Cardboard VBS participants sing in front of their Creation mural. Photos courtesy of Harrisburg UMC

The United Methodist Church in Harrisburg, South Dakota, used cardboard and creativity for a three-day Vacation Bible School experience. The cost was low, but the energy and impact were high.

“We took something very ordinary and put it into the hands of the kids. We watched God use it to create something beautiful,” said Rev. Brandon Dunham, Harrisburg UMC.

Vacation Bible School can be a big production with a lot of expense and preparation. Several pre-packaged, published VBS curricula are available for purchase. Often, churches end up purchasing and implementing the same program. Pastor Brandon Dunham wanted to create something different.

“I wanted to do something creative, unexpected, and accessible. For VBS, there can be this pressure to create elaborate decorations and spend a lot of money. It takes a huge volunteer team to prepare and carry out VBS,” said Dunham. “I wondered what it would look like if we leaned into simplicity as the experience. Cardboard became a fun answer. It is cheap. It is everywhere. When you hand a kid a piece of cardboard, they can create almost anything.”

Cardboard VBS happened over three nights centered around the theme of Creation. God created the world was the focus on night one. The second night focused on how God created each of us with purpose. Night three focused on how God created each one of us to use our gifts to bless others.

“Cardboard was not just what we used for décor; it was part of the theology. We took something ordinary and discovered all the possibilities, while reminding kids that at the center of it is God, who created everything. We have been created in God’s image.”

The most unique part of Cardboard VBS is that children are not attending a staged, highly decorated, preplanned experience; they are creating the experience. Intentionally, VBS began with very few decorations. Over the three days and nights, decorations evolved based on what the children made.

Cardboard self-portraits at Harrisburg UMC.

“Each night, at Creation Station, kids made things out of cardboard. On night one, they made the six days of the creation story. When they left, and before they arrived the next evening, we hung their creations as a mural in the sanctuary. Self-portraits were created on night two. The third night was about serving others. Coffee collars were created for a local coffee shop and were shared with people in the community,” describes Pastor Brandon. “The kids were part of creating things. At the end of VBS, they could look around and say, ‘We created this.’”

Cardboard was readily available. Children were encouraged to make things. If they finished at a station early, they created. Tape, markers, and bent and torn cardboard were part of the environment.
“Cardboard gave us permission to embrace imperfection,” said Pastor Brandon. “The kids didn’t feel any pressure to re-create something an adult, with artistic abilities, created. The goal was not to impress but to invite them to participate in the building.”

Each evening, people came to dinner at 5:30-6 p.m., followed by gathering time with a devotion and music. Then the children were divided into two groups. The groups rotated between games and Bible stories, spending 20 minutes at each station. Then, everyone headed to Creation Station for 40 minutes. During transitional times, there was free time. Participants could build things out of cardboard.

“We intentionally planned to be at Creation Station longer. We wanted to give kids time to make things. We ended each day with a large group closing, a recap, music, and God sightings,” explained Pastor Bandon. “Having free time built in allowed kids to be themselves. They even created a Lightning McQueen box for my two-year-old son.”

Materials for Cardboard VBS were less than $200. Members of the congregation collected cardboard the month before VBS.  Leftover cardboard was recycled.  The major expense was a $150 roll of cardboard. After asking for cardboard donations, Dunham learned that cardboard without paper backing was available for purchase. The cardboard roll was 4 feet wide by 250 feet long. There is plenty of cardboard left on the roll for next year.

“A published kit for VBS costs $300 plus supplies. It is easy to spend $500 - $800 or more on VBS. We were searching for something less expensive. We created an intentional, special experience without spending what we would typically spend. We had 40 kids show up. In the past few years, we have had 25 to 30 kids. After the first night, I called my wife and said, ‘This is so fun.’ Kids are so creative. They love to paint,” said Pastor Brandon. “One student drew his self-portrait on cardboard with a hole in the middle. So, he drew his self-portrait around the hole and put cotton balls in the hole. It was his belly button lint! All the kids shared and were so proud of their work.”

Listening to Bible stories at Cardboard VBS.

Dunham created the scripts or instructions for each part of VBS. Volunteers could show up and put the script into action. This resulted in fewer volunteer hours for preparation and more focus on interaction with participants.
“It was more preparation for me but less for the volunteers. The volunteers told me they loved the opportunity to interact and be with the kids. At the end of VBS, volunteers were already talking about the theme for next year,” Pastor Brandon said.

Cardboard VBS  was developed with the idea of sharing it as a resource for other churches. The resource will be a framework for churches to use and adapt to their setting. Revisions need to be made before the resource is distributed, incorporating changes that were made throughout the three days.

Pastor Brandon's effort paid off. He said, “It was a rewarding experience. It took a lot of my time. I put effort into graphics, Bible stories, games, songs, actions for the song, a materials list for crafts, and Bible memory verses. There was a lot of effort. The kids added so much and had so much fun. They were so proud of what they did.”