What I’m Working On This Month (August 2026)

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Happy August! August is usually a busy month for me, and this time around is no different. Here’s what I’m currently working on:

Promotion Sunday

In early September, we promote our kids to the next class based on age or grade, so we’re busy preparing for that. Stay tuned for an upcoming post with a more detailed look at how we prepare.

Building a Key Leadership Team

One of the key missing pieces of our children’s ministry is a team of leaders who can step into the next level of leadership. I’ve decided to call these folks “Team Champions”. I’ll share more details in a future post, but my goal is to have each of our ministry areas represented with the intent of strengthening our ministry overall and better serving our volunteers and families. Very excited about this and who I’m inviting to serve in this way!

Summer Volunteer Schedules

During the months of July and August, we invite parents and other members of our congregation to serve with us while our school year leaders take some much-needed time off. This year’s call-to-action has yielded a great response (honestly the best I’ve seen in years), with most of our serving opportunities being covered. However, we have a few opportunities left, so I’m working to secure coverage for our remaining needs.

Next Gen Team Meeting Schedule

Our Next Gen staff team will resume our monthly meetings in a few weeks, so I’ll be working on outlining our meeting content for the next few months.

Blog Refresh & Content For the Next Three Months

Speaking of content…After several years away from this platform, I am eager to jump back in and have mapped out my blog content for the next three months. Now comes creating that content so that I stay ahead of the game. I am also playing with a few layouts to give the blog a fresh look. Stay tuned!

A Few Loose Ends

As summer winds down, I have a few loose ends to tie up – things such as providing our VBS debrief/evaluation notes and budget analysis to the planning team, submitting work orders for a few needed projects for our kids’ area, finishing September curriculum edits, preparing back-to-school family resources, and tidying our resource closets (we have several). I’ll be sharing a resource closet must-have list as a free download very soon, so stay tuned for that as well.

Lots of things keeping me busy! Now it’s your turn. What are you working on this month? Any specific content you’d like to see me cover?

An Inside Look at Our VBS Sensory Room

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We’ve been doing VBS at our church for a very long time, and sometimes it can be challenging to breathe new life into a beloved program. This year, I gathered our planning team for a theme brainstorming meeting before we began the planning process. We chose Group Publishing’s “Rainforest Falls” VBS program, so our meeting yielded ways to make the theme come alive.

One of the ideas that bubbled to the top was to incorporate a rainforest-themed sensory room for kids who needed a short break from the camp experience. My daughter Kennedy, who originally proposed the idea, developed it into something that blew our minds. We won’t be able to offer VBS without a sensory room ever again!

I asked her to share more about the room with all of you.

Designing the Space

During the beginning of the initial brainstorming of the room designing process, there was one thing I had in mind: create a calming place for any kids who need to rest and recharge during camp. As a teacher, I had a few general ideas in mind as to what could be included in the room that would help to achieve this mission including lights, decor, and various activities.

Setting the Boundaries

Because I wanted this space to be more of a resource instead of a distraction during the program, I put some policies into place to ensure that the room was used to the best of its ability. I anticipated some campers coming into the space and not necessarily wanting to leave, so I placed an initial boundary on how long they could spend in the room during camp hours. After observing children using the space throughout the week, I discovered that 5-10 minutes was an ideal time frame for the kids to spend there. They always had to be accompanied by one of their adult or student crew leaders for the time that they visited the room. The space was also available to families briefly before camp and after for kids who wanted more time.

Cozy Corner

A cozy corner was a must-have for this space. In order to create this area, I laid down a soft washable rug and placed two comfy folding chairs with rainforest-themed plushies and pillows. Some stackable colorful cushions were also included for comfortable seating as well. This area also included some rainforest themed books and a set of Bibles for various ages.

Writing Station

The writing station included some rainforest themed notecards for campers to write a prayer or an encouraging note to a friend.

Coloring & Sticker Station

The coloring and sticker station was one of our most popular stations in the room for the week. This station included cardstock in various colors, rainforest-themed stickers, Washi tape, coloring pages, and rainbow scratch art paper cut into butterflies and other bugs. There was also an 8-cup caddy placed on the table in between the two stations that contained crayons, colored pencils, markers, pencils, and sharpeners.

Butterfly Wall

In an attempt to give the campers an authentic rainforest experience, I decided to create a butterfly search and find wall. This wall was designed using paper chain vines and a green plastic tablecloth. I printed out some real butterflies that could be found in the rainforest and taped them to the vines at various heights for the campers to see. I included a flip book guide for them to use along with some magnifying glasses and dry erase markers.

Other Activities

Because the space was designed for campers ages K-rising 6th grade, I wanted to include some other activities that everyone could enjoy, especially for campers who prefer more hands-on activities. Some of these activities included LEGOs, Magna-Tiles, a marble run set, and a rainforest floor puzzle.

Sensory Station

The final area in the room was the sensory station. This station included a color changing ball light, pom-pom sorting, a small rainforest/jungle playset with plastic bugs, and a few sensory bottles that contained rice, water beads, pony and letter beads, and beans. 

I hope this post inspires you to create your own sensory room for your VBS.

Have you ever thought about creating a safe and quiet place for your campers to recharge and refocus during the business of VBS programming?

An Unforgettable VBS Encounter and 3 Reminders

Kathie Phillips 3 Comments
(Picture credit: Kathie Phillips, Central Presbyterian Church 2026)

Our Summer Bible Camp (what we call our VBS program) wrapped up several weeks ago and I am still reflecting on the week that it was.

As I put the finishing touches on our team debrief and event summary, there are many things that stand out to me. One camper in particular made an impact on me that has changed me and how I’ll view kids with challenging behaviors.

During our Bible rotation on the first day, I observed a camper who was quite opinionated about what they were seeing and hearing. The Bible story was about how God created the world and people. Our senior pastor was dressed in a Bible-times costume as he and his wife led the story time, which included interactive elements.

The camper I observed had feedback on the story AND the costume and vocalized that feedback. I didn’t engage them, but remembering that a good percentage of our campers were not connected to a church, I thanked God that the camper was in the room and hearing Bible truths, possibly for the first time (even if they didn’t like the costume).

On the second day of camp, one of the camper’s adult leaders grabbed me because the camper was not following any of her instructions. I spoke to the camper briefly before having them rejoin their group. About 30 minutes passed before the same leader texted me that she took the camper to our sensory room because the camper needed a break. I met them there and sent the leader back to the rest of her group.

I began a conversation with the camper by saying, “It seems like you’re having a challenging day today.” Then they tried to change the subject, but I redirected them. I asked them why they thought it was a challenging day and their response was both heartbreaking and eye-opening. They responded, “Sometimes, I’m just not a good kid.”

I am thankful for the guidance of the Holy Spirit because without hesitation, I responded with, “Oh no! That’s not true. Sometimes you may not make the best choices but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad kid.” I was then able to recount the Bible story from Day 1 about how we’re all made in God’s image and how much God loved them. We continued our conversation while they did a few of the sensory activities before (again) rejoining their group.

Did the same camper still have behavioral challenges that week? Yes. But that encounter reminded me of a few things:

God brought that child to us for a reason. If all they walked away with was learning that they’re made in the image of God and that God deeply loves them, then all of the challenges that week were worth it.

Affirmation and truths from scripture should not be downplayed. Somewhere along the way, this camper believed that they weren’t a good kid. God’s Word tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). I so wanted this camper to walk away knowing that.

Taking the time to see a kid, beyond their behavioral challenges, can be life-changing for you AND them. I think about my little friend often and continue to pray for them. Who knows what seeds were planted as a result of their week with us. I think back to seeing their playful smile when I saw them after that sensory room conversation. We became friends, even though we had to have a few hard conversations later in the week. God is writing a story for this camper’s life and I trust that every detail will shape them into the person God’s created them to be.

Each child who walks through the doors of our church, even the ones who require a little more love and attention, deserves to know that they are loved, welcomed, wanted, and seen. And if that’s what they walk away with after their time with us, I count that as a win.

(And side note: stay tuned for a detailed look at our Rainforest Falls Sensory Room…can’t wait to share!)

Let me know in the comments how an interaction with a child changed you for the better.

Time to Update {Review & Giveaway}

Kathie Phillips

If you have ever searched online for quality Children’s Ministry resources for any season, holiday, or volunteer support, then I’m sure you’ve come across Deeper Kidmin. Deeper Kidmin is a site dedicated to providing resources FOR kidmin leaders BY kidmin leaders. Its founder, Brittany Nelson, has been a ministry friend for years, so I was honored to be given the opportunity to review her brand new book, Time to Update.

While many churches were closed to in-person gatherings during the pandemic, they had to quickly step up their digital game to meet kids literally where they were – at home. When most churches resumed in-person gatherings, many Children’s Ministry leaders re-evaluated whether or not to continue their digital offerings because of its success in reaching kids and families. Time to Update is a resource helps leaders in that evaluation process but also helps them think through ways that digital strategies can be incorporated into the discipleship of kids in their ministry.

Throughout each chapter of Time to Update, you’ll take a robust look at the overall discipleship strategy and explore seven different areas to incorporate digital discipleship into every aspect of children’s ministry including safety and security, your website, teaching digital natives, partnering with parents, connecting with volunteers, social media, and administration. 

What I love about Time to Update is that leaders are encouraged to not only continue digital discipleship but to regularly evaluate that digital discipleship. Why? According to Brittany, “…to stay relevant to this generation of kids and families, delivering the gospel message must include technology and a digital approach.”

A digital approach to children’s ministry involves intentionally using technology to enhance and improve a variety of areas within your ministry, from administrative tasks no one ever sees to communication with families to teaching Bible lessons on Sunday mornings. Time To Update will help you be more intentional so that digital discipleship becomes part of your ministry strategy rather than merely a coincidence or afterthought.

I also love that the book places emphasis on NOT starting from scratch but enhancing what you’re already doing. So many great things are happening – with the addition of the great ideas and tips offered in Time to Update, the sky is the limit for reaching kids and families through digital efforts!

You can learn more about the book at Deeper Kidmin or purchase a copy on Amazon! And there’s an added bonus – when you purchase the book, you’ll also gain access to special downloadable resources to help you implement ideas within the book! Plus get the audiobook free when you buy the e-book or the print book.

PRODUCT GIVEAWAY
This is a resource you’ll want to add to your library and guess what?! I’m giving away a copy! Simply email me at kidminspiration@gmail.com and say, “It’s Time to Update!” All entries should be received by 11:59 pm on Thursday, October 5, 2023. One winner will be randomly selected on Friday, October 6, 2023 and notified by email. *Paperback copies can only be mailed to residents in the USA. Those who live outside of the USA will receive an e-book copy.

Also, be sure to check out the next book blog tour stop at nickblevins.com – tell him I sent ya!

Disclosure:
Many thanks to Brittany Nelson for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.