I forgot to write Yesterday! Sorry, I was making some stuff for VBS. FUN!
Today, I am running short on time so I am going to pose a couple of questions for the comment section. You all should have gotten dirrections to post. I will speak on this topic tommorow
Jake
TOPICS
Why would kids come to VBS if they had to pay?
What time should VBS run?
How long should it take? (EX. 1 hour)
Should the kids get a meal?- adults?
Why do you accully read this blog????? - My big question :)
-Jake
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Our VBS runs from 6:00 PM to 8:15PM. We have a kick off dinner the first night starting at 5:00. This helps get work in kids registered. If kids are not from our church it helps break the ice a little before we fall into action. The rest of the nights we have a light meal for those that are coming right from work and don't have time to make dinner at home.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I read? ..... always looking for new things to try to make VBS better. I've also done it so long that hopefully I have some tips to share!
Why would kids come to VBS if they had to pay? I have never had a parent question paying. We ask for $5 for the week.
ReplyDeleteWhat time should VBS run? We run 9AM to Noon on a Mon thru Fri
How long should it take? (EX. 1 hour) I have found that we need 3 hours to make the program run well and not feel rushed. I will admit, though, I do spend a lot of time making sure there are extra activities on hand.
Should the kids get a meal?- adults? We do a snack each day for the kids and staff
Why do you accully read this blog????? I am always looking for new ideas and suggestions. I enjoy reading about things that work and do not work for others.
Why would kids come to VBS if they had to pay?
ReplyDeleteThey pay for classes and sports, so paying a minimal fee for VBS isn’t unreasonable.
What time should VBS run?
Morning or evening, depending on your volunteer base.
How long should it take? (EX. 1 hour)
We run the program for 2 hours and 15 minutes. We combine snack with Chadder and do an abbreviated closing. 3 hours would be ideal.
Should the kids get a meal?- adults?
Depends on when you run it. With an evening VBS, we think it helps get volunteers because they know that their family can have dinner at church.
Why do you accully read this blog????? - My big question :)
I’m always looking for new ideas!
Janet
1. We have a fee and the parents always ask if it's enough.
ReplyDelete2. VBS for us is 3 hours
3. There is the snack station and we feed evryone lunch after we're done.
4. I enjoy hearing what everyone is doing and always looking for ideas.
Thank you everyone.
Cindy
1. I have done VBS in small churches and have never had more than 35-40 kids. My church has foot the bill (along with donations from individuals) so we have never charged for VBS. I don't have a problem with charging and I may do it this year. If we do, it will be to help offset costs, but not enough to actually cover expenses.
ReplyDelete2. I have done day and night VBS. People told me we would get more volunteers at night, but the difference for us was negligible. Some churches where there are many families with both parents working may find that it is very helpful. In my experience, most of the men who worked didn't all the sudden sign up to be crew leaders when we did night VBS.
The down side is we ran from 6-9 which ended up being a late night for pre-schoolers. I am a big believer in daytime VBS, because I think that is when parents are struggling to find something to do with their kids during the summer.
3. We are doing the full 3 1/2 hours this year, 8:30-12. I have done 3 hours the past few years and was trying to compress the space between stations and keep them all slightly short. I always felt rushed.
4. Last year with an evening VBS we did a kick-off meal on Monday and an invite your family meal on Friday. If I was still doing night VBS I would probably consider that again. The main thing is if you have someone willing to take on the meal and not have it fall on the VBS director to make it happen. We may do a free pizza lunch after the Friday VBS this year to try to increase interaction with parents.
I think volunteer lunches can be good, but most of my volunteers have kids, which means that we end up feeding half the VBS kids and at that point, you might as well invite all the kids to stay, right?
5. Why do I read this blog? Just enjoy interacting with others who are excited about VBS and sharing ideas.
Thanks guys these comments rock!
ReplyDelete1. We live in a small, rural area and have never charged for VBS. Our church has always considered it to be a ministry to the community. The church budgets for VBS. I did have a fundraiser last year and we are in the middle of a fund raising campain now. I don't know of any churches in our county that charge for VBS.
ReplyDelete2. We have always done a daytime VBS, but we are dong ours from 6 - 9 p.m. this year. Most of the people who can work in VBS work during the day, so we changed to night to enable us to recruit more help...39 1st-2nd graders last year in one class with 2 teachers was interesting to say the least!!
3. We are leaning toward a 3 hour schedule for night, but am concerned about the length of time for younger children.
4. We aren't serving a meal, but will have a snack time. In the past, I have had a break area with goodies and drinks prepared by me and the by the older ladies in the church for the youth and adult workers.
5. I love reading everyone's ideas...sharing with each other is such great support!!!!