• Make your VBS decorations yourself and save money.kids playing image by Cristina Cazan from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  Planning a successful VBS is no easy feat. It can put a dent in dwindling church budgets unless you learn where to cut corners. The easiest way to keep costs down is to decorate your Vacation Bible School event with items you either already have or can easily borrow or get donated. The kids will enjoy it just as much as they enjoy those VBS events that contain pricey decorations.
  
  

Fishers of Men

• Make a fish collage from fish crackers.fish shaped crakers image by Sergey Kolesnikov from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  Create an ocean of fun when you decorate your classrooms with items that remind children of one of Jesus' most famous quotes found in Matthew 4:19. Cut green and clear soda bottles in half. Staple the ends with a staple gun so that they are flat like a fish tail. Use markers or paint to draw eyes and scales on the bottles. Hang old streamers from the bottoms of the "fish" and hang them from the ceilings. Lay burlap and flimsy green rugs over chairs that have been piled in a corner. Next, make a waterfall over the makeshift mountain using long strips cut from an old blue bed sheet. Create a bubbling pool at the bottom with blue balloons.
  
  Make large and small cut-outs of sea creatures from poster board, paper plates and construction paper. Hang these on the wall. Make a fish collage using fish crackers and hang it next to a couple of fishing poles.
  
  

Beach Party

• Hang old beach balls from the ceiling.child's balls image by S from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  Gather those old pool and lake toys from the shed and let the fun begin. Hang beach balls from the ceiling and lean large floats in the entryways and corners. Place colorful beach towels, loaned by friends, in a circle for story time. Visit your local carpet dealer and ask if they will donate an empty carpet roll. You can cut this long roll in half and make two palm trees from it. Cut green carpet remnants into ovals and glue them to the top of the tree. Use donated coconuts from your local grocery store to attach securely to the top. Surround the bottom of the tree with burlap and brown sheets to create an island and then surround your island with various types of discarded blue fabric to complete your beach paradise.
  
  

Just for Fun

• Forget themes and go for the fun factor, decorating rooms with a hodgepodge of decor ideas. Use decorations that are left over from parties and birthdays. Ask your grocery store to donate old store decorations. You can hang streamers and balloons from the ceilings and in doorways. Decorate the balloons to look like bees by gluing black streamers around yellow balloons and drawing faces on top with black marker. Surround the bee with tissue paper flowers - perfect for summer time VBS events. Another room may be the perfect place to hang foil stars and billowing tulle clouds from the ceiling.