great things when I choose to obey God
- God can use me for great things when I choose to obey Him and be a godly friend
- God is pleased when I make good choices
- God can use me for great things when I choose to trust in Him and act courageously
- God can use me for great things when I choose to serve Him and obey His Word
- Moses - choose God's Way
- Jonathan - choose friends wisely
- Solomon - choose wisdom
- Esther - choose courage
- Joash - choose to obey God's Word
Strengths -
- daily application activities
- daily devotions for teachers
- application questions for small group leaders to ask children after they hear the story, play the games, make the crafts
- ideas for intergenerational VBS
- active learning involves the kids in the Bible lessons
- interesting setting
- safety and special needs information
- tips - love the tips to find supplies
- information to help set goals
- teacher dedication and appreciation ideas
- excellent director's resource on CD-rom
- excellent information on web resources with printable helps
- best puppet - it is an absolutely amazing puppet!
- best Bible lessons
- best director's information
- tied for third place overall
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Lava Lava Island
Publisher - Group Publishing |
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Overall Point - Learning about the love of Jesus
Setting - Volcano Island
Daily Point -
- Jesus brings hope
- Jesus followed God's Word
- Jesus gives us courage
- Jesus saves us
- Jesus gives us reason to celebrate
- Jesus is born - Luke 2:1-20
- Jesus fights temptation - Matthew 4:1-11
- Jesus sends out the 12 disciples - Matthew 10:1-31
- Jesus dies and rises again - Luke 23:25- 24:12
- Jesus ascends to Heaven - Acts 1:1-11
Strengths -
- reproducible resources
- crafts for 50 cents each or less - crafts are too expensive and this year after the kids finish their craft, what do they do with most of them???
- stop the Chadder videos - this one has characters that the preschoolers I showed to to thought were "scary" and "mean" and the story line dragged so much kids lost interest in the videos. I would like to see Group use their creativity and develop a new station to replace Chadders Theater - perhaps one that helps kids learn and understand the verse with fun activities, cool videos on the animals found in the setting the VBS uses that year or object lessons. Please give us something other than Chadder.
- add a puppet character - NOT Chadder
- information to help churches set a goal and dedicate their volunteers
- offer a craft book
- better costs for the items in your "outlet" - Oriental Trading Company still has better prices for the same things
- daily challenges - excellent!
- recruiting videos
- web site helps
- active learning
- activities continue the learning
- questions for group leaders to talk over with the kids after they complete each station
- fun setting
- best setting
- best music
- best Bible lessons
- best snacks
- best games
- tied for third overall
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God's
All Star Champions Publisher - Cook Ministries |
Overall Point - Training kids to win God's way, armed with the Fruit of the Spirit
Settings -Sport's Training Camps
- Soccer Camp
- Bicycling Camp
- Softball Camp
- Hockey Camp
- Mountain Climbing Camp
- Share the Good news - Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
- Make Wise decisions - Helmet of Salvation
- Trust in God's care - Breastplate of righteousness
- I can use God's Word in my life - Sword of the Spirit
- telling the truth is important - Belt of Truth
- Philip and the Ethiopian Man
- Jesus encounters Zacchaeus
- God protects Elisha from the enemy
- King Josiah reads the law to the people
- Jesus gives Peter special jobs to do after His Resurrection
- daily application project
- information on special needs kids
- safety information
- volunteer dedication ideas
- stories that involve kids
- application questions for group leaders to work through with the kids after they complete activities
- reproducible resources
- intergenerational resources
- information on recruiting by volunteer's spiritual gifts
- follow up resources
- web site helps
- site based curriculum
- available in niv or kjv
- best music
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Overall Point - God is able to build you up
Setting - work out setting
Daily Point -
- Love One Another
- Accept One Another
- Serve One Another
- Comfort One Another
- Forgive One Another
- the Good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-37
- the Woman at the well - John 4:5-42
- Jesus washes the disciple's feet - John 13:1-17
- raising of Lazarus - John 11:1-44
- the unforgiving servant - Matthew 18:21-35
- information to help with special needs children
- active lessons that involve kids
- safety information
- reproducible resources
- information to help churches set a goal and thank their volunteers
- lesson links - excellent!
- site based options
- lots of options
- web helps
- I like the two puppets so they can interact with eachother
- puppet scripts on cd
- snacks have excellent tie-ins
- best puppet
- best snacks
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Camp Iwilligoway
Publisher - WillowCreek/ZonderKidz |
Overall Point - I can live God's Way and have a heart for God
Setting - Camp Iwilligoway
Daily Point -
- David had a heart for God and we can too
- living God's way means trusting Him to help us
- living God's way means loving our friends
- living God's way means asking Him for help in times of trouble
- living God's way means obeying God by treating others with respect
- living God's way means being patient and believing God will keep His promises
- living God's way means repenting to God for forgiveness when we do wrong things
- living God's way means believing Jesus is God's Son and choosing to follow Him
- living God's way means being faithful to do what we say we will do
- living God's way means worshipping God
- God saw David was a man after His heart and sent Samuel to anoint David the next king
- David faced Goliath and trusted God to help him defeat Goliath
- Jonathan was David's good friend and helped him hide from King Saul
- David ran from King Saul and prayed to ask God to help him
- David spared King Saul's life and obeyed God by treating King Saul with respect
- David became king as God promised
- David sinned. Nathan confronted him and David repented
- just as David believed God's promises, we can believe God's offer of eternal life through Jesus
- David kept his promise to Jonathan by caring for his son, Mephibosheth
- David wrote psalms to worship God
- flyers for kids to work through at home
- daily projects
- one main mission project
- more songs - really loved, David, David
- leader devotions
- a puppet/mascot would be fun
- information on how to dedicate your volunteers
- even tho this is not designed as a VBS, with a little creativity it could easily be adapted to work in a VBS setting
- extremely flexible resource
- creativly and tremendously well written
- best setting
- best music
- best Bible lessons
- best games
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Davey &
Goliath's
Camp Creation Publisher - Augsburg Fortress |
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Overall Point - Celebrate God's Creation, around us and all the things He creates in and for us!
Setting - Summer Camp
Daily Point -
- God gives life
- God gives love
- God gives gifts
- God gives sharing
- God gives caring
- Creation - Genesis 1
- Good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-37
- Widow's offering - Mark 12:41-44
- Jesus feeds the 5,000 - Matthew 14:13-21
- seeing Jesus in others - Matthew 25:31-40
Would like to see -
- information to help set goal for VBS
- information on how to lead a child to Christ
- stronger salvation emphasis
Strengths -
- Adult Study and Reflections
- extremely active curriculum
- emphasis on application
- creative ways to involve children in the lesson rather than have them be passive observers
- devotions for the teachers
- help for recruiting and training volunteers
- mission project ties in well with setting and lessons
- daily application project ties in well with setting and lessons
Camp Creation is a truly phenomenal vbs resource! Tremendously well done Augsburg Fortress!