PandaMania VBS Decorating Ideas

Dye old bed sheets shades of green. Ask your church members…they may have old sheets with rips or stains they no longer use. Staple or pin the washed and dyed sheets to the ceiling for a jungle canopy effect. Tape some of the sheets to your walls (about waist high) to resemble tall grass.

Twist green and black or brown streamers to look like vines. Drape them around the room. Tuck plush jungle and rainforest animals among the vines. Scatter a few green or brown shag area rugs around the room. Use the Vine Pop-It Border to decorate your hallways and classroom walls with a 3-D vine look.

Mosquito netting can hang from a wall or corner of the room with a few plush animals tucked in it. Bring in a hammock or two for children (or volunteers) to relax in during their free time.

Hang the Bamboo Fabric Backdrop as room dividers, wall coverings, or backdrops for your photo display. An instant, panda-pleasing bamboo forest! Has button holes to hang from hooks. You get a huge 8-ft. x 30-ft. fabric roll. (This is an outlet item so quantities are limited.) 

Put together PVC pipe to form bamboo stalks. Connect them on the bottom so they can stand. Cover the bottom stands with green shag rugs or grass borders. Then cover the pipes with Bamboo Wrap. Use this paper wrap on carpet tubes as well as PVC pipes to create an instant 3-D bamboo forest. Four rolls of wrap give you a forest! Each roll measures 3 ft. x 15 ft. Comes in a set of 4 rolls. (This is an outlet item so quantities are limited and it is currently backordered from the publisher.)

Need more decorating ideas? Take a look at the Monkey Bulletin Board Set with 55 pieces of vines and monkeys. Visit our Classroom Decorations Store for even more bulletin board trims, borders, banners, and classroom decorations. Also watch the creative decorating options on the Decorating Places: PandaMania DVD. Now you're ready to begin a wild celebration of God's unconditional love at PandaMania!

Hometown Nazareth VBS Craft: Riding to Nazareth

The Bible Point for Day 3 of Group's Hometown Nazareth VBS is "Jesus had a home...we do, too." The Bible story is about Joseph and Mary escaping to Egypt with little Jesus.

Before your VBS, collect a small, empty gelatin box for each child. Print stickers with the Bible point, "Jesus had a home...we do, too." Print one sticker for each child. Also print the craft page below for each child. Cut a 10-inch length of yarn for each child. Cut out the pattern beforehand and prefold it if you have younger children in your group.

During the lesson, give one child a sticker with the Bible point. Have the child read the Bible point aloud. Talk about how God gives us each a home. (Be sensitive to children who may come from a difficult home situation.)

Then tell the story of Jesus' family escaping to Egypt from Matthew 2:13-14 and 19-23. Point out that God was with the family wherever they went and God is with us, too. After you tell the story, hand out scissors, crayons, glue, tape, a 10-inch length of yarn, and an empty gelatin box to each child. Let each child cut out the pattern and print his name on it. Help the child fold the pattern on the broken lines. Then help him glue the folded pattern around the gelatin box and tape each end of the yarn around the donkey's neck to Mary's hands.

Show the child how to pull the yarn gently to make Mary and Joseph move. As you retell the story, have him pretend to pull the family to Egypt then to Nazareth. Say, "Just as God took care of Jesus' family and gave them a home, God cares for us and gives each of us a home, too. God is with us wherever we go." Encourage the children to take home their crafts and tell the Bible story to their family members and friends.

Click the image above to download the craft

PandaMania VBS Craft: Jonah Puppet

The Bible Point for Day 3 of PandaMania VBS is "God watches over you." The Bible story is about Jonah trying to run from God. Download this Jonah craft for just $1.99 and make as many copies as you need for your students.

Before your VBS, print stickers with the memory verse in the Bible version you use for Psalm 139:12 — "Even in darkness I cannot hide from you." Print one sticker for each child. Also print the craft pages below for each child. Cut a slit in the boat on each first page. Have fabric scraps and craft sticks available.

During the lesson, have a child read the memory verse aloud from the Bible. Say it together a few times.

Then tell the story of Jonah and the big fish. After you tell the story, hand out scissors, crayons, glue or tape, and a craft stick to each child. Let each child cut out the Jonah puppet and add a craft stick handle to it. The child can glue a fabric scrap on the sail and print his name on the puppet and the boat. Older children can print the memory verse on the back of the boat.

Show the child how to slide the puppet into the slit to show Jonah on the boat. As you retell the story, have him jump Jonah out of the boat and into the waves. Explain that God took care of Jonah and provided a big fish to carry him to land. Say, "Just as God took care of Jonah and watched over him, God cares for us and watches over us." Say the memory verse together once more. Explain that God is with us wherever we go. Encourage the children to take home their crafts and tell the story of Jonah to their family members and friends.

Click here to download the craft.

You may also want to download the PandaMania Coloring Pages—a set of five coloring pages with the Bible Point and daily memory verse for just $4.99. Available in NIV or NLT memory verses. Just copy as many as you need each day.

Nazareth VBS Decorating Ideas

Give your Nazareth VBS rooms the look and feel of Nazareth in Bible times. Ask for the loan of large potted plants from your church members. Paint packing boxes to look like stones. Stack boxes and paint them to look like Bible-time homes.

Decorate large poster paper to look like a stone wall for backgrounds. Hang some sheets to use as dividers in your larger rooms. Scatter a few throw pillows and rugs on the floor.

Collect baskets and plastic fruit and vegetables. Hang some baskets from the walls or display them on shelves. Low tables make great work areas (or lay an old door on top a few two-by-fours). Toy animals add a fun touch, too. If you have outdoor areas, bring in clean sand or sandboxes and potted trees and ferns. Also bring large clay or plastic pots.

Do not bring in any poisonous plants or anything that has sharp edges or splinters. Also avoid small objects that can become choking hazards for small children. Any item that can fit into an empty paper towel tube is too small for your toddlers and preschoolers.

Collect colorful blankets to decorate your floors and walls. Place wicker baskets of various sizes and shapes around your VBS rooms. Staple or tape the Giant Decorating Posters to your walls to give your hallways and rooms the feel of Bible times.

Cover one wall with green poster paper so it looks like grass. Fringe strips of green paper for a 3-D effect along the top. Then staple it to the bottom of your wall or bulletin board so the fringe sticks out slightly (roll it over a pencil). Or use a scalloped grass border. Children can add their God Sightings Sheep to the grass wall each day during your VBS program. Preschool children can draw their God sightings on the sheep or have an older child or adult helper write the sightings for them.

Create a photo area with some large potted plants, clay pots, and toy sheep. Old sheets make wonderful backdrops and room dividers. Have the child stand next to a Bible times home or hillside (or stone wall). Take a picture of the child wearing his tribe belt along with a prayer shawl and holding a scroll. Send the picture to the child the week after your VBS with an invitation to your next children's ministry or family event (Bible club, fall festival, or Sunday school kick-off). Include a note reminding the child (and his parents) about the fun time they had at your Nazareth VBS.

Need more decorating ideas? Take a look at the Nazareth Clip Art and Resources CD Set for signs, posters, publicity pieces, and costume patterns. Also watch the creative decorating options on the Decorating Places DVD. Now you're ready to travel back to  Bible times for the VBS journey of a lifetime!