Exploring the Wild Joy of "Who's in the Zoo" VBS

Who's In the Zoo? 70 Campers and a whole lot of volunteers, that's who!

This past week was absolutely thrilling at FCCWP as we hosted our vibrant VBS with the fantastic theme of "Who's in the Zoo?" 🎉 Over 70 enthusiastic kids joined us for an unforgettable experience! The energy was electric as the kids kicked off their day and finished it with amazing live music performed by the talented Griffin family.

Then they eagerly rotated through the exciting stations, including The Cool Zoo Science Lab, where they discovered how giraffe spots, zebra stripes, peacock tails, crocodile behavior, and elephant ears help animals stay cool. They also got hands-on with experiments in flotation and boat design!

At the Snack Shack Habitat, they whipped up (and devoured) Crocodile Quesadillas, Penguin Pancakes, Pretzel Beetles, Beavy Bagels, and Jellyfish Meatballs! Every day was a blast as they watched videos packed with fun animal facts and enjoyed a picture book all about the day's theme animals.

At the Zoo Art Studio, they had an exciting 4-day adventure crafting their own mixed media version of a habitat! On Monday, they kicked things off by using tissue paper to dye the vibrant background of their "jungle" habitat. Tuesday brought the thrill of Arctic Ice Painting, and on Wednesday, they sprinkled in some fun with Dessert Sand Art. By Thursday, they were busy creating Mod Podge Animal Prints to complete their masterpiece!

At our Outreach station, the theme was "The Zoo Comes to You," and it was an absolute thrill! On Monday, our very own Kerry Weisner captivated us with insights from the Bible on how we should not only care for animals and the earth but also learn from them. Tuesday was a delightful day as Cheyne Ranch, a farm dedicated to being adaptive and inclusive, brought along adorable miniature horses and chickens for the kids to enjoy and interact with. On Wednesday, Jennifer Ruby took us on an exciting journey, sharing stories about the animals encountered during the church's recent mission trip to South Dakota. Thursday was a wild adventure with Dr. Marianne Janosco, DVM, who dazzled us with slides of her fascinating cases from both private practice and Disney's Animal Kingdom. She even brought along some animal friends, including a playful kitten, a curious tortoise, and a friendly corn snake for the children to meet. And then came Friday, which exceeded all expectations with an exhilarating visit from Gatorland! Our guide amazed us by bringing along a tarantula, a scorpion, a blue-tongued skink, a ball python, and even a baby alligator that the children got to handle.

Every day featured playground time led by the energetic Coach Silas and Coach Annabele, topped off with a refreshingly cool popsicle treat. But the highlight of the week, hands down, was the thrilling Friday Water Day! Kids couldn't get enough of splashing around in sprinklers, having a blast with shaving cream, and teaming up to construct dams in the river sluice within our amazing sand play area.

Kids playing at a sand table

A group of children standing in front of a brick wall

What a fantastic way to wrap up an incredible week! We hope it gave all our campers a safe and loving space to enjoy fellowship and community. A huge shoutout to the amazing volunteers who came together to make it all happen!