[homemaker]

My mother is doing the crafts for VBS at her church this week and the kids are completing the activities too quickly. Now she needs additional crafts for two nights. The theme is the beach/ocean. Anyone have some easy craft ideas she could use?

[ash]

What is VBS and what crafts do they already have lined up? Is there an age limit that you need to worry about, and how about time limit too now that I think about it.

[FishHead]

How about making water globes with small jars, colored water, glitter and a small figurine? My daughter's Girl Scout troop took small figurines like a small plastic child's toy and glued them to the inside of a canning jar lid and let it set overnight. Then you fill it with water colored with food coloring and add glitter. Put good waterproof glue on the rim of the canning jar lid and place it on the jar. Wait for at least 24 hours and then turn upside down. You will have a child's water globe! It was wonderful fun and the kids loved it.

[JordansMom]

How about using finger paints and printing the child's hand on card stock. Then fold it over like a card and have them print or write on the card their pledge to follow Jesus? We did this one year and it was a big hit with the bigger kids as well as the younger.

[Candice81]

She could get some shells from the craft store and have them glue them around the edge of a mirror along with a little piece of nautical looking rope. I made this craft as a kid when I was at a resort in Puerto Rico.

[homemaker]

Thanks for the ideas guys! I found her a couple of sunshine/fish things too and she did those because it turned out it was mostly her younger groups 5-6, 7-8 that were going too fast. Love the ideas here though and will keep them in mind for my little ones and for next year! Oh, VBS stands for Vacation Bible School.