Keeping things simple with a smidge of Southern charm
As sad as it is to admit it, VBS 2016 has officially come to a close! One of the most popular VBS themes for 2016 was “Submerged” by Lifeway, where kids learned all about submerging themselves in God’s word and finding that Jesus doesn’t just see what’s on the outside of people, but instead He sees what’s deep down in the inside of people and loves us no matter what.
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It may be nearly a year away, but there’s just something about Vacation Bible School that gets me SO excited! I love taking a look at all of the options that are going to be available to choose from for the upcoming year. I really believe 2017 is going to be an AMAZING year! Lots of different themes are really challenging children to get creative, use their God given talents, dig deep into HIS word and have fun while doing it!
You may have seen my previous posts about LifeWay’s VBS themes for 2016 and 2017 (Submerged and Galactic Starveyors), but I thought I’d share another really fun option that’ll really get your gears turning! Maker Fun Factory is organized by Group Children’s Ministry, and through this VBS package children will be taking on the role as inventors as they discover that we were fearfully and wonderfully made by God the creator!
Be sure to visit their website to get a sneak peak at all of the resources that are already put together for Maker Fun Factory! (You can even listen to the music tracks, which I am totally loving!)
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Sanity. It’s something that I’d like to have a little bit more of, but it’s been hard to maintain here lately. My 15 month old daughter is the keeper of my sanity, and how she feels at any given point in the day determines the amount of it I have. If you have a toddler trying to rule your roost, I’m sure you feel me on this one.
It seems like my daughter has been trying to stake her claim on independence since she left the womb. She has never tolerated me helping her with anything. I can’t share a snack with her, I’m not allowed to play blocks with her, she wants to bathe herself and Heaven forbid I try to feed her. This child, y’all. She’s something else! But her independence is something that is valuable to her, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love watching her learn things all by herself.
However, when a toddler is doing something on their own, there’s going to be a mess. No doubt about it!
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Summer 2016 isn’t over just yet, but as most of the country is getting ready to head back to school, Vacation Bible School season is coming to a close. One of the most popular VBS themes for 2016 was “Submerged” by Lifeway, where kids learned all about submerging themselves in God’s word and finding that Jesus doesn’t just see what’s on the outside of people, but instead He sees what’s deep down in the inside of people and loves us no matter what. Isn’t that such a great message? If you got to participate in Submerged this year, I’m sure it definitely made a “splash” of an impact on your life. I know it did mine!
VBS 2016 may be wrapping up, but Lifeway just recently released their theme for Summer 2017 and it is AWESOME! Galactic Starveyors is the brand new upcoming theme, and through this series kids will discover the marvels painted in the sky by the Creator. Most importantly, they’ll learn that God is the maker of the entire universe and everything within it, even the things that can’t be seen with a telescope! And while seeing all of the giant stars and planets in the sky may make all of us feel really small, God loves each and every one of us individually and wants a personal relationship with us. Isn’t that amazing!? This VBS is really going to be a blast!
(By the way, you REALLY need to hear the new theme song. It’s SO catchy!)
If you’re an early-bird planner and are looking for a few alternative craft ideas to share with children during VBS, I’ve put together a collection of 15 crafts that are really out of this world! 😉
Plus, check out these stellar Galactic Starveyor Snack Ideas, too!
Straw Rockets – Kids will be launching their own personal little rockets into orbit with these fun little straw rockets! Buggy and Buddy created this craft with an AWESOME free template for your to print out so you can get ready for takeoff, too! A list of supplies needed and a step by step tutorial on how to assemble them is included!
DIY Galaxy Slime – What kid DOESN’T want to play with a big beautiful thing of slime?! Isn’t this galaxy slime SO pretty? It’s super fun and easy to make, too! Two-daloo is sharing all of the how-to’s with this craft, so be sure to stop by and check it out!
Rocket Power Jet Pack – I mean, have you ever seen a craft as cute and fun as this?! I want to make one for myself right this very minute! Find a step by step tutorial and a list of supplies needed over at Doodle Craft Blog!
Mini Soda Bottle Rockets – The folks over at Toddler Approved are launching their own rockets into outer space, and they look like they’re a ton of fun to create! They use lots of common household items, so it’ll be a breeze to collect the supplies needed for this one!
Easy Sun Craft – I just love the bright and vibrant colors of this simple sun craft! Kids will have fun learning all about the Son during VBS while creating this beautiful sun from yarn, beads and popsicle sticks! For more details, visit The Kindergarten Connection! While you’re there, browse through all of her other fabulous kids crafts and activities!
Chalk and Stars Constellation – This really cute idea comes to us from Gift of Curiosity! Since the VBS theme is all about gazing at the stars in the universe and marveling at their beauty and their Creator, why not do a simple craft to create your own constellation? You can have students model their patterns after real constellation or have them get creative and design their own!
Easy Glow-in-the-Dark Night Sky Scripture Canvas – This one is brought to you by yours truly! After leading crafts during VBS and Sunday School for many years, I look for projects that are quick, easy and meaningful. I know kids are going to love painting their own canvas and decorating them with fun glow in the dark stars to display in their rooms!
Craft Stick Stars – This one is really simple, but leaves lots of room for creativity! I love craft projects like this because just like no two stars in the sky are the same, no two craft stick stars will be the same! This one comes to us from Danielle’s Place (scroll to mid page to find this craft). Be sure to visit their website to find even more awesome crafts for every season!
DIY Moon Rocks – This craft is probably the most frugal out of the entire bunch. The ingredients in these super cool DIY moon rocks cost just a few pennies to put together, but kids will marvel at how such simple ingredients can create something so stellar! The awesome ladies over at The Crafting Chicks put together an amazing tutorial to show you how to make it work!
Falling Stars Wall Hanger – This one is probably my very favorite of the bunch! Isn’t it pretty? Kids will love making their own mobile or wall hanger of beautiful starts to hang in their rooms to remind them of all of the lessons they learned at VBS. They can even decorate each star or write the memory verse of the week on them. Lots of possibilities with this one! This craft comes to us from Just a Girl and Her Blog – a really fabulous blog with all sorts of other fun craft and DIY ideas!
Crystal Stars – This one looks like SO much fun, I’m seriously thinking about making it myself as soon as my toddler goes to sleep! 😉 This fun craft comes to us from One Little Project, where she lists all of the ingredients needed as well as a step by step tutorial (with gorgeous photos) to show you how to make it!
Paper Towel Tube Telescope – Here’s a really fun one for all of the starveyors at VBS this year! Have students make their own telescope so they can scope out all of the beautiful stars in the sky when they go home! This one comes to us from Highlights – a great resource for kids and parents alike for great ideas and projects that kids can get involved in!
Galaxy Jars – These gorgeous and simple galaxy jars are truly mesmerizing! Kids will be oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over them once they see them! They only require a few “ingredients,” so it should be easy to gather all of the supplies needed. Hop on over to Crafty Morning to see how she made them!
Styrofoam Planets – I’m pretty pumped up about this one, y’all. This DIY planet using an old CD is such a neat idea! This craft comes to us from Mommy In Sports, a great blog full of craft ideas, parenting advice, recipes and SO much more!
Marshmallow and Spaghetti Constellations – This craft will be a hit with the younger kiddos enrolled in VBS. Kids will have fun constructing their own constellations using marshmallows and spaghetti noodles. You can find more information on how to complete this project at Deceptively Educational!
Constellation Viewers – I love how perfectly this one fits in with the theme! School Time Snippets has a list of all supplies needed for this craft as well as a tutorial of how to put it together. Kids are really going to feel like real starveyors with this one!
If you’re looking for a few quick and simple craft projects with minimal cleanup, Oriental Trading has a few really awesome craft kits that fir perfectly with this theme! Plus, Oriental Trading pretty much always has a sale going on. Here’s a few of my favorite easy craft ideas from Oriental Trading!
Will you be participating in VBS 2017? Are you going to be going on an out-of-this-world journey as a Galactic Starveyor? Leave a comment and let me know when your church’s Vacation Bible School will be taking place and if you’ll be using any of these fun craft ideas with your kiddos!
With the 2016 Olympic Games quickly approaching, excitement has started to fill the air as American athletes are putting a lifetime of hard work into the qualifying rounds to see who will take a coveted USA team spot and represent our great country in the Olympics in Brazil. I get chills just typing that, y’all!
The Olympics are truly something big and monumental to celebrate, not just something taking a time spot on your favorite TV channel. I hope to encourage you to start a discussion with your children about the Olympics and get excited about the games coming up in just a few short days. I’ve put together a list of 4 Ways to Celebrate the Olympics with Kids, plus I’ve included 3 FREE coloring sheets for you to help get kids interested and inspired about the events!
What are some other fun and creative idea to encourage children to get excited about the Olympic Games? Will you be watching the games with your family? What is your favorite sport to watch? Leave a comment below and let’s chat!
Do you find yourself frequently throwing away empty cans? We go through a ton of cans and containers in our house. It seems like my toddler is forever devoted to her beloved crunchy snacks (seen below), and we go through containers of them ALL the time. The crafty person inside me cringes every time I throw those empty cans away, because I know there are ways to repurpose them! Then I look around at how tiny my house is and toss them anyway. (We unfortunately don’t have a recycling program where I live, or else I would totally recycle!)
I’ve been waiting for a little inspiration to hit me before I kept a container to repurpose, and that bright idea finally hit me late last week. I love to change out the centerpieces on my kitchen table from time to time, so I thought I’d take a stab at throwing something great together with some craft supplies that I had lying around.
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With the Fourth of July right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about all of the fun and exciting activities that tend to take place around this time of year. Cookouts, barbecues, pool parties, fireworks, and the list goes on and on! While these events are always fun for grownups and older kids, it can be a little tricky keeping a toddler entertained and not overwhelmed with all of the things going on.
One thing we do every year for Independence Day is celebrate with good food and fireworks at our church’s annual 4th of July celebration. My husband is usually one of the men in charge of setting up and detonating the fireworks (which freaks me out a little,) but everyone always has a fabulous time and the fireworks and sparklers are a huge hit with the kids. However, my 1 year old has never been around fireworks and sparklers, and I’m honestly not too pumped about her being near them. So the wheels started turning in my head trying to find a fun alternative for her that would allow her to enjoy the festivities along with everyone else without involving, ya know, explosives. 🙂
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School is officially out for the summer here, and many of our local churches are gearing up for Vacation Bible School! I have such vivid memories from my childhood of attending VBS at the church I grew up at. The people at my church always made a big to-do out of the decorations, skits, crafts, etc. I can even remember a few different jingles from the various VBS’s I attended!
It’s funny that I can remember things like that, but I am certain that I couldn’t even tell you what I ate for breakfast this morning. That’s just the way it is, I suppose! But on that same note, I get excited with all of the different ways VBS touches the lives of children and adults in our communities. I mean, if I can remember the things that I did when I was 9 at Vacation Bible School, who’s to say that others wouldn’t remember it for years to come, too? Did you know that every year, VBS is hosted by over 25,000 churches and reaches more than 3 million people across the US? That’s something to really get excited about, y’all!
This year, the Lifeway VBS theme is called “Submerged.” It’s all about submerging yourself in God’s word and discovering that Jesus doesn’t just see what’s on the outside of people, he sees deep down on the inside.
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Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! We warmly invite you to a spectacular little party that is sure to amaze! Start brushing up on your pricing skills and step up your Plinko game, because a very special little girl is finally ONE!
Are you ready, folks? Then COME ON DOWN! You’re the next party participant at Taralynn’s Price is Right birthday party!
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When my husband and I married almost 4 years ago, we took part in 3 or 4 premarital counseling sessions offered by our officiant, Bro. Rick. We really didn’t know what to expect the first night, and when we left our first meeting were surprised to find ourselves walking out with a stack of books to read (aka homework). Bro. Rick told us that we’d be learning a new language during our sessions, and we’d be fine tuning the way we talk and communicate with each other.
At first I was caught a little off guard, because I really didn’t think Kyle (my husband) and I needed any “fine tuning”. We truly felt like we knew each other inside and out, backwards and forwards and in all areas in between. After all, we had been dating for 7 years before we said our vows, and we felt certain that life would not really be any different once we were married. Everything would just continue as it always was, but we’d now get to experience the blessings and privileges that husbands and wives share together. We certainly didn’t consider that we’d be learning a new language – especially when it came to love. We were pretty confident that we had that figured out – or so we thought.
Then we opened “The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman, and we quickly started learning things we never knew we didn’t know.
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