This year, Mykal and I are leading the Primary Class (7 - 9 year olds) at campmeeting. I wrote a program called “Out of Egypt” and we will be going through the entire book of Exodus. The class has 21 lessons over a 10 day period and we will be setting up for four days before it begins. However, I have spent the last week preparing and will spend everyday until we go to Campmeeting on the 18th preparing! And we are expecting 120 children on weekends and around 60 during the week.
I want the kids to walk in a say “WOW!”
I am making 12 palm trees. To do this, I purchased 13 yards of kelly green felt and cut out 144 palm leaves that are about 24″ x 8″. I am sewing a pocket down the back center by folding each leaf in half. This will give me a pocket to slide a heavy gage wire into which will then be inserted into a PVC end cap that I have drilled holes in and painted brown to match the trunk of the tree. The tree trunks are made from donated (recycled) cardboard carpet rolls that we spent the whole afternoon yesterday rounding up. My son used a saw to cut the long rolls in half. I want to cover the trunks in brown felt, but may end up painting them to save on costs. We will then build a base from 2 x 4s that will hold the trees in place.
My idea is to have a large tent resembling an Israeli tent from Bible times in the room. I am hoping to be able to get a funeral home tent or something like it for the the frame of the tent. I spent the whole morning today calling all the hotels I could find in our area requesting donations of old bed sheets which I will paint or stain and sew together for the tent. We will also use the bed sheets to paint murals of pyramids and Bible time villages. These will be hung along the wall to make the back drop. The floor of the tent will be covered in colorful fabrics and rugs, and there will be floor pillows and a fire pit (not lit) in the center for cooking. We will also have a river scene with water and tall grasses and more.
The leaders will all be dressed up in costumes. One of the pastors will be dressed as an Egyptian and as the children come to the door off the bus, he will say something like, “Halt! The Pharaoh has ordered that all Hebrew children be registered and make a mud bricks!” The children will then go to the registration table, receive an Israeli costume to wear, register, receive their name badges, and then move to a bucket of mud and straw and make a mud brick, wash their hands and move to a sand box where they can search for buried treasure before sitting down. We will bake the small mud bricks and give them back to the children.
Oh, and Little Debbie has agreed to donate 400 snacks to our group! I am looking around for more donations if you know of someone to ask, let me know! Or if you have any great ideas, I am all ears!
I am sooo excited about the classes! I have been so blessed by this and just pray that children have a lot of fun!
