Where We Started

Art Camp started the summer of 2006. We traditionally have Art Camp the second full week after public school is out for the summer.

I never went to vacation bible school as a child so when I volunteered to help with my church's VBS I didn't quite know what to expect. We were leaving to go on our second honeymoon the second day of camp but we helped make the props. We came the first night but I wasn't super excited by what I saw. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't fun for me. I saw a lot of kids that I knew or that I knew went to church.

So when the Children's Ministry Team discussed VBS, I said I wanted to help with something I could really be excited about: ART. We have several people in our church who are also talented in this area so it uses these people in a great way as well.

A subject based vacation bible school allows us to reach so many kids with the message of salvation in a way that is exciting to them and us as the teachers. God made us; He made us able to create and see the beauty of His world.

I am excited for Art Camp each year. I want to share Christ's love with our students in a way that is meaningful to them.

Lazarus Lesson- 2010

I came up with this lesson to work this multiple volunteers teaching and to give the volunteers some freedom while still allowing them to know what the other teachers were doing. This worked really well.

Teachers are to say the quotes. ...in their own interpretation and keeping in mind if it is the first day or the last day.

Bold text indicates what the teacher had to prepare ahead of time.

LESSON ORDER:
Introduce yourself
Pray
Show children bible
“This is God’s word.”
“Our story is in the New Testament.”
“The New Testament tells about Jesus’s life.”
“This story is in John.”
“John is the book in the bible that tells Jesus is God’s son.”
“Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes the exact same wording.”
Read them the story of Lazarus directly from your bible
Repeat your part of the story
Ask open ended questions about your story
Why do you think Jesus waited?
How do you think Mary felt when Jesus arrived?
How do you know Martha and Jesus were friends?
Activity of your choosing related to the lesson
Practice memory versus with children- John 11:25. Write scripture on the white board. Erase one word at a time and draw a picture in its place.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. John 11:25

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Day 1) Mary at Jesus’s feet. Martha jealous
Day 2) told Lazarus dying…waited
Day 3) Martha tells Jesus he should have come sooner
Day 4) Lazarus raised
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Example Activities:
Day 1) a pie chart of how you spend your day, pretending to clean for guests

Day 2) waiting to receive a prize until the end of the lesson
Day 3) things you tell a friend but not a stranger
Day 4) a team of children wrapping one child up in toilet paper

Lesson with each Activity

About 3 years ago, we tried having a bible lesson with each activity, instead of a specific bible lesson time. This did not work well for us. The students felt restricted in what they could create. And the teachers felt they had to focus so much of their lesson strictly on the biblical teachings they could not focus their lesson on the joy God gives us in creating and creating for Him.

I would like to see our bible lessons depict a bible story or the books of the bible at some point. But we will continue to have a set aside time for a special bible study.

Volunteers

Volunteers are SO IMPORTANT! This year at Art Camp (2010) we had 30 volunteers.

Volunteers help with students, keep Art Camp on time, make snack, hand out snack, teach the bible lesson, help clean, help set up the art show and run errands.

Helping with students:
Volunteers coming during camp time are mostly assigned to work with students. The teacher leads the lesson while volunteers are role models of listening and help one-on-one when needed.

Volunteers speak to children respectfully and at their level. Volunteering is more than just 'helping out.' God has a lot to teach you through the work that you do; come ready to learn while you are having fun.

*Your duties include: taking young children to the restroom, helping clean, serve snack, keeping groups on schedule, directing students to stay on task by using positive reinforcement, redirection and proximity control, and showing Christ’s love and patience to each child.
*You do not need to be an artist to help the students. Encourage each student to do their best. Please refrain from drawing on any student’s work. (If a small child asks you to guide their hand, you may.)
*There is always something to do! Look on the scheduled list or ASK! This is a time for the children; make it about them!

Snack:
Parents give me food allergy information beforehand. Children this age generally know what they can not eat. Children are more than welcome to bring their own snack if they would like. Keep in mind this is a 'snack' and it should be somewhat healthy to keep them going for the rest of the evening.

*Please have snack arrive before 5:45pm the day you are assigned.
*Enough for 35 kids
*Please provide something with some nutritional value and easy to serve.
*Please provide 1 item and juice or two items then water will be served.
*Please portion items to make them easy to serve- snack size baggies, pre-cut bars, etc.
*You do not need to provide napkins or cups.
Suggestions: cheese slices & crackers, trail mix & juice, dried fruit, celery with peanut butter and M&Ms on it, Popsicles & oranges (1 mandarin per child or ½ an orange per child.), homemade rice crispy bars or brownies (cut to correct sizes) & grapes.

Bible Lesson Teacher:
We have done a lot of different bible lessons over the past five years. Normally, I have one teacher with the little kids all week and one teacher with the big kids all week. This did not work out this year. I came up with the lesson, divided it and people volunteered to teach one day. This seemed to go well. The lesson changes to fit the teachers we have.

Schedule

A basic art camp schedule looks like this:

5:45 all volunteers present
kids start to arrive
6:00 OPENER ACTIVITY
6:15 First Lesson
6:30
7:00 Short Break/drinks/bathroom
7:15 Second Lesson
7:30
7:45 Snack
Bible Lesson
8:00
8:15
8:30 Final clean-up, Final activity, Good-bye


The little kids' bible lesson is at 6:45pm. The little kids schedule of activities is more open. We have two specific activities planned then add in additional activities as needed. We try to switch with indoor/outdoor and large motor/ fine motor activities.