VBS, Rolling River Rampage, Day 5

 

While this Bible School theme is likely being used by many churches around the country, I thought I would catalog some of the special activities I did outside (but aligning with) the curriculum that was offered. My class was rising 4th graders, but I feel like most lower & middle elementary aged kids could appreciate the activities.

 Friday's Theme:

Friday's Bible Verse: (Jesus Returns)

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The last day of Bible School was hectic to say the least. I had made the kids "Yearbooks" to take home and they shared books to have them signed by their new friends, and at our church, we take the last half hour to do a finale show in the sanctuary for the parents, so each session is significantly shortened. So, I thought I would share some of my classroom decorations from this year!

 

VBS, Rolling River Rampage, Day 4

 

While this Bible School theme is likely being used by many churches around the country, I thought I would catalog some of the special activities I did outside (but aligning with) the curriculum that was offered. My class was rising 4th graders, but I feel like most lower & middle elementary aged kids could appreciate the activities.

 Thursday's Theme:

Thursday's Bible Verse: (The Last Supper)

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.^{[a]---Luke 22:14}

Activity: Prayer Lanterns. We had added activities in our classroom this day, but I had a super idea last night and wanted to make paper lanterns with my kids--with a twist.  I had the paper pre-cut and folded so all they had to do was to pick the color the wanted and staple together and add the handle. But, I also had them add a yarn piece handing from the handle down through the lantern on which they stapled a laminated bedtime prayer. I have noticed that kids these days are either not doing bedtime prayers at all, or are saying the same things they have said for years without really thinking about it. The prayer lanterns can hang on their bed posts and be a reminder to pray and there is at least one prayer hanging from the middle they can say or use as a guide. I allowed the kids to decorate the lanterns any way they wanted, and I was so sad that I couldn't find the glow in the dark stickers I was sure we had as left overs from VBS Cave Quest, they would have added a nice touch. The days are getting more and more hectic, so I don't have a picture of the finished product, but I will include a reminder on how to make your own paper lanterns.

Activity 2: 7th Day/Sabbath. It probably shouldn't have been as shocking as it was to learn that most of the kids did nothing different on Sundays than they did the rest of the week. One child even told me: "we are too busy on Sundays with other stuff to go to church."  We talked about the importance of "rest" and how that doesn't necessarily mean to sleep or nap.

VBS, Rolling River Rampage, Day 3

 

While this Bible School theme is likely being used by many churches around the country, I thought I would catalog some of the special activities I did outside (but aligning with) the curriculum that was offered. My class was rising 4th graders, but I feel like most lower & middle elementary aged kids could appreciate the activities.

 Wednesday's Theme:

Wednesday's Bible Verse:  (Zacchaeus the Tax Collector)

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. ⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. ⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” ⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Activity:I Spy. I had intended this to be a small activity that wouldn't take long, but everyone wants to have a turn at I SPY which stemmed from talking about how the people spied Zacchaeus in the top of the tree. Best laid plans.

 

Activity 2: Jesus Knows My Name. Since I spy lasted so long, I didn't get to my crafty project. My favorite part of the Zacchaeus story is that Jesus points to him and calls him by name. Even if we don't think we are significant, Jesus knows us so well, he calls us by name.  I fund some adult coloring capital letters on line and planned to have the kids write their names as fancy or crafty as they wanted. Since I ran out of time, I added it to their end of week packet (I made them a "yearbook" to take home).  I made this myself and since I only had 11 kids, and many of them have the same first letters, so it didn't take long.

Printables 

Story Page   
Word Search
Coloring Page 

Want to feel old?  Try and see if your kids remember the original Zacchaeus song. (They won't) Then, play it for them and watch their eyes roll. 

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VBS Rolling River Rampage, Day 2

 

While this Bible School theme is likely being used by many churches around the country, I thought I would catalog some of the special activities I did outside (but aligning with) the curriculum that was offered. My class was rising 4th graders, but I feel like most lower & middle elementary aged kids could appreciate the activities.

 Tuesday's Theme:

Tuesday's Bible Verse: (Jesus comes to Mary & Martha's house)

 ³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.--Luke 10:38

Activity:Are You A Mary Or A Martha. I cut out red and green construction squares, enough for each of my kids to have 1 of each color. I had found a list of questions online about being a Mary or a Martha, but I wasn't super happy with them--so I improvised my own. (Here is the printable I found)  As I asked questions the kids raised a red paper if they felt like they would be more of a Mary in that situation and sit and listen or pay close attention. They raised a green paper if they felt like they would be more of a Martha and find themselves preoccupied or interested in something else.  I have to say the game was very enlightening. Assumptions I would have made were actually incorrect.  As a note, I did not discourage

the kids when they felt torn. Several times both papers were raised and I would hear: it depends on the situation.  They are smart little kiddos!!

 Activity 2: Listening As A Mary/Martha. Ok, I made this game up, but they loved it. There was a cardboard cabin in my VBS room for decor, so I had one volunteer be a "Martha," and keep busy and hidden, and another volunteer be a "Mary," and sit at my side while I gave them both directions. I made it fun, but also multi-stepped (4-5 tasks) then I told them to go and do them. Like you could imagine, the "Martha" got half of them wrong, and the "Mary" got all tasks correct. Of course they all wanted a turn, and by the time we got to round "3," the kids had caught on and the Martha's were listening VERY HARD in that box determined not to get any step wrong!

Printables. Coloring Page  Word Search

VBS, Rolling River Rampage, Day 1

 

While this Bible School theme is likely being used by many churches around the country, I thought I would catalog some of the special activities I did outside (but aligning with) the curriculum that was offered. My class was rising 4th graders, but I feel like most lower & middle elementary aged kids could appreciate the activities.

 Monday's Theme:

 

Monday's Bible Verse: (Jesus calls the sons of Zebedee to come and follow him)

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.--Matthew 4:18 

Activity: Fishy Adventures. Since our Bible Story teller had already summed up the adventures of James & Andrew, I decided to tell another of the stories of Jesus that would involve an "adventure." I read the kids the story of Jesus calming the sea and how his disciples were scared. We talked about adventures in life and how Jesus and the disciples had many, many adventures together. On Pinterest I had found a How To for paper fish and it said if you tossed them in the air they would float down like helicopters. Well, I added my "touch" to them, and on the inside of each paper fish was a fun question about adventures. Many of them asked the kids to describe an adventure they had or wanted to have, or who or what they would take. I made 22 for my 11 kids and I tossed them in the air. They LOVED this idea. I made sure each kid had at least one and they took turns opening the fish and read and answered the question inside. Of course once we finished they just wanted to put the fish back together and have me toss them again!

See how to make the paper fish here.

Fruit Of The Spirit: Self Control

***I am retro-blogging previous lesson plans from 2016-2018, so I do not always have pictures of each activity, I will be working harder to be sure that pictures are taken to fully show you the ideas that I used**

Bible Verse:  
⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.--2 Timothy 1:7
 
Fruit of the Week: Lemons (we taste each fruit of the week for snack. If there are varying types of a fruit then we will taste different kinds).

Activity 1: Making Lemonade.This was a simple activity, but we talked about how being sour to others leaves a bitter taste in our own mouths much like it would if someone was "sour" to us. The kids loved taking turns stirring the lemonade powder into the pitcher (yes, I cheated) and tasting the drink.

Activity 2:Veggie Tales Video. We typically wrap up our longer units with a "movie night" including popcorn. So, this was our main activity for the evening, except for handing out certificates for finishing the unit. I love to give recognition to those who regularly attend and learned something!

Printable Certificates. I made my own, and you could too if you wanted.

If I did not add this to the previous Fruit of the Spirit entries, I must do it now!! I found this hilarious song about the Fruits on YouTube and the kids LOVED hearing it and singing it over and over and over and over again.  I highly recommend it! 

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Fruit Of The Spirit: Gentlenes

***I am retro-blogging previous lesson plans from 2016-2018, so I do not always have pictures of each activity, I will be working harder to be sure that pictures are taken to fully show you the ideas that I used**

Bible Verse:  
³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.--1 Peter 3:3

Fruit of the Week: Pears (we taste each fruit of the week for snack. If there are varying types of a fruit then we will taste different kinds).

Craft: Pear Footprint. Oh how I love hand and footprint crafts! And, the kids loved taking off their shoes and getting their feet painted. I did print a guide, so that the footprint would be more exact and make more sense to the parents when they got home! The above printable was for a different use, but I blew it up and made one per page and then had them stamp their painted foot inside the pear with a friend helping them.



Activity 1: Paul In The Middle (game). This idea ended up morphing into something else (gotta love excited kids), but we were supposed to put someone in the middle of the circle, and he or she was "Paul" and they would give and example, and someone had to guess the correct fruit of the spirit that would be needed. Well, the kids had trouble coming up with examples, so it ended up in a cut-throat game of Bible Jeopardy where I asked the questions and they tried to see who could guess the fastes (I have some seriously competitive kids this year!)

Activity 2:Fruits BINGO. I made and laminated my own BINGO boards and made call out cards.  These kids could play this for hours! And of course I love that we can use them over and over again for Wednesday nights or Sunday School or even VBS! I made my own as 6 sheets weren't enough, but this could get you started. Click here for this resource.

Printable. Fill In The Blank.  I try to always have a printed activity on hand. There are always the kids who finish up the other activities you give them quickly, and those who just really enjoy puzzles, word searches, etc.
**I used the above printable, and you can find when you click here**