Welcome back! I'm Bobbie, serving the Lord through Vacation Bible School.
I offer my theme-related decorating ideas with illustrated instructions for one and all.
Since we can't know what any child will retain from what he sees and hears,
let's make his VBS experience memorable.
One way is through decorations!
And if I don't bring you a laugh or at least a smile along the way, I haven't fully done my job! 
Love, Bobbie
"Outrigger Island" Vacation Bible School Decorating Help
| Decorating Ideas & How-To's | Resource Links | V-M@il! | Help for Any VBS Theme |
Outrigger Island
Living God's Unshakeable Truth
During VBS 2008, kids will know, speak, and live God's truth—aloha style.
Based on Psalm 86:11, Outrigger Island is more than a tropical paradise.
It's the place where kids will develop the stability they need
to face a world of shifting sands and wavering opinions."
Motto: Know the truth. Speak the truth. Live the truth.
Scripture: “Teach me Your way, Lord, and I will live by Your truth.”
Decorating Ideas and How-To's
Bobbie's Mini-Blog 
My decorations to show you for 2008 are complete. My brain is used up; there's nothing more.
Readers, you are precious to me. I want to thank you all for your enthusiasm this year, your links to my pages, and your returning visits. Special hugs go out to those who have contributed to the pattern-postage fund. I love you all! The Tourist Family soda-bottle-costume patterns will be available until Jesus comes. 
If you have any questions about any of my projects, you can reach me by e-mail, snail-mail, and some of you even have my phone number! I'd love to see pictures of your finished projects, and I'll post them on the V-M@il page.
These pages for "Outrigger Island" will remain in place until August 29th, 2008. After that, they're gone forever.
If you're ready to dig into the 2009 theme, this is the link you need.
Now, let's "lei" out some Outrigger ideas...
Outrigger Island Logo
This year my logo is on the small side, as I'm sending everything I make out of state. My logo had to fit the shipping box I have, and that's how I learned to make my own tri-fold board. I took a standard 20" by 30" piece of foam-core, and scored it on the back side (meaning, the side with the label), cutting only through the posterboard. The foam easily snapped when I folded it in on each side. In the folded position, I added packaging tape to the back side, to reinforce the folds.
First I projected the lettering of the logo onto sheets of copy paper, and used them as patterns to cut letters from craft felt. At 20 cents each, it cost me less than a dollar for all my lettering.
Next I cut posterboard in sky blue and sand yellow. (I wish I'd thought to use actual sandpaper; that would have been keen!) I made sure these pieces would be smaller than the tri-fold panels. I placed double-sided tape on the back of the blue, and used the same again to attach the yellow. I stenciled "Living God's Unshakeable Truth" and the scripture reference.
My felt letters were next, all held in place with tacky glue. Then my pre-made vinyl-fabric turtle was tacky-glued onto the right-side panel, weighted with a Bible and hymn book until dry. 
The finishing touch was the addition of two silk-flower hibiscus blooms, and a bird-of-paradise. I snipped stems from the bunches I had purchased last summer, pulled off the leaves, tacky-glued the leaves to my tri-board, and then drilled small holes in the board to allow for the stems of the flowers to push through. A bit of tape on the back side of the board keeps them from wobbling. What do you think? I like it!!
The Big Kahuna
Ever see a "Gidget" movie and hear one of the surfers referred to as "the big kahuna"? In the Hawaiian language, that word means "teacher" and "priest" -- Jesus is our Big Kahuna! I've further learned that His name in the Hawaiian language is spelled IESU, roughly pronounced "ee AY sue."
I cut block letters from blue insulating styrofoam, and painted them. Next I wrapped some foam-core with a thin plastic tablecloth in a hisbiscus print. Then I used tacky-glue to adhere the foam letters to the plastic tablecloth, and double-sided tape to secure a border of green posterboard all around. I lettered my "caption" on white posterboard, and used more double-sided tape to secure this final layer. I'm very pleased with how this came out.
Find Your Hawaiian Name! I'm "Lopeka Liakike"
If the Shoe Fits...
Here's a fast, easy, and super-low cost signage idea. I drew a big flip-flop on posterboard, determined the placement of the straps at top and bottom, cut those slits with a craft knife, then lettered my message. Lastly, I cut two long strips of posterboard for straps, pushing them into the slits, and securing them on the back side with tape.
Other than the message you see, I also thought these would be appropriate:
"Walk in the way of the Lord" / "With God, you'll never walk alone" / "Jesus wore flip-flops, too!"
Imagine opposites, staggered on the wall to look like footprints, with these messages. Imagine little flip-flops as name tags. Even this big one sticks on my kitchen cabinet door with just two loops of masking tape on the back. They could be all over the place -- on classroom doors, leading to rotation sites, pre-VBS notices...
Tropical Wildlife
LifeWay's clipart for this theme features a sea turtle, but nothing else in the way of tropical wildlife unless you count starfish and sand dollars. Frankly, I'm disappointed. So I made the toucan.
You might consider large dolphin silhouettes, made from blue insulating styrofoam, in the baptistry! We put whales there for "Arctic Edge" and we can do it again for "Outrigger Island." Larger fabric stores may carry textured gray felt-back material such as that commonly used for inexpensive tablecloths. You can cut a mighty large dolphin out of a yard of that stuff! Look for oilcloth, too. Project the dolphin image to as large as you like, draw the silhouette on the back side, and cut out with scissors. Now let me tell you what I learned about using the felt-back. I bought some and folded it until I needed it. When is wanted to use it, the creases would not come out. So, I threw it in the dryer with a load of towels to soften up those creases, which surely did not belong on my dolphin. Alas, I was distracted and forgot the dolphin in the dryer, and when I pulled it out, the felt backing peeled right off. 
So that's the tip of the day -- always roll and never fold vinyls. Here's mine, cut from vinyl that had been rolled.
I'm purposely staying away from land animals like monkeys. They're too similar to a jungle theme. I'm content with what God placed in the sea and the air.
Non-Sam Toucan
Does anybody not associate this bird with Fruit Loops cereal? I thought only the baby boomers knew "Toucan Sam," but I was wrong. 
Mine is made on 1/4" foam-core. I projected this graphic image onto it, and drew the outlines in pencil. Then I came back with a Sharpie to define my color changes, as you see in the second picture. Using ordinary copy paper as tracing paper, I made patterns of each section of color needed. I used canvas scraps from my job, but you use what's handy for you! In the third picture, you see my canvas scraps are all in place. Lastly, the finished toucan perches on a 1/2" dowel rod. My husband sanded it to give me a flat surface to adhere to the foam-core. I tacky-glued the feet pieces first, wrapping little rubber bands around the dowel to hold them in place. When the feet were dry, I tacky-glued the dowel to the foam-core. Isn't it pretty?
Here's my recipe for this charming tree. Locate:
-
One floor-lamp or microphone stand
One heavy cardboard tube ("core")
One umbrella
One package (100-count or more) brown paper lunch bags
Green fabric / paper / streamers / foil / felt / plastic tablecloth / artificial leaves
Surround the base of the stand with a burlap bag or a circle of green or brown cloth (roughly like a Christmas tree skirt), to conceal the secret hardware. Psssst! I've actually mailed this tree to New York.
Puzzle It!
I like puzzles for decorating because they're so cheap -- they can cost less than photographic prints. Both puzzles and prints can be embellished around the border with artificial leaves, artificial flowers, seashells, even sand. 
After mounting this waterfall onto some leftover posterboard, I gave it to my mother to decorate with flower foamies. With a dollar-store puzzle and dollar-store foamies, this project cost less that $1.50. It really is a rectangle, though the picture makes it look quite irregular. I had to snap it from the side to cut down on the flash glare.
This puzzle was purchased at Dollar Tree. After assembling and mounting to posterboard, I added some palm tree confetti to the border corners, and tried sand pressed onto tacky-glue waves. I'm not real keen on how my waves turned out -- glitter glue would probably be better. The foliage you see in the lower right corner is actually a dried fern. That, I like.
Sister-in-Christ Patty found this lovely waterfall puzzle; doesn't it look like it could be Hawaiian? She wrote that it was actually a scene in Canada, but who's going to know if you don't tell them?
"That's the signpost
up ahead..."
My signpost was designed around the artificial leaf strand I got on sale. I stenciled and colored in names of tropical locales on posterboard strips, then decorated then with flower petals. I placed loops of masking tape on the back side so the signs would stick to my floor lamp pole. If you don't have access to such an item, nearly every church has a microphone stand.
The artificial foliage wasn't on a single "vine," so to speak, but was a series of little chain links. This made it easy to slip onto my stand at the top and know it would stay! Then I wrapped the rest between the individual signs and continued down the bottom of the pole. A simple twist-tie at the bottom keeps the greenery from coming undone.
Flowery "ALOHA"
Oriental Trading offers 1000 colorful flower petals for 6 dollars. I used scraps of blue insulating styrofoam to cut 20" by 15" letters spelling "ALOHA." I cut out the letters with a knife-edge jigsaw blade, gave them a splash of paint for best adhesion of tacky glue, and pressed the petals onto the styrofoam. Each letter took me about an hour to decorate, what with household interruptions. This project required 1000 petals, give or take a dozen.
Don't you just love my staging? This wasn't something that could be photographed on top of the dishwasher! This time you see my finished project on the floor along the kitchen wall. 
Simply Surfin'
Here's my surfboard, using the ubiquitous blue insulating styrofoam. I have a lot of it on my porch. A lot. I outlined the shape on the styro, cut it with a jigsaw using a knife-edge blade, and used a palm sander for further trimming until I decided, "Yep, that's a surfboard!" Then I smoothed masking tape in place to create stripes, wrapping the tape around to the back so I could continue the stripes on the edges. Basic acrylic paint was used, and the colors chosen from the dozen or so pots of said paint that we had in the house. Of course, I wasn't quite as tidy when I painted the second set of stripes -- no tape to keep my lines straight. So off I went to the dollar store, where I found embossed silver scrapbooking paper, and dolphin stickers. Ken added a coat of gloss to it. I like it! My out-of-pocket cost: $2.
Availability / Versatility
This has got to be one of the easiest themes of all time to decorate. I've found appropriate items in discount stores, party stores, dollar stores, drug stores, thrift stores, grocery stores, yard sales, and resale shops. What's left? The hardware store? This towel, for a mere dollar, has vivid colors and can be used in a variety of ways. It's a beach towel -- drape it on a beach chair. It's a tablecloth -- serve snacks on top of this. It's a curtain -- here you see it folded in half and hung from a tension rod in a doorway. It's a prize -- a souvenir from this theme. Sew a few together -- it's a costume that will absorb the perspiration of presenting VBS in the hottest months of the year.
This clear vinyl placemat was found at the Salvation Army thrift store. Yes, it's a placemat, but with its hibiscus border it's also a picture frame, and potential signage, and, if you cut apart those floral squares, window clings! (Or close to it -- you might want to use some invisible tape with that.) For that matter, use a hole punch in the corner of those squares and you've got hibiscus cut-outs to hang from netting or make a mobile. This versatile item, including tax, was a whopping 31 cents.
Similarly, a colorful straw hat can be placed on a table, tacked onto a wall, hung from a chair, even used as a serving dish! Look at every item and think of how many ways you can use it. This is how we can get the most bang from our decorating bucks.
Tubular Netting
A string of fabric pennants or any other sort of silhouette gives focus and color to a window, doorway, or signage. This time, take an ordinary, found-everywhere, netting bath puff. I've been looking for a use for those things for years!
They're a dollar or less in all kinds of stores, and come in lovely pastels. Just untie or snip that cord, and you'll discover that the bath puff is just a long tube of netting, ready for draping and decorating. Using a paper punch for hang holes, attach theme-related cut-outs to the net with Christmas hooks or paper clips. The flowered shirts and flip-flops you see here were party invitations. The dolphins were cut from sparkly sticker paper, and the starfish came from a corner of embossed scrapbooking paper. You can use these net swags at windows, in the baptistry, as giant leis, draped on the pulpit, and over doorways.
Costumes and Closets
I love to see the VBS staff in costume, and I bet the kids do, too. Here you see a collection of muu-muus. This wonderful creation is the answer for frumps like me -- covering a multitude of flaws -- who couldn't compete with a hula girl for a nanosecond. You'll find them in the "loungewear" department; my mother's generation calls them "housedresses," loose and comfy. I've seen inexpensive versions in stock at Family Dollar, Dollar General, and the like. They're also likely to be found with beachwear, as cover-ups.
Check your closet while you're at it! Got a hat for that muumuu? A lot of folks have Hawaiian shirts, even me! Okay, so mine was a yard-sale find, purchased for the fabric. I think a flower lei is imperative for everyone! I'm picturing the gentlemen in shorts and a flowery shirt. Check yard sales and thrift stores. Even items that can't actually be worn (I sure can't fit into my Hawaiian shirt!) can be hung up on a blank wall to add color to an empty space.
Sand Scenes
Here's something simple for centerpieces and windowsills. I poured local beach sand into a small planter, and staged a variety of small theme-related ornaments.
Here you see small wooden cut-outs from Michael's, an umbrella straw from Pier 1, a straw hat from A.C. Moore, and artificial flower petals from Oriental Trading. The little ceramic hut was a freebie at a yard sale.
This was an enjoyable and very quick project.
Fabric Kites
I probably started using kites for decorating at the time of "Ramblin' Road Trip." Pick up cheap plastic kites at dollar stores. Lay out the kite on kraft paper or posterboard, and draw around it. Then add another 1/2" all around as a hem allowance. Important! Don't line up your pattern with the grain of the material -- utilizing the bias will help it stretch better on the dowel-rod framework. Cut out your pattern and lay it on fabric, and cut that out too. After hemming, sew on mini "pockets" at each of the four corners to hold the stick-and-connector framework. Want a tail on it? I used what I had on hand -- some narrow woven ribbon. Tuck it under that mini-pocket before you stitch it in place, at the bottom of the kite.
Mood Music
Online shopping sites like amazon.com have compact discs of theme-related background music. Such CDs are also available at WalMart and Target. Look for titles containing words like Hawaiian, tropical, ocean waves, and rainforest. Imagine these rhythms flooding the sanctuary as parents and grandparents arrive for the Family Night finale!
Window Dressing
While browsing through a favorite fabric store, I found this bird print and fell in love with the colors. I made it into a banner, and suspended it with a tension rod in a doorway to get this picture. Only then (I need somebody to come over here and thump me on the head! ) did it occur to me that we can do the same thing with beach towels. If they can't be tacked to a wall, they can go in a window, and all you'd need to do is fold under the top with a few basting stitches or straight pins to use the tension rod. Also consider suction-cup hooks to drape towels or any fabric within a window.
Elsewhere in the window, put up posterboard or construction-paper versions of items from LifeWay's clipart. Adhere them to the window with loops of masking tape. Lettered signs with our motto, scripture, and any slogans you like, are also appropriate here.
The windowsill itself is terrific for costumed soda bottles and miniature beach scenes featuring chenille-stem palm trees, tongue-depressor surfboards, paper-parasol beach umbrellas, and little flip-flops.
Exotic Flowers
Make your own species of exotic blooms from any assortment of silk flowers. Just pluck the petals off the stems, then mix them up and re-assemble the various colors and sizes onto chenille stems for your own creations. This is a very inexpensive project -- dollar stores and other discount stores have multiple stems of blossoms for just $1 per bunch. One could pass a very pleasant afternoon with a half-dozen bunches, a package of chenille stems, a large table, and a friend.
Pull more petals from silk flower stems and push them over the bulbs of miniature Christmas tree lights. The petals soften the glare of the lights and look quite soothing.
Ken's Craft Idea, and Other Surfboards
Here's an easy craft that my husband suggested. Have the kids paint or otherwise decorate (little bitty stickers?) tongue-depressors.
Provide a tray half-filled with play sand so their "surfboards" stand up on the beach.
Sister-in-Christ Dana sent this crafty item found at Family Fun. "Aloha! Guests will know they're in for a fun ride when they get this invite. To make one, use a craft knife (adults only) to cut an 8-inch-long surfboard shape out of Fome-Cor (sold at most craft or art supply stores) or cardboard. Cut an identical shape out of colorful Con-Tact paper. Stick the Con-Tact paper to the top of the surfboard and print on a fun announcement with a black marker. Print the rest of the information on the back, including a reminder for guests to wear their favorite beach attire."
For our purposes, this could translate into a children's craft, or full-size decorations. For crafts, make a cardboard template to easily and quickly outline as many cardboard surfboards and contact-paper covers as you wish. For a full-size decoration, cut the surfboard shape of your choice (there are several!) from 1/2" blue stryofoam insulation. This versatile product comes in 48" by 96" sheets at home-improvement stores. Cut it with a knife-edge blade in your jigsaw. This blue foam takes paint nicely, as soon as you peel off that thin layer of plastic on each side. It will also take tacky glue.
Sister-in-Christ Patty wrote: "My son's neighbor has a surf shop in Florida and so we are trying to get him to donate some used boards that have been traded in." This might not be a manageable idea for my readers in, say, Nebraska. But for others who are near enough to a coastline to know where a surf shop is, it costs nothing to ask for loaners. Hmmm... nothing lasts forever... what becomes of a surfboard that has been warped or damaged? One that's destined for the dumpster would still be great for staging a scene.
Here Come the Tourists!
Here's my family of soda-bottle costumes that even beginners can sew! Meet Matthew (2-liter bottle), Martha (24-oz. bottle), Luci (20-oz. bottle), and John-John (16-oz. bottle).
Our tourists can't run around without leis! I used the petals from silk "gypso" blossoms, and alternated them with 6mm colored beads. I also found these perfect-sized flower beads! Over 100 came in a package at our new local dollar store. For 25 cents each, I got 3" straw hats at A.C. Moore. Martha's and Luci's hats have gypso blossoms and leaves tacky-glued in place. John-John has a green double-fold bias tape hatband that matches the trim on his costume. Matthew has a 5" hat (49 cents!), with a purple band for his flashy costume. I discovered that the easiest way to slip beads and petals on a string (I used quilting thread) is to use a bit of masking tape to hold down one end of the string. I kept my ruler alongside, just as you see in the picture, to help get the length I wanted. Matthew and Martha are each sporting about 12" of beads and petals.
If you would like my easy sewing patterns for making soda-bottle costumes in 5 bottle sizes, FREE, send me an e-mail with your name and street address, and I'll get it into the mail to you the next day. Postage reimbursement is welcomed but not necessary.
Here you can see the steps for making these costumes. Hold your mouse over each picture for instructions:
Hannah
the Hula Girl!
I know what you're thinking...
"Miss Bobbie drinks too much soda." This little soda-bottle windowsill ornament (teacher gift???) cost less than 55 cents to make. The spool of 1/8" green satin ribbon was 50 cents at Jo-Ann Fabrics, and the floral-print ribbon was a clearance item at A.C. Moore. While the shoulder straps were held in place with ordinary cellophane tape, the floral costume "top" is tacky-glued right to the bottle! I opened up enough double-fold bias tape to go around Hannah's mid-section, plus an extra half inch or so for overlap, held it down at both ends with masking tape, applied a line of tacky glue, and set 4"-long pieces of the green ribbon on the glue. After waiting maybe 10 minutes, I folded the bias tape back together again, and let that dry a bit. Grass skirt with waistband! Later I applied more tacky-glue to the back side of that band, and applied it directly to the bottle. Fill it with play sand (I didn't have any so I used sugar) for stability and a cleaner appearance. All Hannah needs now is tropical tune.
Basic Palm Trees
The easiest way to make a palm tree -- or several as a group -- is flat against the wall! Use cardboard or posterboard for a trunk as fat as you like, cover with brown crepe paper, and use green posterboard, paper, or even fabric for leaves.
For a 3-dimensional tree, find a large heavy-cardboard tube. These "cores" are used to hold drapery, upholstery, and industrial fabrics -- just like carpet cores. These are generally thrown away, so ask a nearby canvas shop or carpet retailer if he might save some for you. Use a hand saw to cut the core to the height you want. To make it stand on its own, nothing beats a floor-lamp stand! Most such lamps can be removed and replaced again when your palm tree is no longer needed -- and the lamp is. Just slip the core over the stand, and there you have it!
Next you need leaves. Again, you can cut them from paper, posterboard, fabric, green vinyl, etc. Think flannel-backed tablecloths and oilcloth. The leaf backs can be attached to chenille stems with tacky glue, and the stem will remain flexible! Alternate methods would be wire and garden-type "twist-tie" coated wire that comes on a spool (much less expensive); these can be attached to leaf backs with narrow masking tape. Decide where the leaves will start on your trunk, and wrap the trunk with 2"-wide brown crepe paper streamer, starting at the bottom and pausing before the first lower leaf. Now tape the end of the chenille stem or wire that holds your leaf, onto the trunk, and continue wrapping the trunk with streamer until you reach the next place you want a leaf. Keep going until all your leaves are in place.
Coconut and Banana Palms
Those of us who have never seen a tropical island nevertheless believe that every such location is loaded with palm trees. Here's my rendition of a tabletop/centerpiece palm tree, which can be made in about 5 minutes. The fronds were originally the leaves of a silk-flower carnation, but any long and narrow leaf will do. Disassemble your artificial flower. The leaves naturally want to stay folded (as shown in the left picture below) so I ironed them, and that worked better for me. Snip some cuts in three leaves. Next fold a brown chenille stem in half, and twist it a bit. Now add the leaves from the folded end of the stem, and twist the top ends of the stem to prevent the leaves from being pulled off. The chenille provides enough bulk so that the leaves will not slide down. Lastly, "plant" your tree in a bit of modeling clay -- floral foam has proven too flimsy.
Chenille Fruit
Make bananas from yellow and light green chenille stems. I cut one stem into 7 pieces, pressed 4 of them together at one end, and globbed on the tacky glue! The other 3 pieces were cut a bit shorter, and pressed into the glue glob. Let it dry overnight, and then curve the "bunch." Or perhaps print this picture and attach it to your tree? For coconuts, use tiny pom-poms (mine are 1/4"), and tacky-glue them together as a group. Let them dry overnight before attaching to the tree. Click on the image below for a larger view.
My One and ONLY Snack Idea
One of Mom's favorite snacks is what she calls banana salad. She got it from her mother, who got it from her mother, who likely got it from HER mother. Whew! Has anybody else but my family ever heard of this?
It's quick and easy and fits right into this theme. Cut a peeled banana crosswise, then slice it lengthwise. Spread the surfaces with a thin coat of mayonnaise or salad dressing. Add flaked coconut. Add some chopped nuts if you so desire. Yummy island finger-food!
Bible Study Beach Hut
Raffia table skirts are great for tables (and hula skirts for the larger among us 
) but if you have a project that requires greater length/height, try Ghost Grass. Sold at WalMart (five or six dollars, as I recall, but don't hold me to it) and sporting goods stores, it is used as blinds for hunters. It may be a seasonal item. This product is folded for packaging, but it's a cinch to take those creases out. Hose it thoroughly or leave it out in the rain -- let it get a good soaking! When it dries out, the folds are gone. Use this stuff as a doorway curtain (there's a cord at the top for tying it in place) or on an umbrella or other "roofing" areas. Mine is about 6 feet long.
So, with flexible bamboo poles, create a framework like a dome or a teepee, and cover with ghost grass, raffia, long strips of beige, brown (or green?) crepe paper streamers, artificial leaves, perhaps fabric. Might you have a dome-style tent of any size? Use those flexible rods for your framework, or set up your tent and cover it with leaves, streamers, etc.
If you have an appropriate beach or patio umbrella, all the better! The ghost grass could be pinned at the lower edges of the umbrella to better resemble a hut and make it somewhat of an enclosure.
In the mood for miniatures? These could be centerpieces or windowsill fillers. Here you see coconut-fiber plant-basket liners. I cut the opening with ordinary scissors, and the liner is so tightly woven that there's no fraying at all. My husband used a scroll saw to cut openings in the coconut shells -- aren't they cute little huts?
Music Falls
A while back, treasured Sister-in-Christ Dana directed me to this fabulous waterfall. She wrote: "I saw this posted on the Lifeway Community site and thought your website viewers might enjoy it. It looks fantastic but should be really easy to do with inexpensive materials."
On March 13th, Sister-in-Christ Rebecca wrote to me: "I ran across your website by looking for decorating ideas for Outrigger's Island VBS. I happened to see this waterfall picture called "Music Falls." I thought it was a cool design, but when I tried to open the link (to Doreen's Designs) to see what materials I would need and how to design one, I would get an error message that said they could not locate the page that I requested. I was wondering if you could e-mail me the instructions on how to make my own music falls. Thank you for yor help."
For whatever reason, that Web page no longer exists at the link I had for it. But this is Doreen's picture of her waterfall, and it appears to have been made with boxes of different sizes, wrapped with crumpled brown paper. I see artificial flowers and greenery, and -- are those a couple of ducks in the basin? The "water" part of the waterfall is nylon netting that can be found in most fabric departments.
On March 14th, Sister-in-Christ Barbara came to our rescue with Doreen's original directions for her waterfall! Here they are, along with the rest of the pictures. (God bless Barbara!)
This is my waterfall. Just follow the steps and it will show you how I put it together. The waterfall is made out of paper sacks, boxes, hot glue, and newspaper. First step is to cover your boxes with paper sacks. The bottom needs to go all around the top of the waterfall. This is how the bottom section of the waterfall looks when fully covered in paper sacks. This is the small picture at bottom of big picture of waterfall. Have fun wrinkling them up as much as you can. Great project for the kids to do.Set the top of the waterfall on the bottom section of the waterfall. Take a heavy book or bricks to help keep it from falling off. Slowly add your other rocks to the front of the waterfall. It slowly makes the waterfall grow larger. The streamers are left long to go over the rocks to create a cool effect. After adding all the rocks around the front of the waterfall, you then add your plastic tablecloth, blue veiling (tulle) and streamer. Before this set the veiling (tulle) over the top of the waterfall being carefull and tucking it as it goes down the waterfall.
Doreen's Instructions:
Missions Lookout
This picture of Kilauea Lighthouse is precisely my idea of a lookout! The missions room could simply be a scenic vista all the way around, with the ocean in the background, the cliff, sandy beaches (with shells, starfish, kelp, etc.), tall grasses, and a lighthouse. It could be done as wall murals or somewhat 3-dimensionsal, with a dusting of sand on glue-covered posterboard and construction-paper grasses. Real shells would surely be a plus!
Crafts Cabana
I always thought a cabana was a changing room. Perhaps it's more like a portable place to get out of the sun. Anyway, these pictures are how I imagined a cabana would look.
Recreation Reef
And this is how I imagine a reef would look like. The only way to bring this to life is to paint one as a large mural. Perhaps add dimension with a few artificial leaves or fish on it?
Snack Shack
I'm making a guess that LifeWay's graphic image for this rotation will feature a thatched-roof structure. Even if it isn't, you can't go wrong if you snap up on-sale items like this raffia table skirt, tiki torches, bamboo mats, etc. Every party store has a "luau" section, complete with limbo poles, drink cups adorned with 3-D flowers, and all sorts of pure silliness.
Centerpieces for serving areas could include coconuts, bananas, pineapples, kiwi fruit, guava, papaya, mangoes, etc. (Party stores will have honeycomb/tissue paper pineapple centerpieces.) A huge bowl of fresh mixed fruit would be marvelous as part of your snack menu! LifeWay's clipart might have some of these lucious fruits for enlarging and painting. (Here's hoping, anyway!)
Wave 1 Truth: GOD IS REAL
Bible Story: God spoke to Moses (Exodus)
Memory Verse:
"I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me." (Isaiah 44:6b)
Wave Action: I know God is real. I know there is no other God.
Crafts: Parting-the-Sea Vase, Aloha Apparel, Beachcomber Eyeglasses Holder
Wave 2 Truth: JESUS IS GOD'S SON
Bible Story: Jesus is God's Son (Luke 2)
Memory Verse:
"Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!' " (Matthew 16:16)
Wave Action: I know Jesus is God's Son. I can celebrate who He is.
Crafts: Celebration Ornament, Tropical Tile Trivet, Surfboard Sound Machine
Wave 3 Truth: JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY
Bible Story: Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection (Mark)
Memory Verse:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
Wave Action: I know that Jesus is the only way. I can confess Him as my Savior.
Crafts: Truth Key Ring, Gecko Bible Verse Holder, Trade Windsock
Wave 4 Truth: THE BIBLE IS GOD'S WORD
Bible Story: Jeremish and Baruch (Jeremiah)
Memory Verse:
"All scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking,
for correcting, for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)
Wave Action: I know the Bible is God's Word. I can explore its truth.
Crafts: Scribe's Message Carrier, Palm Portfolio, Outrigger Pencil Pouch
Wave 5 Truth: MY ACTIONS SHOW WHAT I BELIEVE
Bible Story: The good Samaritan (Luke)
Memory Verse:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;
and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27)
Wave Action: I know my actions show what I believe. I can stand for truth.
Crafts: Kokua Kit, Hang Ten Frame, Sea Turtle Memo Holder
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If you need additional help, or have an idea to offer, or know of a great link, please contact me.
I'm here to serve! Your sister in Christ, Bobbie
