Boot Camp is a Catholic VBS program that explains the
fundamentals to our beliefs: the ‘four marks’, the ‘four pillars’, and the ‘five
precepts’ and uses Sacred Scripture, Tradition and the Catechism to review our
faith at its core. Boot Camp is fun,
engaging, and uncompromising. The
program works hard to provide a replicable program that keeps costs
contained.
Each day, the children begin with prayers, chants, cadence
calls, and song before watching a DVD explaining the day’s theme. The children are grouped into teams at the
Recruitment Station (Registration) which rotate through stations: Songs,
Physical Training or PT(Games), Rest and Relaxation or R & R (Crafts), Mess
Hall (Snacks), Prayer, and Story. The
program concludes with a re-cap of the day’s events, prayer, more cadence,
chants, and songs. The teams are led by adults with teen aides;
families are encouraged to stay and travel together through the stations.
Our chief management strategy is to keep the children engaged. Families who arrive early prepare start-up
activities: color camouflage table setting, sign one another’s duffle bags or
caps, thank Father or write a letter to a veteran. Once assembled, the children begin a clapping
song, ‘I’m a Little Soldier’ until all of the teams are assembled to begin or
conclude. Dismissal is another chant, ‘Everywhere
We Go’ or a cadence, ‘I don’t know, but I’ve been told’. Boot Camp keeps the children marching,
singing, and energized!
Our program concludes with Mass on Friday. The children process in singing ‘I’m in the
Lord’s Army’, sing a few songs during Mass, and process out. Our Church repeats this on Sunday; Friday’s
Mass both concludes our program and is a dress rehearsal for Sunday. Sunday is a change to evangelize children who
were unable to come to Boot Camp. Our
hope is that they will see how much fun they missed and come next year!
Boot Camp teaches children the basic tenets of the Catholic
faith. Our prayer for Boot Camp is that
the children are so excited, they enter running, and have so much fun they cry,
when the program is over.
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