|
Do parents need to volunteer as Crew Supervisors?
Yes! We need Adult Crew Supervisors! Adult Crew Supervisors simply travel from station to station with a crew or group of crews to oversee the Youth Crew Leaders and their crews. Adult Crew Supervisors are especially helpful if there are any conflicts between any of the children and if a child is in need of that extra TLC that only an Adult Supervisor can provide. Adult Crew Supervisors do not need to be a participant's parent; grandparents are welcome too! We generally staff any 5th and 6th grade Youth Crew Leaders with the preschoolers and any 7th grade and above Youth Crew Leaders with the elementary age participants. With a crews of 8-10 kids per crew, having a Teen or an Adult Crew Supervisor is crucial to ensure that the crew stays on track and the program runs smoothly.
Parents need to consider volunteering as Crew Supervisors during the entire week (which generally is made up of 3 hour days) or to split the week with another parent to share this task during the week. This is necessary but also a rewarding experience for all!
Are Preschool and Elementary children assigned together in the same crews? Preschool age children (ages 3-5) are assigned to Pre-K Only crews. Most of their stations are located in the Lower Church Hall so they don't have to travel as much. Elementary age children (grades K-4) are in mixed grade crews. Preschool and Elementary crews do come together for certain stations like our Morning Gathering, Skits, Snacks, Games and our Closing Gatherings.
How many children are assigned to each crew? Preschool crews have about 8 children, ages 3-5, in each crew. Elementary crews have approximately 9-10 children of mixed ages (K-4) children assigned to each crew. According to our VBS vendor, 5-6 children is an ideal number, however, our numbers are larger because we must assign based upon the number of Adult and Youth volunteers available. Our kids seem to enjoy the larger groups too!
My 4th grader is not as interested in VBS as he has been in the past. Is there something in it for him? 4th graders may think that they have outgrown VBS understandably because they are at that age of transition between being a participant and a volunteer. However, let him know that he will play a key role in his crew. As an older child in his crew, he will still have fun, bond with others and will be given more responsibility by his crew leaders to assist in certain tasks. This age group tends to automatically kick in and help others with answering questions, assist with crafts and games and at the same time be given that last chance to learn, thrive and shine in a mixed-age setting.
In addition to the Crafts & Missions station, our current 3rd and 4th graders will participate in a group craft project which will guarantee a great sense of fulfillment and contribution. Past projects have been a large mosaic cross and a glass bead ornamental bird bath which are displayed on the grounds of Incarnate Word Parish. Finally, remind your 4th grader that this is their last year as a participant and this year's participation will serve as an opportunity to observe the older youth volunteers in their stations. These volunteer positions could be one their roles next year!
|