Improvements to Gospel Light's VBS

[Josh1]

I'd like to start a thread that is non-offensive but that will let Gospel Light know what VBS Directors are looking for in a VBS curriculum. If you have any improvements that you would like to post, please feel free to post them and be glad your making a difference to help Gospel Light help us with our VBS programs.

Just one thing that I saw on the Clip Art & Publicity CD. Could you include all of the centers clipartlike you have in the rotation page of the Directors Guide? On the Clipart CD, there is only a couple and I'd like to make a sign for each station at VBS.

God Bless,
Josh Trommer:rolleyes:

[kimbak]

Regarding the clip art cd, these are a few things I would love to see:

1. more logos with clear backgrounds
2. fonts that you use on the logos included on the cd.
3. more good color artwork that is not a logo, as there was last year.

[KarenF]

Great idea!
I love GL material, but user input can't hurt.
Here goes:
All related ideas in one book (such as snacks, games) instead of having to sort through the books to find where something is. Directors give books to leaders and sometimes we have to "recall" books looking for something that someone else needs.
Motions clearly outlined in the music book.
Perhaps a director's master CD that would make it easy to customize the program to meet specific needs.
A master index showing where specific things can be found if a master CD is not feasable.

[winnipeg]

How do you make a great package even better - field testing!
GL thanks for the amazing job you do and the hours you spend moving Gods truth forward.

There are enough comments about lost books and things that I decided not to hand out books this year - only copies. The number of hour spent copying all the information to hand out is something else.
Anyway one of my teachers suggested having the books in a more reproducable form for easier photcopying; better yet as files on a Director's DVD. The books could be available by request for those who prefer the book format. This would be great because I could email all my teachers lesson material that pertains to them no printing at all!

[TrinityJen]

I like the idea of the teacher books in a computer form. I think having them as a charge per print option on-line. That way GL would still make some $ w/o the printing cost.

I would like more clip-art with clear backgrounds.

An easier to edit newsletter. With a B/W option.

[KarenF]

Great idea!

[jruckman]

Oh, yes! A daily newsletter in black and white is a great idea, Jen! We really liked the design of the newsletters included this year, and they were gorgeous in color, but they looked pretty drab in b/w.
Janet

[DisneyCyndi]

We have a large teen and adult group ( as a matter of fact they are larger then our other classes ) its been very hard not having materials related to the theme for them. Our minister's are each doing a class each night for the adults. It would have been nice if they had something to go by. My husband is a minister and they have had to create there own lessons based on the word for each day. Our teen class is doing Special Forces ( we found lots of fatique (sp) items but it was a task. I had a time finding stuff for them to relate to. Even crafts items are not "age appropriate" for them. I love the theme for this year and I came in late on the Directing part....but I would say this has been the most frustrating part for me. If I am director next year I may have to go with a different company in order to accomodate our older folks.

[jwillistein]

We just finished Day 1 of GL SONFORCE KIDS. Its going extremely well and the kids definitely like it over FIESTA (last year). My ONE issue is that there are TOO many moves and they are too hard to go with the music. I would LOVE to see more simple movements so that the kids could concentrate more on what they are singing. Its distracting to them!

[khunnicutt]

jwillistein,

Thank you for posting your feedback. Your comments are extremely important to future development of this product and associated services. Glad to hear your first day of VBS went well. Best of luck with the remaining days!

Kevin

[DisneyCyndi]

We had our first day and it went pretty well. As predicted our adult class was the largest with 25. And if years before are any indication it will get larger as the days go by. The one lesson learned from the day was even without books for the adults they really needed some type of handout so I have passed this infoon to the rest of the minister's for the week.

[tstewart113]

Please, I beg of you to put the motions back into the music book. The music director is beyond frustrated that she has to watch the dvd for the motions and then write them down. I seriously think this one issue will make or break whether or not she returns to run the music next year.

[dallasandjen]

As a new VBS director, I had no clue on how to lead training meetings geared toward this theme. We used another company last year (I helped), and they had local "training" sessions for VBS directors. This allowed us to get a better idea of the theme, how it would work, share ideas with other churches, and get ideas for training our own workers.
I also think that the actions to the music was way to complicated. Also, I liked the idea of the SFA, but at $2.69 each, I think many churches just couldn't buy them. I think offering another alternative, that can be reproducible, would be wonderful. Most everything else is reproducible anyway. It doesn't have to be color.
Just my 2 cents.

[ana]

I agree about the manuals--I would love to be able to use these but even though a have a fairly decent budget there is no way we can afford these--the reproducible idea is a great one

[Josh1]

Since my VBS has no budget and is only funded by me, I use discount VBS websites. I can save $.50 on each SFA Manual. They are a real lifesaver.
God Bless,
Josh Trommer

[Josh1]

Gospel Light,
Could you please give us a picture for every center to make our own signs. As my VBS is 4 hours away, I'm struggling to create center signs. Thanks!
God Bless,
Josh Trommer:rolleyes:

[TrinityJen]

Josh,

I used the Power Point backgrounds, esp the new update ones. I put a text box w/ a simi-transparent background (to use less color). I used word art to create the words on top w/ different shapes. The Pizza Pod sign was more of a welcome sign.

I would post them....but I left most of my VBS files behind. I meant to bring a disk w/ me.

This is an idea of what I did. http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x151/TrinityJenVBS/VBS%202007%20SonForce%20Kids/Group%20Signs/th_RoomSign.jpg (http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x151/TrinityJenVBS/VBS%202007%20SonForce%20Kids/Group%20Signs/RoomSign.jpg)

[Josh1]

TrinityJen,
Thanks for the idea. I just used clipart from the CD that went with the Center like a robot for the Pizza Pod and a space ship for Trans Port. It worked out fine.
God Bless,
Josh Trommer:rolleyes:

[TrinityJen]

It would be nice for color and B/W class sign options. OR at least suggestions, for the churches that use different names or different class combos. Like you I didn't think about it until the day we were decorating. I really need to make a better list of what needs to be done when.

I would like suggestions for simple sanctuary decorations. But that really does change from church to church.

[agentuu3]

Last night was our first day of VBS and I totally agree with the comments about the song motions being too hard. On the fast songs the motions gets lost in th shuffle. As for the slow songs we had to drop them since we don't want the kids to get bored. Whatever happened to the KISS principal. Keep It Simple?

[Josh1]

Last night was our first day of VBS and I totally agree with the comments about the song motions being too hard. On the fast songs the motions gets lost in th shuffle. As for the slow songs we had to drop them since we don't want the kids to get bored. Whatever happened to the KISS principal. Keep It Simple?

Have you used Gospel Light's VBS curriculum before?
Gospel Light uses the official sign language with their own thing for their song motions. It was easier in the past but most of us have come to expect the fast motions.
God Bless,
Josh Trommer:rolleyes: