VBS & Fall Fest

Could there be a more perfect way to reuse VBS decorations than at your church’s fall festival? LifeWay Kids had our own fall festival last week… complete with food, candy, and games. Candace & I put our own spin on the classic “fish for a prize” game and totally decked out Candace’s office door with decorations from the Great Barrier Reef (Amazing Wonders Aviation).

You can check out more of the great games, booths, and decorations from our fall office party on the Kids Ministry 101 blog all this week!

We want to hear from you… Does your church do any kind of fall festival? How have you reused VBS decorations for other church/community events? Give us all some inspiration!

VBS 2013 on Pinterest!

It’s never too early to start planning, right? If you’re itching to get a jump on VBS 2013, check out our Colossal Coaster World board on the LifeWay Kids Pinterest site. There are already lots of great ideas. Here are some of my favorites…

What a cute hot dog cart! I wish I’d had this for Big Apple Advenure!Source: goscoutcreative.com via LifeWayKids on Pinterest

This is the same technique we used to create an “Enter” sign for Coaster Alley (Bible study) in our decorations. Fun!

Source: ohhappyday.com via LifeWayKids on Pinterest

A perfect roller coaster experience for younger preschoolers!

Source: ikea.com via LifeWayKids on Pinterest

What ideas have you come up with?  If you’re on Pinterest, leave us a link to your VBS 2013 board in the comment section!

Foto Friday…I’m here!

Where’s Keith? Here I am! Hi everyone! Sorry I haven’t blogged for a while but it’s been a bit crazy, busy and hairy with the deadlines.

Okay, maybe all the hairiness is from the gorilla suit I’ve been wearing!

But honestly, I have been working!

So what have I been working on? I’m glad you asked!

This week, I’ve been working on the VBX 2013 Preteen Leader Pack. I love working on the VBX material! It’s always jammed packed with visuals. Here’s shot of the cover.

One of the other items I have been working on is the VBS 2013 Supersized Coaster Backdrop. This backdrop really excites me! Take a look at it and see if you can see why I love this one SO much.

Bucket rides? Nope, that’s not it! But I do love the bucket rides. Such a fun way to get from one side of the park to the other side and relax while you are doing it.

Roller coasters? Getting closer! It does have something to do with the roller coasters! Take a look at the next photo.

Check it out! You can connect multiple Supersized Coaster Backdrops and make one COLOSSAL Coaster backdrop!

It’s back to work now! Have a great weekend and God bless!

Out of This World Decorating

I know there are a lot of you out there who are getting ready to launch Club VBS: SpaceQuest as your summer VBS experience. While SpaceQuest may not have as many ready-made decorations available as Amazing Wonders Aviation, there are some incredible things you can do to transform your space and give your kids an “out of this world” experience! So if you’re looking for some stellar (or should I say “interstellar”) decorating ideas, then you’ve come to the right place. Check out these cute decorating ideas.

Kids will be ready to blast off when they get to have their picture made in this cute rocket ship!

Here’s a cute shuttle made out of cardboard.

Use metallic fabrics and gift bags to add just a hint of the theme to any Bible-learning activity. Check out the cute star-shaped tree topper!

I love the use of hanging stars and the backlit stars along the ceiling.

Darkening the room with black paper or fabric is a good substitute for turning off the lights in the room to get the feel of the black void of space.

Want more ideas? How about these quick & easy tricks…

• Drape white, blinking Christmas lights around the doorway or hang them from the ceiling.
• Line the hallway with rope lights leading to the room. Cut out large numbers from construction paper and arrange them down the hall moving from 10 to 1. Tape them to the wall or place them on the floor, covered with clear contact paper. Kids will enjoy counting down to “lift off” as they come and go from their room.
• Paint various sizes of Styrofoam balls to resemble planets and hang them from the ceiling using fishing line.
• Create a focal area on one wall using cardboard. Paint it to look like the inside of a shuttle’s cockpit. Punch Christmas lights through from the backside and attach Slinkys or dryer vent hose to the front for a 3-D “space age” look.

Want even more? Check out our awesome Pinterest board dedicated exclusively to SpaceQuest! For an overview of the Bible content, click here. For answers to commonly asked questions about SpaceQuest, click here.

Foto Friday…More Clip Art?

Do be do be do. . .what to do. . .for the blog today? I know. . .CLIP ART! I have fielded a few requests and heard from other people on the VBS team that the below posted clip art has been requested without the location signs on it. Well, I finally had time to “fix” the artwork (remove the logos) and decided to post it on today’s Foto Friday! Yea!

As usual, I’ll post a PNG and a JPG of the artwork. I hope you all have a blessed day!