Ultimate everything-you-need-to-know guide!! READ!

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Creekside Kids VBS Guide

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Hey! You are getting this because you are listed as the registration contact for a child enrolled for Creekside VBS. This is the ultimate everything-you-need-to-know guide for parenting through this amazing event!!

Purpose

VBS is a time honored tradition. But that's not why we do this. We do this because we want to ...

Proclaim Christ in multiple ways through multiple stories and with our lives and actions as volunteers
Make Disciples by helping kids experience God in fun, multi sensory ways!
Glorify God by living as examples of Christ throughout the week even though it may be warm and tiring

Sunday Night: Family Night

Schedule:

5:50pm - The main glass doors open for families to enter the building and auditorium.

You will not check in as you enter a family. You will not pick up shirts at this time. You will check in and pick up shirts during the family wandering time.
If you are unable to stay and declared that on your registration, we will have tickets and families matched for you. We will NOT be pairing kids with families unless it was pre-declared to us. You can let the registration team know and they will connect you. Honestly, come with your kids though. You'll have a blast and make special memories! Entire families are welcome to attend, bring everyone!

6pm - Opening begins in the auditorium. We will sing, dance, laugh, and hear the point of the evening!

6:30-8pm - Family Night -- families will have a passport of activities that will earn them fun and Carnival tickets! Families can wander between all the stations. The stations are not timed, but rather families can wander at their own pacing. This is also the BEST night to drop off your mission items (discussed below) for the maximum tickets!

Registration: You will confirm your registration or be able to register during this time.
Shirts: You will pick up ordered shirts during this time.
- Shirts are color coded by the grade you marked them as entering.
- Kids should wear their shirts on Monday & Tuesday.
- This year, we were unable to order extra shirts. If you registered between 4/5 and 5/10, a shirt was ordered for your child. If you registered afterward, we do not have any extras available Sunday-Tuesday. On Wednesday, there may be some available if kids do not show and they were not paid for.
Stations: We have family obstacle courses, snacks, cookie decorating, crafts, and other stations!
- If you have extra sprinkles at your house, please bring them on Sunday morning or to the Family Night. We aren't 100% confident we have enough.

8pm - Meet in the auditorium for closing. We may begin a bit earlier if we find families are done with the stations earlier.

Monday & Tuesday: Drop Off VBS

Schedule:

5:50pm - Use the main glass doors. Kids can begin to check in and enter the auditorium.

Each child's sticker received at check in will state the group your child needs to go to. Kids are sorted by grade level.
For this event, we cannot offer swaps between grade levels.

6pm - Opening in the auditorium. Kids will sing, dance, and laugh!

6:18-8:10ish - Kids rotate between all the stations. They are each about 20 minutes long and the entire grade groups go together. We have Games, Bible Adventures, Imagination Station, Snacks & Scriptures, and Buddies.

Water:
- Kids will have access to the water cooler in the Games station and water during the snack station.
- If you think your kid needs more water, please send them with a water bottle. The expectation is that they will carry it around and be responsible for it.
Bible:
- If your child has a Bible, we encourage you to send it with them so they can use it to look up the stories and passages.
- Please make sure their name is in it.
- Again, they will be responsible for carrying it.
- We will have Bibles available for them to borrow (or keep if they don't have one) if you don't want them to have that responsibility.
Snacks:
- We offer fun snacks, but we are unable to accommodate every single food allergy.
- We will offer some gluten free/dairy free options, but they are first come, first served. We cannot guarantee no cross-contamination.
- We are not offering anything made with peanuts or nuts. But we are not ensuring that every component is made in a nut free facility.
- You are welcome to send your own nut-free snack for your child and/or ask the snack team for the ingredient list.

8:10ish - Kids return to the auditorium for closing. Songs, memory verse competitions, and Elisabeth sharing the Gospel. Carnival tickets for kids will be at their group when they return to the auditorium on Tuesday night. Please come for the closing! Families will be allowed to stand in the back and participate!

8:30pm - Sheri and her team handles check outs. It may challenging to wait while picking up your kids, but we use a specific sticker system to ensure your kids go home with you and no one else. Thanks for respecting our safety processes!

Mission: The Gospel in Action

VBS is all about making sure kids hear the Gospel - the good news of Jesus. We know that God created the world, mankind sinned and separated themselves from God, then God spent the entire rest of the Old Testament to show His love and His faithfulness even though humanity cannot return it or satisfy God's wrath against sin. In the New Testament, Jesus (the Son of God) came as the Savior. He fulfilled the law and died in our place (death is the consequence of sin). He rose again to prove that He is God. With the wrath of God toward sin satisfied, all who believe and receive this forgiveness are redeemed and restored to God. When we believe and follow God, we love Him and others. When we love others, we care for them. One way we can care for others is to help those who have fallen on hard times. So for our VBS mission, the following donations will be received and passed to My House (which helps youth who experience homelessness) and Frontline Mission (which helps distribute food, clothing, and showering necessities to those in need in the Mat Su Valley).

Donations to be Received:
- Entering 1st grade: New bars or containers of soap
- Entering 2nd grade: New toothbrushes (child or adult)
- Entering 3rd grade: New tubes of toothpaste
- Entering 4th grade: New nail clippers
- Entering 5th grade: New deodorant
- All grades & Junior VBS: New or gently used blankets, washed
- We will not accept food or other donations not listed above
Drop off:
- Sunday night is the BEST time to bring donations. You can drop them off during the wandering time after the opening. You will receive tickets on the spot.
- Monday/Tuesday: Your child can bring their donations and drop them off when they enter the auditorium.
- Wednesday Carnival: You can earn additional tickets on Wednesday if you bring donations to the Carnival and drop them off at the Welcome Desk. You will receive tickets on the spot.
Tickets:
- A word -- we give because we love God and love others, not because we receive Carnival tickets. Creekside wants to encourage kids to have a giving heart and we reinforce that with tickets. But the reason we give is not about the tickets. We expect parents and families to reinforce that sentiment through discipleship conversations at home and during this week.
- Sunday or Wednesday, your family will receive 5 tickets for every 10 items received.
- Monday or Tuesday, each child will receive 3 tickets for bringing a donation regardless of the number of items brought.
- Remember, we give because we are encouraging kids to love others and care for others. There was feedback that the number of tickets was not clear last year, so that has been clarified now. Your kids are watching your words and learning about the heart of giving as you enable them to give this week. #discipleshipinaction

Wednesday: Carnival

Get ready for a blast!

Schedule:

6pm -

All families are welcome to attend -- even if they didn't attend VBS.
Families can start arriving through the main glass doors! Families roam the main building, the Kids Chapel, and the main Youth Group space (and we have one outdoor station this year).
Families are responsible for their kids. This is NOT a drop off event. Please remain with your child to help them, build memories with them, and ensure their safety.
There is no opening, closing, or order of events. It's pure family fun and chaos, in the best sense. And prizes. So many FUN prizes (these are my favorite purchases of the year).
Stations will have signs that indicate the ticket cost of their station.
Additional tickets can be earned/purchased at the Welcome Desk in the main lobby.
- Every family member that knows their books of the Bible will receive 70 tickets.
- If you forget your tickets, your family can receive 50 complimentary tickets.
- If you bring another family that doesn't have tickets, they will receive 50 complimentary tickets.
- Tickets will be for sale at 10 for $1.
- There will be other ways to earn tickets through games, mission donations, and knowing memory verses!

8:30pm - Elisabeth starts turning remaining families into pumpkins. You are welcome to stay if you are cleaning up.

Wednesday Carnival Stations

Auditorium:
- Inflatables - an obstacle course, slide, and a bouncy house
  - This year, we are following updated mandates from our insurance company. Anybody jumping on the bouncy houses must have a waiver signed by an adult. Youth volunteers are included in that -- they must have a waiver signed that night by a parent/guardian. The waiver must be signed on Wednesday for kids to participate. Kids/youth without consent will not be allowed to participate in this area.
Outside:
- Crazy Hair - One of our dynamic sister duos will be styling kids in creative ways!
Cafe:
- Cotton candy
- Popcorn
Downstairs (through the Kids Chapel):
- Hot dog meals
- 5 tickets per meal
- Meal includes water, hot dog, and chips
Breezeway:
- Face Painting - Gotta love this!!
Kids Chapel:
- Temporary tattoos - a crowd favorite!
- Cake Walk - will your family win a cake this year?
- Balloon Animal - we have ONE DAD coming back for this crazy, well-loved station -- He can do ONE animal and we appreciate him taking on the crowd. Please ensure your kids know that they cannot request the animal this year. They can choose the color of their balloon dog.
- Kinetic Sand - kids can dig in the sand for dinosaur eggs or quarters for the gumball machine with toys
- Ball pit - a self serve station for littles!
- Lego Mini Figures - We had a donor create a station where kids can create their own mini figures!!
- Corn Hole - Is it a carnival without this game?
- Nerf Guns - We've got Nerf guns and some targets! Who is the best shot?
- Matching Ducks - Can you match the ducks?
- Ring Toss - classic carnival game!
- Curtain Fishing - a crowd favorite - toss the fishing line over the curtain and see what prize you win!
- Hot Wheels - Pick a Hot Wheel to keep and race in on the track!
- Mini Golf - Excited for this new game!
- Basketball - We have several basketball game options for this now!

Please reach out if you have questions, comments, or concerns!

Blessings! Elisabeth Jacobson

Director of Kids Discipleship

(907) 376-5576

elisabeth.jacobson@creeksideak.com

Creekside Kids Parent Portal

2201 S. Knik Goose Bay Rd | Wasilla, AK 99654

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2201 S. Knik Goose Bay Rd., Wasilla, AK 99654 United States

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