Order a Group VBSHigh Seas Expedition Starter Kit
$149.99Be the first to receive next years Starter Kit.
Will Deliver December 9, 2009.
3 to 6 Months Before High Seas Expedition Vacation Bible School
Begin praying for your church's High Seas Expedition.
Ask God to prepare the hearts of church members, workers, and children who will attend VBS.
Choose a format for your High Seas Expedition.
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Will you meet in the morning, afternoon, or evening? |
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Will you meet every day for a week or once a week for several weeks? |
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Will your program be for children only, or will entire families be invited to attend? |
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Will you meet at your church or another location? |
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Set High Seas Expedition dates.
As you're considering dates, you may want to find out about other summer programs offered by your church or your community so you can avoid conflicts.
Choose a Director.
If you're reading this manual, that's you! The Director is responsible for planning, recruiting staff, and overseeing all details to ensure that High Seas Expedition flows smoothly. For an even easier voyage, consider recruiting a Crew Leader director who will train, encourage, and check in on Crew Leaders throughout High Seas Expedition. (Remember, your new favorite word is "delegate"!)
Set a budget.
Look through the entire High Seas Expedition catalog to get an idea of what you'll need for your program. Write down the cost of each item you'll need, and then tally the total cost to set your budget. Your church may already include VBS in its budget. If so, find out what funds are available. If your church doesn't have a VBS budget in place, don't worry! Money for a quality VBS program needn't be a stumbling block. There are countless ways that you can easily (and painlessly) raise the funds you need. Consider the following ideas:
- Collect an offering to cover expenses.
- Charge a per-child registration fee for High Seas Expedition. Give discounts to families that register more than one child.
- Invite congregation members to "sponsor" children by contributing a per-child amount. (See the Registration section of the Ultimate Director Go-To Guide for more specifics on this idea.) Now a program called Giving Spree™ is available on VBS P.R.O.™, a new online registration tool. Giving Spree makes sponsorship and supply collection easier than ever.
- Hold a creative fundraiser! Have a hammy volunteer walk around before and after church wearing a High Seas Expedition T-shirt and a sailors hat, carrying a string mop and a bucket. Ask members of the congregation to fill the bucket with change. Your volunteer will get a workout walking with a bucket full of all those jingly coins!
Start collecting decorations.
Look for fishing nets (we used soccer nets, which looked perfect), ship's wheels, blue paper or cellophane, wooden barrels, lanterns, crates, and nautical knick-knacks. You might even let members of your congregation know what you're looking for so they can keep their eyes and ears open for potential decorations.
Frequently asked questions about the High Seas Expedition program...
Are there Daily Challenges® this year?
Kids will have an exciting new challenge at VBS in 2010. At High Seas Expedition, kids will be on the look-out for God Sightings™. Kids and adults will get caught up in the excitement of finding places and situations where they see God in action—or ways they can be a God Sighting! They'll even receive a colorful Watch For God Wristband to wear throughout the week as a reminder to keep watching for God every day of VBS—and beyond. Each day during Sail Away Cinema, Crews (a group of five kids and one teenager or adult) will share their latest God Sightings. Then Crew Leaders will write their Crew's God Sightings on special map marker stickers and add them to a fun God Sightings map. By the end of your VBS, everyone will literally see a trail of evidence that God is at work in our world!
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Our VBS is small; do I need a different teacher for each of the seven stations?
Nope! If you have fewer than 40 children at your VBS, have all the small-group Crews rotate through stations together. That way, each Station Leader teaches just once or can handle several stations.
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Our VBS is huge; will High Seas Expedition work for us?
Yup! Larger churches tell us that for up to 150 kids, you can use the program just as written. More than 150 kids? Just duplicate the stations. For each 150 kids, you simply set up another station. For instance, for 300 kids you'll need two craft leaders instead of one. For 450 kids you'll need three craft leaders. For a million kids you'll need... umm... well, you get the idea.
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Do I have to use multi-age crews?
No, but you really do need to try this. It works—we've tested this hundreds of times in hundreds of churches. Children help each other, and discipline problems all but disappear since the fifth-grade boys aren't all trying to impress each other. Still unsure? Visit the VBS forum at group.com/vbs and ask other VBS directors.
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Can kids of all ages really learn when they're in mixed-age groups?
Studies show that children learn as much—or more—when they're linked with kids of different ages. High Seas Expedition Crews are like families, where kids easily and naturally learn with and from one another. Social skills improve, self-esteem rises, and cooperation increases.
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How does the new Spotlight VBS™ work?
Each day a group of Crews skip part of their games time and go to Spotlight VBS, where the photographer takes pictures of them in poses that go with an Internet-based custom slide presentation. The photographer drops the photos into the presentation using Smilebox® and...voila! Kids love watching themselves onscreen! Plus, you can e-mail the slide shows to parents, other relatives, and friends who will enjoy seeing the High Seas Expedition adventure.
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Can I use the program in something other than a five-day format?
You bet! You'll find format options outlined in your Ultimate Director Go-To Guide. Included are suggestions for weekday mornings, weekday evenings, midweek clubs, day camps, Sunday mornings, or a weekend retreat! Several of the options allow for the whole family to be involved.
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What Bible translation does High Seas Expedition use?
We use the New Living Translation (NLT) because it's kid-friendly and easy to understand.
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Frequently asked questions about High Seas Expedition resources...
If I order crafts I don't use, can I return them?
We receive materials prepackaged from our vendors, so we can't process returns of opened or partially used packages. If you find yourself with a few extras, use them as special gift surprises for Sunday school, for siblings of students, or for those who couldn't attend VBS. They won't go to waste!
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Do I really need the Bible Memory Buddies®?
We highly recommend Bible Memory Buddies. Each Buddy carries the day's Bible verse and makes Bible memorization fun! It's a great year-long reminder of VBS... and kids love to collect them and share them with friends.
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Does every child need a set of iOpeners: Surprising Conversations About God™ student cards?
Again, we highly recommend purchasing a set for each child. We heard from parents that they really want to continue the High Seas experience at home. When each child has a set of iOpeners cards (attached to the Ship Clip Bible Buddy Keeper), kids can attach the easy-to-carry cards to a backpack, sports bag, or lunch box as a simple way to share their faith. Each child will appreciate having their own set of cards to take home, to school... and everywhere!
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Why do I have to pay for each music CD? Why can't I just make copies?
You want the best in recognizable, high-quality worship music for your VBS. To meet that expectation, we work with original artists and other publishers, and we're required to pay a royalty each time we distribute their songs. We don't have the authority to give you—or anyone else—permission to copy these works. But it's worth it to have energetic music your kids will enjoy for years to come!
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Group's Vacation Bible School 2010 - Group VBS High Seas Expedition Starter Kit
High Seas VBS 2010 by Group is available at Concordia Supply your 2010 VBS Headquarters
Group's High Seas Quick Links
High Seas Expedition VBS Starter Kit
High Seas Expedition VBS Bible Points
High Seas Expedition VBS FAQ's
High Seas Expedition VBS Music Samples
High Seas Expedition VBS Planning Calendar