Update: Ken looked better in clerics. I have eight dolls to play with. So I modified one habit to give to a young friend. I’m taking these to CCD. I want to create several habits from different orders.
I’ve been making little habits and clerics for Barbie dolls to go along with a lesson on vestments. I’m improvising simple patterns to make the clothes. So far, so good. I picked up seven dolls at Good Will.
Have you seen Fr. Peter Cutouts? This past summer at Faith Camp the kids loved making little churches. I’m thinking about making sets to color with envelopes to serve as the church. Here are the same cutouts assembled and colored. The little altar looks marvelous. Have you seen the Kelly Saints Crackerbox Cathedral or the Church Envelope Craft? I used stained glass stickers for our little peg doll chapels I ordered from Temu. The Fr. Peter cutouts would look right at home in a box cathedral. Below are inspiration images from Pinterest.
Here is another idea I’m testing with CCD groups as we substitute teach. Use images from religious goods catalogs to make mini-books. My inspiration is from Look to Him and Be Radiant’s post on making little cathedrals. She decorated the interior of the box from images clipped from a catalog. Genius! I stopped into the church office and begged for catalogs.
I want to make mini-books based on different collections: vestments, types of crucifixes, names of liturgical items, and sacramentals. My idea is to have the kids cut, paste, and label the items in a little book with different titles. One idea is to cut out patens, ciboria, cruets, candles, altars, chalices, etc, to label. This would go along with a lesson. I’m a big advocate for hands-on learning. I am so excited! I’ll let you know if it works.
My husband and I substitute for CCD classes. I bring supplies and test ideas when I substitute. For example, I’m taking Learning About Priests Vestments to CCD in two weeks, when we sub. We put the colored, construction paper and two vestment copies into a clear CD case. (Ask the thrift store to save CDs, DVDs, and jewel cases for you. Use the CDs or DVDs for Monstrance crafts.) This is one of those activities you want to test-drive first to see how long it take kids to cut and assemble. I’m using the little model I made for Faith Camp. I want to sew a little cassock or make a mini priest doll. Maybe both. I’m thinks about adding Episcopal and Papal vestments, too.
One tip I have is to station a table with a Greeter for VBS. The first day, you’ll want a team to help with registration and assigning kids to teams. We like to keep someone stationed at the door. In the past, a child has tried to leave. It doesn’t happen often; it has happened. It’s also nice to check on parents or grandparents picking up kids, just to recognize folks and keep an eye on the scene. The Greeter needs jobs or this station is boring. Have her keep attendance records, write thank-you notes to patrons, or complete certificates. Have another volunteer swap positions so she can take a break and get a cup of coffee. If a child is having a rough day, let the kiddo go visit the Greeter for a few hugs. In fact her main job may be giving high fives! This is an important, behind the scenes job to ensure the safety of the VBS participants.
I like to create a little altar in the Faith room. I dress up a doll, add a rosary, candle, Holy Water, and a Bible. I spread out a simple cloth and set up the little altar. In the past, I used a homemade doll with a rosary. By all means, invite the Blessed Mother to VBS.
I like to sew little saints for kiddos. I make some from socks. But, I sew tons to distribute to big groups, in lots of 50 or 100. These little gifts dove-tail well with saint puppets or peg doll saints kids make. Below are examples. Take a look!
In the past, our main service project was thank-you notes or letters to members of the military. The CCD classes collect cans of food for the Food Pantry every week. One year, we made baby blankets the kids decorated, which were donated to the Mary’s Shelter, a local, crisis pregnancy center. Kids can decorate onesies to donate, too. What are other service projects? CatChat VBS promotes Chalice. Our Faith Camp made a spiritual bouquet for our priest, letters, prayers, and a paper flower. Another suggestion is to do a charity drive: diapers, hygiene articles, or care kits for military members deployed. Many young service members love the letters and packages. I mentioned having kids make quiet books for Mass to distribute. I think it’s important to get kids thinking about outreach. VBS is a great time to plant that seed!
I used the Scavenger Hunt (below) and created a mini-book. I want to use mini-books as quiet books for Mass. Sunday, the toddler in the pew in front was pointing items to his daddy. I think quiet books in the quiet room and distributed to kiddos might be useful. Additionally, I think they are a great service project for VBS. I made a demo with an inexpensive blank book from Walmart. I would love to have copies of photos from our church to use instead.
One fun thing to do during VBS is a scavenger hunt. Find articles in the Catholic Church. Here is a black and white hunt kids can also color. These colorful photos in a bingo board are good for young children to use for a hunt. This scavenger hunt is $2 fro TPT. Here is a book/scavenger hunt from Look to Him and be Radiant. Every Catholic church is a little different. You may want to take your own pix. For example, our church has a credence table and kneelers to receive the Eucharist. Often there are different statues. Our church has Our Lady of Fatima and our patron saint. We teach kids the names of liturgical items as part of learning about liturgical seasons and liturgical colors. VBS is a great time to add a little education. Just keep it fun!
Some VBS groups meet in halls. My son, Fr. Josh, is stationed in Japan. I get that there might only be a small chapel nearby. But, most church groups do have access to church. If possible, hold the Faith or Prayer station in church. Take the kids to Adoration. Do Stations of the Cross. Install kids into the Brown Scapula. Go to Mass! We often incorporate church tours or scavenger hunts inside church or make a visit to light candles. The VBS group at our church extended the morning sessions from 8:45–12:30 to be able to include Adoration and Mass. I like to culminate VBS with Mass and have the kids sing two or three favorite songs. Additionally, I like to have the VBS kids process in and out of Mass with homemade banners. Go to church!
My son, Fr. Josh, helped with VBS at the Kadena AFB in Japan. The group led science experiments with faith stories. I teach Biology and Chemistry for the local Co-op. I’ve seen a few experiments conducted during VBS which have merit. I looked for websites you could use.
1. Thirteen Weeks of Bible Science has scripted lessons. The ‘Dirty Water Becomes Clean’ is about sin and forgiveness. The VBS director can use simple experiments like this one to introduce the theme, Forgiveness, to the group.
2. Four Fun Science Experiments to illustrate your next Bible lesson have a great experiment to describe the duality of Christ or the Trinity. I think light better illustrates the duality of Christ. Light has both wave and particle natures, just as Christ is fully human and fully divine. You can only consider one nature at a time—just like light!
3.7 Science Experiment Bible Lessons examine unique finger prints, mirror images, marshmallows, and jumping raisins.
The religious Ed leaders lent us a set of laminated rosary sheets. The kids used dry-erase markers to color in the beads as we pray. Here is a similar set. The kids really enjoy praying this way.
