VBS 2019: Using rotation Sunday school for vacation Bible school

It’s that time of year again… where we’re in the drudges of winter, (and here in Minneapolis, giant mounds of snow) it feels that summer will never be here. Yet, at the same time, you’re starting to plan your VBS 2019 program.

There are numerous ways you can put together your vacation Bible school program – and it all depends on what you want your kids to get out of it. If you are looking for an inexpensive option that focuses on teaching your kids a Biblical story, consider using a rotation Sunday school program for this year’s vacation Bible school.

What’s rotation Sunday school?

Rotation Sunday school offers a workshop-based program, where your kids learn and experience a Bible story through activities such as cooking, art, videos, creative drama, and music. In doing so, kids learn through experience and play – which has been found to be a more productive method of learning than another methods.

How can I use rotation Sunday school for VBS?

Using a rotation Sunday school model for your vacation Bible school program does require some tweaks so that it works for the entire day or week.

If you are interested in using it for your program, here are two options to get it set up:

• Focus on an experience per day. Monday could focus on cooking; Tuesday on creative drama; and so on. Find volunteers that specialize in these areas and go beyond teaching the Bible skill – help your kids learn about the particular experience in more detail.
• Cover a Bible story each day. Set up stations for each of the experiences to that your kids are able to learn a Bible story each day – and experience more than one workshop!

With rotation Sunday school, you can recruit volunteers in your community that have an expertise in this area – maybe a cook, music teacher, or actor! It gives your kids more than just a way to learn a Bible story, it can also give them a first look at some professions and hobbies. Which will be a great experience for both the students and the volunteers.

Check out Spark Rotation

If you are considering using rotation Sunday school for VBS 2019, check out Spark Rotation and see how it works for you! Featuring 21 Old Testament and 27 New Testament stories, it will give you options to create a VBS program around the Bible stories that you want your kids to learn.

 Spark Rotation features eight workshop options, including:

• Art – kids create individual or group projects to reinforce the Bible story
• Bible Skills and Games – get kids into their Bibles with friendly competition
• Cooking – an easy-to-prepare snack based on the theme of the Bible story
• Creative Drama – kids dramatize the story in a variety of ways
• Digital Media and Technology – uses a variety of technology—phones, cameras, and more—as a way for kids to connect the Bible stories with their everyday lives
• Music – kids engage with the story through music and movement
• Science – kids do hands-on, sensory-based experiments
• Video – kids watch movie clips to help relate the Bible story themes to their own lives

As we mentioned in an earlier blog post, the most important thing about your VBS 2019 program? Figuring out your goals and what you want your kids to learn! From there, you’ll know if a rotation Sunday school model works for you.

Interested? Learn more about how to get started with Spark Rotation here.