Four Summer Days
Vacation Bible School is the consummate summer event for kids. We had 10 children during the week July 6-9, 2015. It was great getting "our gang" together on a relaxing, summer day for learning and simply to have fun with each other.
Each day centered around a chosen Bible verse or concept. Day 1 was about "God is Love". It was taught in what they colored, what they sang and ultimately about an outreach project they did. Catherine and Becky are our teachers with the assistance of Judy and Tucker. In most of what they did they learned to work together, an invaluable lesson Day 2’s verse was "Make a joyful noise to the Lord." Day 3’s verse was "Be kind to one another." Day4 was "you are the light of the world."
The days’ activities can be divided into the following areas:
Songs. On Day 1, the children went to the church for a question and answer session and to learn songs with Catherine and Tucker. Two songs are on tap for the week – "This is the Day" and "God is good." Tucker was invaluable in helping to keep the song progressing. On Day 2 they listened to the ocean’s roar in a conch shell, and then we used a variety of noise makers to add sound to Psalm 98. On Day 3, they had learned the songs and then played a game called Pass the Parcel while still in the church. Day 4 was about light – They got to touch a light ball, and we learned a new song, "This little light of mine."
Outreach. Becky led the children in filling jars with beans, adding different beans each day and finally instructions on the last day. Why did they do this ? This was cool. These items will be used for bean soup which will be part of the Village Harvest Food Distribution during a month. Connecting children ministry to outreach!
Stories. On Day 1 Catherine read a story from "Frog and Toad"- "The Kite". She asked the question of the children, "Which would you like to be ?, Frog, Toad the robbins? She probably enjoyed the story as much as the kids. Frog and Toad is definitely a favorite here. On Day 2 we heard the story of Jesus and the disciples on the stormy sea and Jesus calming the sea. On Day 3 we talked about how Jesus came to teach us how to be kind to one another.
Crafts. Becky did a craft on Day 1 – Bubble snakes. The children took a container and fashioned cloth at the other side. They went outside and poured soap through it and produced these long soap snakes. Some long ones – about a foot or more. On Day 2 the children made kite suncatchers during craft time. On Day 3 the children made hands which coincided with the Biblical verse. Day 4 was all about sunprints coinciding with the light theme.
Games. On Day 1, Becky led them in "catch the squirrel" which shows an ever widening circle of children as the "squirrel" tries to sneak through. The "squirrel" then becomes of the circle. A game, "Duck Duck Goose" followed which involved the children sitting in a circle and one going round tapping each head "duck" until a "goose" was chosen. At that point there was a chase of the "goose" after the tagger. The tagger tried to run home to be "safe." On Day 2, we played several games using the parachute and then some circle games. Day’s 3 game was freeze tag. Day 4 was all about water. Everyone enjoyed the water games, which included a relay in which the children cooperated in order to fill a bucket, and then they helped one another fill the pool. They played water hose limbo and enjoyed getting soaking wet
Links to stories and pictures of individual days: