Rainforest VBS Craft: You Rock Paperweight

Let your students make rock paperweights for your Rainforest VBS program this summer. The Bible story the third day is the parable of the Good Samaritan. Give your kids a chance to be good Samaritans with this fun craft. (This craft is for Lily, who loved our VBS Flowerpot craft posted on March 3 and asked for more crafts to go with the Rainforest VBS.)

Collect a large, smooth rock for each child. Wash the rocks with warm, soapy water and scrub them with a brush. Let them dry. Bring acrylic paint, paintbrushes, felt, scissors, glue, permanent markers, glitter glue, and paint pens.

Cover the work area with newspapers or do this craft outside. Have each child put on a paint shirt. Old VBS T-shirts or small, short-sleeved adult shirts work well for paint shirts. Let each child think of a helper (or good Samaritan) at home or church (or in their neighborhood) to recognize with this paperweight gift.

Have each child paint his rock with acrylic paint and then brush it with glitter glue. Help him glue a piece of felt to the bottom of the rock. Let him use a paint pen or permanent marker to write YOU ROCK or GOD LOVES YOU on the rock. He can use a permanent marker to outline the painted letters so they stand out. Talk about the story of the good Samaritan as the children work. Say the memory verse together a few times.

Spray the rock with acrylic sealer spray or let the child brush it with a white glue and water varnish. If you have time, let each child make a card to go with the paperweight. Have the child print the memory verse (Matthew 22:37-39) on the card. (Print the memory verse onto mailing labels beforehand for younger children to add to the cards.) Let the child decorate the card with heart stickers and "sign" her name. Encourage each child to give her rock to someone this week.

High Seas VBS Craft: Peter in Prison Puppet

Reinforce your High Seas VBS Bible story with this fun puppet craft.

The Bible story on the first day of the High Seas Expedition VBS is from Acts 12:1-19, where God frees Peter from prison. Make a Peter in Prison Puppet craft to help your students remember the Bible story. 

Give each child an unsharpened pencil or a drinking straw, a plain paper cup, and two index cards. Provide markers and tape. Punch a hole in the bottom of each paper cup. Cover the work area with newspapers. Provide paper towels and wet wipes for clean up.

This puppet craft is a download you can purchase for just $1.99. Then print as many sets of instructions as you need. 

The Bible point for the first day of  the High Seas VBS is "God's Word is true." As the children work, talk about how God freed Peter from prison. Tell the children that God is with us when we go through hard times, and all His Words are true. 

Explain that Peter was put in prison, but God freed him from the prison. Even after Peter was freed from prison, he kept telling people about Jesus. Peter was faithful to God, even when things got hard for him. Encourage the children to be faithful to God, too.

FREE Tote Bag with Your VBS Order

This week only, place your VBS order of $50 or more at VBSstore.com and receive a FREE heavy-duty canvas tote bag. You can use it to carry your VBS supplies or give it to one of your helpers as an appreciation gift. Order High Seas Expedition, Egypt—Joseph's Journey from Prison to Palace, Sonquest Rainforest, Hero Headquarters, Kingdom of the Son, Wildwood Forest, or any of your VBS supplies and receive this tote bag as our gift to you.

These canvas tote bags are on sale for just $4.99 each (regularly $12.95) through the end of May. Buy several and give them to your VBS leaders as thank-you gifts. Include a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate in each bag for an extra treat!

The tote bags are 13.5" wide by 16" tall with a 2.5" gusset and are imprinted with the Bible verse from I Corinthians 1:4, “I planted the seed…but God made it grow.” Type the words FREE TOTE in the memo box when you order online or mention FREE TOTE when you call. The free tote bag offer is limited to the first 300 customers to respond. Hurry! This offer expires May 15, 2010. 

VBS Craft: Fishing for Memory Verses

This fishing craft can be the “catch of the day” for whichever memory verse your students are learning.

Before your lesson, collect a small magnet and a dowel rod or unsharpened pencil for each child. Also bring 12 metal paper clips for each child.

Give each child a dowel rod or unsharpened pencil, a small magnet, and 12 metal paper clips. Also provide tape, construction paper, and scissors. Let each child cut 12 fish shapes and a hook shape from construction paper. Have the child set aside the hook shape. Let him print a word or two from the memory verse on one side of each fish, leaving the other side blank. Have him print the Scripture reference on the same fish as the last word of the verse (or on its own fish). Then tape a paper clip near the mouth or head of each fish. Encourage older children to help younger ones. Glue the small magnet to the hook shape. Tie one end of a long length of yarn to one end of the dowel rod, and tape it in place. Tape the hook shape to the other end of the yarn. Explain that the fish should be spread out blank side up on the floor. The object is to fish for the words from the memory verse using the fishing pole and place the fish in verse order on the floor before your partner does. (At home children may time each player and the fastest one wins.) Let the children play the fishing game in pairs (each using his own fish and rod), if time allows.

2010 VBS Timeline: 2-3 Months Before Your VBS

VBS Craft: Rainsticks

Let your students make rainsticks for your VBS program this summer. Collect an empty paper towel tube for each child. (You may want to collect empty wrapping paper tubes for your older kids.) Also provide markers, stickers, paint, paintbrushes, paint shirts, construction paper, glue, water, paper towels, wet wipes, wide clear tape, scissors, dried beans (or split peas or rice or popcorn kernels) and foil. Print your Bible memory verse on a sticker for each child.

Cover the work area with newspapers. Have each child put on a paint shirt. (Old VBS T-shirts or small, short-sleeved adult shirts work well for paint shirts.) Let each child paint a cardboard tube the first day. Encourage them to be creative with stripes, dots, squiggles, and a variety of colors. Make sure names are on the tubes. If you don't have time to let the children paint the tubes, have them cover the tubes with construction paper (after filling the tubes as described below) and decorate the tubes with markers and stickers so the rainsticks can be finished in one day.

Then give each child a 12 x 7-inch piece of foil (much longer if you're using wrapping paper tubes) to crumple loosely into a snake shape slightly shorter than the tube. Let the child place the foil snake inside the tube and tape one end of the foil to the tube to hold it in place. Give the child two 5-inch squares of construction paper. Let him use one paper to cover one end of the tube and tape it securely in place with an 8-inch strip of wide clear tape. Make sure there are no openings before the child drops in the beans. Give the child about an eighth of a cup of dried beans (or split peas or rice or popcorn kernels) to put into the tube. (Use 1/4 cup for the longer tubes.) Have him use the other paper to cover the open end of the tube and tape it securely in place with an 8-inch strip of wide clear tape. Now help the child cover the tube with construction paper, if it wasn't painted earlier.

Give each child a Bible verse sticker to add to the rainstick. Make sure names are on the rainsticks. Show the child how to hold the rainstick with the ends facing the ceiling and the floor and turn it slowly so the opposite end is facing up to hear the rain sound. Let the children experiment with their sticks. Let the children use their rainsticks to provide sound effects during your skit time. They also make good attention-getters when you need a signal for everyone to be quiet and listen.