I just recently finished filming a 5 day VBS for the local church we attend. This is day one, the creation story. In it, I use my signature mailbox and flashcards to engage the children. I accessed the images for the flashcards from FreeBibleImages.comhttp://www.freebibleimages.org/. The images I chose came from this page.
Here is a link to the 11x17 visuals I created in PDF form.
Here is the link for the flash card, And there was evening and there was morning, the ___ day.
Incrediworld VBS is by Answers In Genesis and is available for free this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic. You can access your copy here.
You can watch the whole lesson below (my intro got cut somehow, but it's still OK).
When I was in college my roommate gave me a note that said, "Procrastination is the thief of all time." Yes, I am a procrastinator. I kept thinking that I would redo the video for this post, but I realize that is not going to happen so, without further ado, here is part 2 of my tube people special.
I must admit, when I rolled these babies out I wasn't sure if they were going to go over or not. After all, "tube people," really? I like them, but I am a bit of a nerd. Not cool. Not a hipster. So I have been thrilled to see that this post has actually been more popular than my green screen post, which is, uh, more for the techy generation. And that encouraged me to do part 2 of this post.
I videoed myself acting the story of Isaac and the Wells (Genesis 26) to give you non-thespians an idea of how to use these tube people for story telling. Basically, you get the narrative down in your mind, and then you can even add lib a little. Like Rebecca telling Isaac that if they have to move one more time she's not coming. Maybe I took a little too much liberty there, no woman would have ever said that in those days, but it does sort of bring Rebecca to life for the kids. Once kids understand a story, you can let them act it out themselves. The key is to be uninhibited.
As I wrote in the original tube people post, you could use peg dolls, Lego people, or many other things to be "people" to act out Bible stories. Below are a few pictures of other ways I have made characters for story telling.
These "tube people" are made with Ian and Sue Coate's images. They are free on the websites listed below.
You can download the Coate's Bible images on Free Bible Images or on their own website, Free Christian Illustrations . Both of these sites are worth exploring for a multitude of good illustrations and Bible figures. You can find them for almost every character and event in the Bible.
The images I used for these are no longer available, but you can use images from the sites listed above
As I became more advanced in making the paper action figures above, I would make a copy of the image and then "flip" it in Word or Publisher. I ran off both copies and pasted them front and back so you could see the figures from both sides. These were a lot of work, but I saved them in a tote to reuse. You could also flatten the paper clip for storage in file folders.
Here I made flannel-graph figures with free printable Bible people.
Make these tube people from things you already have around your house.
I coined the term "tube people," because that's what these are. People made from tubes. Complete instructions are in the video.
As parents or teachers, you can use these people to act out Bible stories. Kids can use them for the same, or just for imaginary play. In this day of tech, playing with hands on, kinesthetic items is so important. Tech is great, but I still don't think there is any substitute for good old fashioned creative play to develop the imagination. So during this time of staying at home, here's a great activity for the whole family.
Supplies:
empty paper tubes (toilet paper, paper towel, gift wrap) AND/OR empty chip board boxes. You can also use card stock, manila file folders or anything stiff that can be rolled into a tube.
stapler or tape
pieces of cloth (can be old rags, sheets, t-shirts...you can even use tissues)
Sharpie (black)
rubber bands, yarn, twine, strips of cloth for tying on the "head dress"
Directions:
Roll your cardboard into a tube shape and staple it
Cut the size head dress you want
Cut a length of twine, yarn or cloth for tying on the head dress
Put the cloth over the top of the tube person, and tie it on as pictured
Draw a face on with the Sharpie and you are done
If you want to get fancy you can draw on clothes
Here is the instructable in video form:
These people can be used in any number of Bible story re-tellings. Sometime in May 2020 I will post some links below to scripts I have that could be acted out with tube people. I will also have a link to a video where I actually use tube people to re-enact a Bible story so you can see how to do it (for anyone who feels inhibited, or thinks they are not creative enough to do this.) Keep checking back.
I met a great kidmin worker who lives overseas through doing this blog. Her work is really professional. With the current COVID-19 pandemic going on, this gal, named Kate, has been making wonderful home packs for families with children. So what's in a home pack? A simple Bible lesson you can teach, some game ideas, coloring pages and always at least one craft. If you have a printer these are great. She even gives age appropriate choices in the packs, so they range from preschool through elementary. I hope you can take advantage of these and pass the word along.
Kate collaborated with a couple of other bloggers to create these. Here is the link for the one for Palm Sunday. If you go to her site, Jesus Without Language, you will find some more home packs. These are all being offered free of charge, but you can always make a donation to Kate's ministry if you want.
