Introducing Philo and the SuperHolies VBS Program for elementary aged kids!

Counting down to Summer

Are you already thinking about summer? I know I am. In Canada, winter has been long and cold, with no end in sight of snowfall. Add to this the never-ending school projects and exams, which add to the sense of despair. Is it any wonder that sunny carefree vacation days are my go-to mental happy place when I close my eyes? I wish winter would end: NOW!

Summer’s #1 Challenge: Entertaining Our Children

Summer comes with its own set of challenges, though. How to occupy the young ones during the day? Filling their time with entertaining activities that will still challenge their growing brains is no simple task.

If only we had access to a program that is guaranteed to provide hours of faith-centered entertainment, that was educational, empowering, and tailored to youngsters from kindergarten to grade 5….

This need prompted Shereen Marcus (from BridgestoOrthodoxy.com) and me to collaborate on a SuperHolies Vacation Bible School program!!!!

That and the many requests I had received from various churches throughout the years about a SuperHolies-themed Vacation Bible School Program. You asked – we listened, and now, we humbly present to you 5 days of SuperHolies fun and learning.

The program provides everything you need to fill full days or half days with hours of fun and includes:

*Videos

*Crafts

*Activities

*Discussion Questions

*Bible Stories

* Saint Stories

* Memory verses

* Parent Recap Cards

Breakdown of each day

The VBS program focuses on one or two SuperHolies (i.e., fruits of the spirit) per day, paired with 1 Orthodox Saint Story and 1 Biblical Passage/Story per day. At the beginning of each day, the children watch a video showing Philo’s Super Challenge of the day. They are asked to help Philo overcome his ethical challenge using the Fruit(s) of the Spirit that are the focus of the day.

During the day, the children will attend 2 different small group sessions – one focused on the Orthodox Saint and one focused on the Bible Passage- both strategically picked as bearing some similarity to the challenge Philo is facing. Through activities, discussion, and crafts, the children learn without realizing it! By the end of the day, they should have some great ideas on how to help Philo with his Super Challenge.

The materials include:

5 Large-Group Session plans: each session comprises an “intro” and a “closer” so you can start and close out the day altogether
10 Small-Group Session Plans for K-1st grade (2 sessions per day designed for 5 to 6 years old)
10 Small-Group Session Plans for the 2nd-3rd grade (2 sessions per day designed for 7 to 8 years old)
10 Small-Group Session Plans for 4th-5th Grade (2 sessions per day designed for 9 to 10 years old)
5 Videos of Philo’s daily challenge (one per day)
Tons of “Extras” per day (Gym games, songs, and video resources)
A Parent’s Recap Card for each day (a handout to give your parents at pickup so they can review what their child learned that day)

The Program is now available for purchase through the Bridges to Orthodoxy Website. (www.bridgestoorthodoxy.com) – the link is also available in our shop.

*NOTE: While this VBS is based on the same characters as the book series, purchasing the books or even being familiar with the book series is unnecessary.

For an example of what a “VBS Day” contains – please click on this link:

Contents of a SuperHolies VBS Day

You can share this article and the link with your Church’s VBS Program coordinators to plan your summer fun as of now!

Wishing you all a blessed summer!