Top Ten Countdown for Vacation Bible School 2011 - Today's Post . . . "Big Apple Adventure" from LifeWay!

Welcome to the second day of my Top Ten Countdown for Vacation Bible School 2011; my Top Pick for VBS 2011 will be announced on January 14th, but today we will take a look at "Big Apple Adventure" from LifeWay! This year LifeWay invites you to take your children to the Big Apple - New York City - where they will explore a big city and have big fun learning how faith and life really do connect!

Scope and Sequence

1. Connect with Faith - The Centurion Acts in Faith - I Can Have Faith In Jesus - Matthew 8:5-13
2. Connect with Love - A Woman Responds with Love - I Can Love Jesus - Luke 7:36-38, 44-48
3. Connect with Trust - Nicodemus Chooses to Trust - I Can Trust Jesus as My Savior - John 3:1-18; 19:38-42
4. Connect with Others - The Samaritan Woman Tells Others - I Can Tell Others About Jesus - John 4:1-30, 39-42
5. Connect with Life - The Disciples Receive Instruction - i Can Live For Jesus - Acts 1:1-11

Theme - Children will discover God wants them to encounter Jesus and experience a life changing connection with Him so they are empowered to connect with others and spread the Good News.

Strong Points -

1. Solid Bible Lessons - I love the focus on helping children understand how their faith and every day life really do "connect"!
2. I love the "Connection Challenge for Teachers" - questions to help volunteers think through the application and live it in their own lives! Tremendous!
3. I love the focus on prayer and ideas for involving the church in praying for your VBS
4. I'm extremely happy to see the focus on encouraging teachers to prepare their own heart before they teach the children!
5. I love the "Hear, Know, Do Connection" for each lesson as it focuses on helping children live what they learn for changed lives!
6. Excellent director's info - thoroughly covers determining a goal, involving senior pastor, safety info and screening volunteers.
7. Excellent info on how to make your VBS a welcoming place for children with special needs
8. Excellent info on decorating and training volunteers
9. Mission project - Kit's for Kids - the children in your VBS will help provide school supplies for needly children around the world. (see the website at www.vbskitsforkids.com).
10. I'm very happy to see LifeWay provides a basic kit option to help make VBS more affordable!
11. I'm happy to see a good mix of elementary age boys and girls and a good ethnic mix on the music DVD

Would Like to See - 

1. Lessons that intentionally engage children in teaching the Bible lesson. Day One's lesson is creative, engaging and unique, but the remaining lessons need more of that creativity.
2. More activities and object lessons that engage the children in the opening and close each day.
3. A science station would have been great.
4. I would really like to see activities built into the lessons to help children serve their own communities.

If you would like to hear a sampling of "Big Apple Adventure" music, follow this link www2.lifeway.com/vbs2011/music

There are many features of this VBS that I loved; which should be no surprise as LifeWay is known for providing quality VBS resources that teach God's Word with a strong evangelist focus in every station and activity! If you'd like to help your children understand how their faith and life connect, LifeWay's VBS is absolutely worth considering. Big Apple Adventure utilizes the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Each and every lesson gives you the opportunity for children to make a decision for Jesus and clearly explains the plan of salvation. Since the settings for "Big Apple Adventure" are primarily locations around New York City, this VBS setting could be created outdoors - although you might want to select just a couple of the settings to recreate or simplify them for an outdoor venue. Extremely well done, LifeWay - thank-you for sending "Big Apple Adventure" for my review.

Be sure to come back to About the Children's Department

tomorrow for my next review of VBS materials in my Top Ten Countdown for VBS 2011! 


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