Jesus in Nazareth VBS Snack Ideas

We've created some snack suggestions for your Nazareth VBS. Feel free to modify them as you wish. Some of your creative volunteers may come up with additional snack ideas. Here are a few to get you started:

Day 1

Serve fruit such as apples, grapes, figs, berries, and dates. Give each child a paper bowl and spoon. Let the child choose which fruits to add to his bowl. The fruit can be accompanied by a dollop of whipped cream or yogurt (optional). Explain that these fruits are similar to those Jesus and his family may have eaten in Nazareth.

Day 2

Serve birthday cake and ice cream. Let the children sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus before you serve the cake. As the children eat, talk about what a special snack this is. Remind them that God planned for Jesus to be born and God gave Him the name "Jesus." Explain that each child was given a name when he was born, too. Talk about how special each person is in God's sight. Say the Bible verse (Isaiah 43:1) together.

Day 3

Prepare small pita pockets cut in half. Let each child fill the pocket with cheese, ham, or turkey (or have them already filled). You may want to provide olives, tomatoes, and lettuce for condiments. As the children eat, talk about how God gave Jesus a home. Explain that these foods are things Jesus may have eaten at his home. Let the children thank God for their homes before eating.

Day 4

Today’s story is about how Jesus went to the temple-church. Provide flatbread with tomato sauce and melted cheese on top (or serve flatbread cheese pizza cut into small pieces). As the children eat, talk about how they can go to church just as Jesus did. Include an invitation to your church services for each child to take home.

Day 5

Cut cheese slices into fun shapes. Serve with crackers and grapes. Talk about the memory verse (Galatians 5:13) as the children help put out napkins and cups. Let the children take turns serving others crackers, cheese, and grapes before they eat their own snacks. Compliment those children who serve cheerfully.

TIP: Use registration cards when children sign up for your VBS to record any allergies they may have. See the previous post for registration cards you can print out for your VBS program. Include any allergy information on the child's name tag so all VBS helpers are aware of the allergy. You can substitute items or omit dairy products from the snacks if you have children who are allergic to milk or dairy.

PandaMania Ideas

Here's a fun decorating idea for your PandaMania VBS program. Have a creative member of your church or community paint a large mural backdrop. This one is from the San Diego Zoo. Then use the backdrop as a background for group photos during your VBS week. 


Bible Memory Buddies are definitely must-haves for your VBS week. Each child receives one buddy each day during your PandaMania VBS. You might give them out each day after the children attempt to say the daily memory verse. Kids love the fun shapes and bright colors of the buddies, plus the day's Bible verse helps them hide God's Word in their hearts. They often keep the buddies for years to come. The memory verse is included on the colorful Bible Memory Buddy, giving the children a Scripture reminder of what they learned during the day. The memory makers can be strung on a chenille stem half (pipe cleaner) so they can be taken home as a keepsake at the end of your VBS week.

SonSurf Beach Bash VBS Sand Candle Craft

Before your VBS begins, cut the bottom two inches off an empty water bottle for each child. Cover the cut edge with electrical tape to prevent scratching. Do not use masking or painter's tape, since they are flammable. Save the top portion of the bottle for a future craft. (Cover the cut edge of the top with tape, too.)

Cover the work area with newspaper. Give each child a water bottle bottom with the cut edge taped. Let each child use a permanent marker to print his name on the outside. Then help him fill the bottle with colored sand or salt (or rice) to the halfway point. If you have time, bring 2/3 cup of sand (or salt or rice) in a sealable plastic bag for each child, let him add several drops of food coloring, and knead it until it is all colored. Children may alternate colors of sand, if they wish. Talk about Psalm 139:17-18 as the children work. 


Say, "God’s thoughts of love toward us are more numerous than these grains of sand. We are so precious to Him! He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us -- He loves us so much!" Give each child a tea light candle (optional). Say, "Only light your candle with your parent’s permission. Never leave a burning candle by itself. When you see your candle, remember that Jesus died and came alive again just for you, and you are very precious to Him."

VBS 2011 Coloring Pages

Here are some coloring pages we’ve created for the 2011 VBS programs.

For each program, there is a coloring page for every day of VBS—a total of five pages. Each coloring page has the daily memory verse and the Bible theme. If you have younger children, you can feel free to shorten the verse by whiting out (or taping over) the final phrase before copying the coloring page. Each coloring page shows a picture to complement the Bible memory verse or Bible point for that day. The coloring pages come in sets of five pages for just $4.99 per set. The best part is, you can make as many copies as you need!

For Nazareth, there is a set of coloring pages for the New Living Translation, a separate set for the New International Version, and a separate set for the King James Version. (The NLT is the version used on the Bible memory makers.) 

(Click on the images above to go to the download pages—NLT is on the left, NIV is on the right, and KJV is on the bottom.)

For your SonSurf VBS, there is a set of coloring pages for the New International Version and a separate set for the King James Version. (The NIV verses are used on the Connection Cards and other SonSurf printed materials.)

(Click on the images above to download the pages—

KJV is on the left and NIV is on the right)

For the Main Street VBS, every coloring page has a portion of the daily memory verse, I Timothy 4:12. Each day we've added a few more words to the verse so by Day 5 the entire verse is shown. There is a set of coloring pages for the New International Version and a separate set for the King James Version. (These are the versions used on the Bible memory posters.) 

(Click the images above to download the pages—

KJV is on the left and the NIV is on the right)

For the PandaMania VBS, there is a coloring page for the New International Version and one for the New Living Version. At the end of your VBS week, your students will have all five of the memory verses—a fun keepsake reminder of their week at vacation Bible school.

(Click images above to download the PandaMania coloring pages—

NLT is on the left and the NIV is on the right)

If you’d like to take a look at any of these VBS Starter Kits, visit Shop VBS for more information and to order your starter kits. Watch for more coloring pages coming soon (Gold Rush, Mega Sports Camp: Go the Distance, and Kickin' It Old School).