Walking in Sonshine VBS: 1. Jesus is Born

The first lesson about Jesus was His birth.

I purchased the background here. This is the wooden wall background. Item No: BDS-1240 Order early because they come from Shanghai, but I have found they are usually the best price. You can order any size and get a discount for a larger order, and the shipping is cheaper ordering a bulk order. I found the Mary and Joseph cardboard standups on sale here, which they do not have in stock now. I used some animals from here and they are not available now. BTW, I will buy a different background if I decorate for Jesus being born in the future.

If you didn't know from my other VBS posts, I love the fabric backdrops! They are so much easier to put up than paper and so colorful. The kids (and adults) love them! AND it takes minutes to take down! Which is fantastic because you know how tired you are after VBS! Just pull a corner and pull down the rest of the background. Everything you staple on top will come off with it and it's so easy! Just fold, and I staple a small picture with the size on it so I can easily find it the next time. Because they can be used again and again! Best VBS find ever!

I purchased the baby here. This was the cheapest straw I found at the time. Look during the fall at craft stores if you know ahead of time. I just sprinkled some in the manger and put the straw bale on the floor. Since that makes such a mess, I suggest raffia hula skirts which I usually use, like this or this or these. I also purchased this tablecloth for the floor to look like a stable. I put it in an area of the room where kids would not slide and fall. I had the students stand by the shepherds in the field wall and had them be amazed when the angel spoke to the shepherds. Then they walked around the room a couple of times and 'arrived' at the stable. The Savior is born! And they could see/hold the baby. (Depending on time, number of students, and students paying attention.)

Please note: My husband made the manger from extra wood he already had. I wanted it light to be easily portable. I wanted simple and cheap! I asked for the legs to be about 4" away from the edge, but they can be placed as you like. If you are buying the wood, you can purchase 2"x 2" (x8' and you will need 2 of them) so they are already cut. I asked for the Lauan to be all the way to the corners so there wasn't a space for straw to fall out. that is your choice also. I preferred one plain panel for the bed, but you can use pieces of wood to make slats if you prefer.  The directions are in the download, or right click on the directions and click 'save image as' to download and print. We used Minwax Espresso stain.

I purchased the background here. This is the night moon background. Item No: BDMMH40204 Order early because they come from Shanghai, but I have found they are usually the best price. You can order any size and get a discount for a larger order, and the shipping is cheaper ordering a bulk order. I did the shadow shepherds since it was night. I had the sheep from a previous VBS. See directions for the sheep here.

I ordered the 28x40" angel here. It is a really nice vinyl. The angel is posed like he is because Luke 2:9 tells us the angel was standing. Right click and save to use.

For review, we used these buzzers. They love these! When I asked my grandkids what they liked about VBS, this was something they all remembered and talked about. There is a list of questions that we used. We divided them into two teams and asked a question. The first one to sound the buzzer answered the question. If they answered correctly, they were given a point for their team. Two buzzers are on a card table as shown and moved to the center of the room. We kept score on scorecards which are in the download.

Click here to download the lesson, Magnetic Board Visuals, and game questions.

Click here to download the visuals.

Click here to download the pictures to color.