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KidsGames
Vacation Bible School 2008
June 23-27, 9am-12noon
VBS Special Program:
Sunday, June 29, 9:30 and 11:05 morning services
For 3-year-olds (by June 23) through rising 5th
graders
Jump to Child Registration Form
Registration is opening soon...check back for details.
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What is VBS?
Vacation Bible School is a week-long morning program for children ages 3 through rising-5th-grade of fun songs, fun crafts, fun games, fun lessons, and tasty snacks. Skits, dance, water balloons, races -- what a great time!
But VBS is not just about having fun, though having fun is a primary goal. The real point of VBS is relationships - relationships between the children and their teachers and adult or youth leaders, relationships of the children with each other (and the adults with each other) and especially the growing relationship of each child with Jesus Christ. Everything we do is geared toward enhancing these relationships, and our prayer is that we will be successful on all levels.
To that end we have a theme for each day, a Bible story and discussion (age-appropriate), skits, songs, all designed to help children see just how much God loves them and how much he wants to be a part of their lives. Silliness and humor are often a vehicle for this message, but just watch the kids do their lovely sign language with some of the songs and you'll see that not everything is wild and crazy. Hearts are touched and changed at VBS - and not just for the kids!
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Who comes to VBS?
Three hundred children ages 3 to about 11, plus about 80 middle-school and high-school youth assistants, plus over 60 adult full-week volunteers -- what a crew!
In 2005, the 290 children consisted of approximately 105 pre-schoolers
and 185 primary school children. About 200 were from our own church
family here at CHBC; about 60 were from other churches, and about
40 did not indicate that they go to church regularly. About 150
children had a fantastic time, 80 had the best time ever, and 70
had the time of their lives. In short -- this is a great week for
our kids.
This year we're trying something new! Our curriculum allows for grouping
of children in larger age ranges, so we are going to try this this
year. This year we will group children into preschool-kindergarten
classes, 1st-3rd grade classes, and 4th-5th grades (boys and girls
in separate classes).
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What - or rather, WHO - does it take to have VBS at CHBC?
Over 60 adults and 80 youth team up to make VBS possible. Here are some of the key jobs that these special volunteers do:
- Teachers and Assistants -
Coaches and Assistant Coaches
Did you know that VBS needs more than 40 adult teachers and assistants,
one of each per class? This is in addition to the one or two youth
helpers we place in each classroom. The teacher's job is to prepare
the lesson and lead the discussion with your class (at whatever level
is appropriate for your group) and shepherd them from activity to
activity during the morning. The lesson itself is about 45 minutes
in all; other activities, especially for younger children, are available
also. There is a wealth of materials available for you this year
to download or photocopy, everything from class decorations, handout
frames and borders, to coloring sheets. Also, teacher training sessions
will be held - watch for announcements about the dates and times
of these. New this year: classroom decoration and
transformation will be minimal - less work than ever before for our
teachers! Teacher training: watch the bulletin!
- Craft Booth Leaders
We do the designing, the buying, the planning -- the craft booth leader
teaches the craft to the children. You'll have two or three youth
helpers, depending on the craft, to help you manage your booth, and
all the crafts are fun and age-appropriate for the groups coming
through each day. Four classes visit your booth each morning. We
have 6 booths planned for this year.
-
Drama
Drama is arguably the most fun part of VBS
-- presenting the day's themes in a skit during the music
time at the beginning of each morning. The kids and teachers
all enjoy the acting and antics of our Drama Team.
-
Dance
The fourth and fifth grade girls look forward to learning their choreography every year, and what a treat it is for the audience to see the show! Lisa Spadafino and others create the dance, and the Dance Team helps the girls master the moves. Expressive and exciting, the dance is definitely a highlight of the program.
- Games
From competitive races to just plain silliness, what VBS would be complete without games? The Game Team leads four classes of kids in their station's game each morning. Will there be water balloons this year? Stay tuned to find out!
- Snack
Providing nutritious and varied snacks for 300 kids plus over 100 adult and youth helpers each day is a logistical challenge. But our snack team rises to the occasion with something different every day, and pays attention to nutrition and appeal, too. If you're an adult or youth volunteer, you'll find a special snack table set up just for you that you can enjoy while your class is at their game or craft activity. A crew of dedicated bean counters (well, grape and cracker counters, anyway) sets up the snack each day and carries the trays to the classrooms at the appropriate time. What a system. Middle school youth, always hungry, are not muzzled while they help with snack, by the way.
Special note about food allergies: Due to the large number of children we serve snacks to every day, we generally cannot provide special snacks to accommodate food allergies. If your child has an allergy to anything that might appear in one of our snack choices (wheat, gluten, nuts, dairy, etc.) please indicate this on the registration form and be prepared to send a snack with your child each day.
- Set-up
Sunday afternoon, June 10, will be a busy day
at the church building. Decorations, stage sets, tents,
and who knows what else will all magically appear, ready
to go for Monday morning. Oh, did I say 'magic'? I didn't
really mean that -- it takes a team of people to pull this
off. (Hint: This is a great chance for dads and others
who can't participate during the morning programs to pitch
in.)
- Clean-up
Yes, yes, someone has to take out the trash. The
big opportunity to show off your ability to pitch comes
Friday afternoon, June 15th. Almost everything must go
-- home with the kids, back to storage, or (gasp) into
the dumpster. Many hands make light work, right?
- Youth Helpers
Youth helpers have been mentioned in almost every item in this list, and for good reason. We could not have VBS without our dedicated youth helpers! There are jobs for middle school through high school, and we try to reward our youth with our appreciation as well as one special afternoon activity. Last year 80 youth helpers enjoyed a fun lunch at Fuddruckers!
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VBS Facts:
- Teacher Training Sessions: to be announced
- Drop off children in designated spots each morning between
8:55 and 9AM; pick them up in designated spots at noon.
- Come to church on Sunday, June 29, to see the
Closing Program - a true celebration of song, dance, and God's
love!
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