Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Custom Tote Bags

Welcome back to another of my Frugal Cave Quest VBS Craft Ideas!  Make sure to check out the other ideas here.  Before purchasing any of the craft supplies for VBS, I like to check the supply closet and see what we have.  Sometimes we have lots of glue, while other times we may only have a few bottles.  This helps me gauge how much I need to purchase.  We also have some SUPER SWEET and crafty ladies who will sometimes purchase Kids Ministry/VBS supplies for us. When I went to check out our supply status this week, I saw that one of our sweet ladies purchased a ton of bright blank tote bags and fabric paint pens from Oriental Trading.  Since she donated them, I’m definitely going to integrate them into our craft schedule.  Plus, they’re super bright colored and fun!

Supplies:
-Blank tote bags
-Fabric paint pens
-Permanent Markers
-Newspaper/cardboard

(Side note:I looked up the fabric paint pens online.  The reviews say they’re messy so you may want to use art aprons for the younger kids.  I’ve never used these to know how difficult they are for little fingers.  You’ll definitely want to test them ahead of time and may want to stick with permanent markers for the younger kiddos.)  You would want to do these one night, then let them dry and the kids could take them home the next night.

Since everything relates back to our theme, there are several ways the kids could decorate their bags.  Here are some examples/ideas:

• Kids name
• Bible verse or bible point {see each day’s info below}
• Another related phrase {ie Jesus is the light of the world}
• Cross designs or heart designs

Instructions:
-Give each child a tote bag.  This will inevitably take a solid 5 minutes because there are color choices and kiddos are indecisive, and then they need to switch colors to match their friends and…. you get the point.
-Put a piece of newspaper or cardboard in each bag so the paint pens don’t bleed through {these bags are pretty thin}.
-Use a permanent marker to put the kid’s name on the tag inside the bag.  You could also use a piece of painter’s tape.
-Provide kids with fabric paint pens or permanent markers and give them suggestions on how to decorate the tote bags.  They don’t all need to be the same, but you’ll want to give them some direction.  Whichever options you give them, it’s helpful if you write those phrases big on a piece of paper so the kids that can’t spell don’t ask you to repeat the spelling 100 times. Seriously.
-Let the tote bags dry overnight, then send them home the next evening.

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