Paper Mâché Bowls for VBS

We made paper mâché bowls during VBS and called them "faith bowls." They symbolized bringing our tithes, gifts, and offerings to the Lord. I covered a ping pong table with plastic table cloths and the kids stood around the table. We used strips of plain newsprint paper so the bowls would be easier to paint. The kids covered an actual paper bowl with the paper mâché and I separated/pulled off the paper bowl the next day. I also cleaned up the edges by using sharp scissors and trimming the rim of the paper mâché bowl. The kids did the paper mâché on day one; painted the side with acrylic paint on day two; and painted the other side on day three.

VBS Teaching Tool for Mixed Media Art Prayer

Creating a teaching tool which shows the (daily) art steps makes it easier to "show and tell" how to do the various steps of a layered mixed media art project during a weeklong VBS. The visuals teach the children and also show the adult helpers how to assist the children. It requires four boards cut to the size the children will be using.

As you develop the project, the bottom layer goes on all four boards. The second layer goes on three boards; the third layer on two boards; and the final layer only on the fourth board. The graduated layers also helps kids see what they missed (and how they can catch up) if they skip a day of VBS. 

Art Training 101 at Cabo Church

As part of our annual mission trip to work with Feeding Los Cabos Kids, a ministry of Cabo Church in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, we spent an evening teaching how to incorporate mixed media art in Christian education for kids (and adults) of all ages. Various staff and volunteers spent two hours with an intense crash course which covered a variety of materials and methods. We did wax resist on pre-cut paper crowns. The crowns were traced around a Burger King crown on posterboard and cut out ahead of time. Because we did multiple projects very quickly, each person had only 15 minutes to decorate the crown with crayon (wax) and then do a watercolor wash so the wax would "resist" (show through). We talked about the different teaching options which could incorporate the crown as the project to symbolize the teaching. For example, Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords; the three wise men at Christmas, or one of the kings in the Old Testament such as king Solomon or king David. It is a fun and easy project. No art skills required!

Christmas Card 'Street Art'

Mixed media Christmas Cards for immigrant women and children was the art project my church took public at a downtown public festival (Wassailfest). We set up a food booth to sell tortilla soup and created an an adjacent station for children to make mixed media Cheistmas cards. We provided the art supplies and note cards, and a group of teens from the National Honor Society of a local high school volunteered to supervise the art project. It was a phenomenal success!

The tables were filled to overflowing for the duration of the three-hour event. We collected several hundred custom cards. While the children were engaged doing art I shared the plight of these immigrant women and children with the parents.

Prayer Flag Illustrates Prayers of the Congregation

 This simple project is made by using an old sheet cut into rectangles and Pentel Fabric Fun Pastel Dye Sticks and/or fabric stencils and stamps with specialty fabric ink pads. The completed piece is ironed to "set" the colors.

 The children at summer VBS made prayer flags to illustrate the various local and global missions that the church participates in. The individual flags are made from a white sheet that had been cut into rectangles with pinking shears and then the pieces ironed smooth.

 An adult prepared the flags with the words of the various missions using foam letters and fabric ink. During the teaching time, the leader talked about the ways this particular church serves the local and global community. For example, teens and adults volunteer at Connections, a shelter for teens at risk; the pastor helps with two new church developments (Filipino-Austin and Bastrop); a mission team goes to the barrios in Los Cabos, Mexico to work with women and children and the Cabo Kids mission; the church sponsors a child in Ethiopia through Compassion International, and the church supports local food banks.

He Came He Died He Rose He Ascended He's Coming Back

The Jesus Way VBS Banner

Tempura paint ready to imprint hands on the muslin banner.

 The completed banner has the hand prints of the children who attended summer VBS. The children chose their favorite color and then leaned over on the banner to imprint their hands. It was a super way to involve the children from tots to teens. The pain is tempura so totally washable. We had the banner prepped with the theme (Witness the Jesus Way) and the symbols. The imprint of the hands represents BEING the witness of Jesus through the actions of our actions/lives-symbolized by the and prints.

Block Imprint(ed) Tee Shirts

 Use craft foam to cut out designs, glue on wood blocks, and make "custom" block printing images for t-shirts. We used the theme "He came; He died; He rose; He ascended; He's coming back" theme to make custom shirts for our VBS with the theme: Witness the Jesus Way. We had everyone BYO their own shirt in whatever style they chose. They selected three complementary colors of fabric paint and "spritzed" their shirt front and back. The fabric paint dries fairly quickly, particularly in the Texas HOT summer heat. TIP: Make your own fabric sprays by mixing 1/3 acrylic paint to 2/3 water in a small (hairspray) bottle OR refill the fabric spray bottles using the same paint-to-water ratio. After the spritzed paint dries use already prepared block prints to imprint the five symbols. Have teens or adults help the smaller children do the block imprint.  TIP: do a prototype ahead of time so the design concept is readily available for everyone to see. Also, begin your design by positioning the middle element and imprinting it first in the center; otherwise you might misjudge the amount of space and run out of room on either side. To avoid this, begin in the center and work your way out.

 Use a paintbrush to "load" the stamp with acrylic paint. Position the imprint slightly below the neckline so it is "above" the chest. Press the block with a firm hand that doesn't wiggle/move the stamp once it is placed on the fabric. The same homemade block stamps can be customized for virtually any "chunky" design that doesn't require a lot of detail.

Begin in the center and work out.

The completed imprint.

Hand Map

A collage made in the shape of your hand is a fun project for children as a way to visually identify their unique gifts. We used the project as a page in the VBS art journal. Begin with a piece of watercolor paper cut in a size to fit the book (or other project) and watercolor the entire page. Allow to dry. On a separate piece of stiff white paper draw around your hand with a dark pen or pencil. Cut out bits and pieces from magazines which illustrate your gifts-using both pictures and words. When the entire hand is covered cut out shape of the hand (you should be able to see the original hand marking on the underneath side of the thick paper). Glue the hand in place. Then write the story of the pictures and words around the outside of the hand. As a closing exercise as the children to share what they learned about the unique way that God created them.

Sheetrock Paste and Corrogated Cardboard

 We used corrugated cardboard for the book cover for during summer VBS. Then each day the children created a page for the book using a different art technique to illustrate the day's teaching theme. Have the covers prepared ahead of time: spread sheetrock paste on the "front cover" of the book binding and use a sharp object to draw the lettering on the cover. "Great Expectations" was our theme, and here I experimented with the theme as the title or the name of the participants. (We opted for the theme as the title so all the sheetrock prep could be done ahead of time.) Allow to dry. Use fine sandpaper to sand some of the roughness on the cover. Then it is ready to decorate with watercolor paints (below) or pastels (left side of the top left photo). Use a light coating of matte or lustre spray to seal the cover.

Wax Relief is Empowering Art for Children

Wax relief can be the basis for a variety of simple art projects for children. We had the VBS kids make greeting cards to send to men and women serving overseas in the armed forces. First, the kids use crayon to decorate a piece of watercolor paper. They can use words and/or decorative art (far left). Then they paint a wash of watercolor over the top and the crayon creates a wax relief. After the front is dry, have the children write a letter and decorate the inside with rubber stamps or additional art.
The same concept works to illustrate a page in a book that the children created during summer VBS to illustrate the biblical theme they had learned. We read the story in 1 Kings 5:1-14 of the little servant girl and the proud general (Naaman) who had leprosy. The older kids used words (humble/pride) & the little ones used art (sword).

Wax relief creates beautiful instant art that makes the children feel very empowered and proud of their artistic ability. (Actually, the same empowerment happens for adults with this simple, yet lovely, art technique.)