DIY Small Bead Decoder Bracelets (Shipwrecked Imagination Station Alternative: Day 3)
During the Imagination Station rotation, students participate in an object lesson using a small toy, or what Group calls a “gizmo”. These gizmos can be taken home by the kids each day to reinforce the lesson. In this Imagination Station Alternative series, I’ll track down similar gizmos that can be used in place of Group’s gizmos. I’ll also design/find craft ideas that could be used instead of the gizmos. Which Imagination Station activity you choose (gizmo or craft) should be dependent on the interests of your VBS kids and how you prefer to spend your time/money.
This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase through these links but you don’t pay anything extra. Thanks for helping to support Borrowed Blessings! The prices referenced here are current as of publishing, but retailers change pricing often.
This year’s VBS theme is Shipwrecked {learn more about the theme here}. The VBS kits are available now. All of our VBS resources are designed to be used alongside any of the Group starter kits, although I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the ultimate version with digital.
If the Group gizmos work for your kids and you’d like to purchase them without any modification, check out my post about how to purchase the Group gizmos at a discount! Day 3’s gizmo is the Decoder Band. Here are my ideas for gizmo alternatives for day 3 of Shipwrecked VBS! Check back for more posts on gizmo alternatives for the rest of the week, as well as craft options for the full week!
Daily Bible Point: When you struggle, Jesus rescues.
Today’s Group Gizmo: Decoder band (bracelet that spells something with morse code – round beads, long/skinny beads, clear beads as spacers) $.79 per kid
Group Gizmo’s purpose: It would be a struggle to understand morse code without a key. Jesus is our real-life key. When you struggle, Jesus rescues.
I actually really like the decoder bands, and they’ll be inexpensive to replicate! My day 3 gizmos are DIY decoder bracelets. I’ve come up with two options based on the age & skill/interest level of your kiddos. With either of the options below, you can use the same idea as the Decoder Band, but with the supplies below. Kids can pick a word or short phrase to spell on their bracelet in morse code. The round and oblong beads correspond to the dots and dashes in morse code (with clear beads as spacers between the morse code letters). At the end of the instructions, there’s a morse code key!
The supplies & instructions for the seed bead decoder bracelets are below. Check back in a few days for part 2 of this blog – the large bead decoder bracelets!
DIY SMALL BEAD DECODER BRACELETS
Because of the small size of seed beads, these decoder bracelets will work better for older kids/teenagers. (I chose some of the largest seed beads available for our seed bead bracelets. You may see seed beads that cost a lot less – be careful, some of these beads are TINY!) For younger kiddos, check out the DIY Small Bead Decoder Bracelets.
Supplies:
Nylon cord – $10 for 100 meters
Either use crimping beads & pliers to stop the beads at the end of the string or tie a knot around a clear bead at each end.
—Crimp beads – $9.99 for 3,000
—Crimping pliers – $4.76 per pair
Beading needles – $7 for 30
Blue seed beads (round – for morse code dots) – $7.57 for ~900
Colored bugle beads (oblong – for morse code dashes) – $5.11 for 400 beads
Clear seed beads (for spacers) – $7.98 for ~900
Morse code key (download and print from template below)
Instructions:
You’ll need a morse code decoder key! Use long beads for the morse code dashes and round beads for the morse code dots, then add a clear bead after each letter is complete. You can spell your name or a short phrase!
Morse Code Decoder Key
I created this key to use with the bracelets/key chains. You can print the key for kids to use as they decide what to spell on their bracelets/key chains. You may want to make enough copies so that kids can take a decoder key home to explain the bracelet/key chain to their parents.
What gizmo alternatives have you found for Shipwrecked VBS?
I am a long-time Vacation Bible School lover. I’ve lead in several capacities throughout the VBS world and am currently our church’s VBS director. It is a joy for me to be able to share VBS ideas and resources with others! I will continue to share VBS ideas here as we prepare for Shipwrecked VBS. Follow the blog to see more of our ideas and planning! Please let me know if there are any specific VBS items or ideas you need help with!
Awesome post! I am not seeing the supply list for the beads for the younger age groups though. Is it here and I’m just not seeing it? As always, thanks for the great idea!
Hi Marianne! I actually split the post into two parts because it got so long with both bracelets on one post! Part two will be posted in the next few days! 🙂
The needles you said to get are much to small to thread with the string you said to get. I cannot even thread it using a magnifying glass. The thread is to thick or the eye of the needle is to small…whichever. These are extremely tiny. Did you ever make up one of these decoder bracelets with the items you suggested buying?
C – I’m sorry this isn’t working for you! I did make one of these… although I used thread we had on hand (I thought it was the same thread I linked to but the package was missing so it may have been slightly different). Did you try a thinner thread?
Thanks for all the great ideas. We are going to make decoder necklaces or bracelets with pony beads and sections of colorful straws. I wasn’t able to find anything affordable at the craft stores or online. Since the beads are bigger, unless the word is short, it is going to need to be a necklace. I don’t think the kids will mind at all.
Thanks Norma! I love the straw idea!