Saturday, June 23, 2012

VBS Arts and Crafts Decisions and Plans

I've been zeroing in on what we'll be doing for Arts and Crafts during Vacation Bible School next week (for those of you who have lost this thread, I am the Arts and Crafts director).  I've been running ideas by people, but I've been astounded to realize how few people I know who have young children these days.

I was missing the obvious person:  my sister!

So yesterday I called her, and she gave me great tips I wouldn't have thought of on my own--until it was much too late.

For example, she reminded me that the paint needs to be washable.  My acrylic paint washes off hands and brushes, but not out of clothes.  I will buy washable paint.

I had remembered to check the toxicity of everything.

I worried that clay would be too messy.  She says no.  So I will buy air-dry clay and we will shape it one day--the next day, we will paint.

My sister says she has yet to meet a kid who doesn't love to paint.  Cool!

I talked about making big dish gardens with an empty tomb, as in this picture:



The problem with this plan:  it would be a group project.  My sister reminded me that little children don't always do well with group projects.  I had worried about finding enough plants, about the dirt, about having a large group of people trying to make one dish garden.  So we won't do that.

However, on the first day, we'll plant seeds (probably mustard seeds, since I know they sprout and because I have plenty) in Dixie cups and hopefully they'll sprout visibly by the last day (life coming out of tomb-like darkness).  We'll also make noisemakers so that they have instruments for the coming week of drumming, music, and movement.

On the second day, we'll paint t-shirts.

On the third day, we'll play with clay.  We'll talk about God as the potter, and humans as the clay.

On the 4th day, we'll paint clay and pictures.

On the 5th day, we'll make masks and remind ourselves that God loves us, and we don't have to wear a mask.

On the 6th day, we will rest.

On the 7th day, we'll do VBS worship service.

I alternate between states of terror and states of thinking, "Well, how hard can this be?"


Stay tuned!

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