Program Info
Catholic Music
Connecting Kids to Justice
Community
Tools
Program/Format
How do I find the Catholic Features?
You don’t have to look too hard; they are already integrated into every station at Power Lab. With built-in features like the Scriptures Background, Catholic ID, Catholic music by John Burland, People of Faith, Daily Challenge options, and Connecting Kids to Justice stories, your Catholic VBS will highlight the beliefs and practices of our Church to promote Catholic identity and help your kids connect faith to life.
What's the Daily Challenge®?
Each day at Power Lab, kids choose from a list of Daily Challenges - ways to live out the Bible Point at home. Daily Challenges are found in kids' student books. To celebrate completing their Daily Challenges, each crew (Or group of five kids and one teenager or adult) will take a Daily Challenge Bubble (a balloon) and add it to the Daily Challenge Mega Beaker. By the end of your VBS, kids will see how Jesus' love bubbles over in our lives! See your Power Lab catalog for more information.
Our VBS is small; do I need to have a different teacher for each of the seven stations?
No, because Power Lab fits parishes of all sizes! If you have fewer than 40 children, you may want all of the small groups to rotate through the stations together. With this option, each station leader will only teach his or her area one time (and may be able to teach several stations)!
Our VBS is huge; will Power Lab work with large parishes?
Of course! For up to 150 kids you'll only need one leader per station; for each additional 150 kids, you'll want to add an additional station leader. For example, if you have fewer than 150 kids in your VBS you'll need just one craft leader, if you have 150-300 kids you'll need two craft leaders, with 300-450 kids you'll need three craft leaders, etc. To provide the leader resources you'll need, plan to buy one Starter Kit for each 150 kids in your program.
Am I required to use multi-age crews?
You aren't required to group children in combined-age Lab Crews, but we strongly recommend it because it works so well (and has been proven in field tests and real VBS programs year after year). Children, young and old alike, help one another throughout their time together. Plus you'll minimize discipline problems because children don't feel the need to compete with peers of the same age. If you're still skeptical, ask other VBS directors on forum.
Can kids of all ages really learn when they're in mixed-age groups?
Studies show that children learn as much - or more - when they're linked with kids of different ages. Think of Lab Crews as families in which kids naturally learn with and from one another. Social skills improve, self-esteem rises, and cooperation increases.
How does the Spotlight Drama station work?
Each day a group of kids goes to Spotlight Drama, where the photographer takes pictures of kids doing actions or poses that go with a custom slide presentation - a drama or music video. Then the photographer drops the photos into an easy-to-use presentation and...voila! Kids LOVE watching themselves onscreen!
Can I use the program in something other than a five-day format?
Power Lab is flexible. The Director Manual contains five format options, including weekday mornings, weekday evenings, midweek clubs, day camp, religious education classes, or a weekend retreat! These options allow for the whole family to be involved (because Lab Crews can be made up of people of various ages).
Product
Can I return opened packages of product for partial credit?
Because we receive product prepackaged from our vendors, we are unable to process returns of opened or partially used packages. If you do find yourself with a few extras, use them as special gift surprises for religious education classes, for siblings of students, or for those who couldn't attend VBS.
Do I really need the Bible Memory Buddies®?
We highly recommend the Bible Memory Buddies. Each Buddy carries the day's Power Verse and makes Bible memorization fun! It's a great year-long reminder of VBS, and kids love to share them with friends.
Why must I pay for each music CD? Can't I make my own copies?
We are continually encouraged by parishes to provide the best in recognizable, high-quality music for our VBS. Many of these songs are owned by the original artists or other publishers, and we are required to pay them a royalty each time we distribute their songs. We do not have the authority to grant anyone permission to copy these works. But the result is music that kids will be eager to listen to for years to come!
Power Lab Extras
What happens at a Power Lab Training and Networking Event?
This hands-on event gives you and your team Easy VBS training and a head start on planning your VBS! Check out the Training & Networking Events section of this website for more information and locations.