Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School - Church

The Scottish Sleuths Vacation Bible School curriculum

This VBS series has been designed to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to children through a week-long, intensive study of God’s Word.
The Scottish Sleuths characters—Super Bible Sleuth Angus McTavish and Professor Dabney Thornwell symbolically portray the fact that we want our children to become “investigators” of God’s Word. These two detectives lead the children on a “Bible case” each year, alternating between stories in the Old and New Testaments. So instead of changing themes each year, this VBS curriculum series keeps the Scottish Sleuths theme and simply changes the “case”—much like new episodes of your favorite television show.


Ten Vacation Bible School "Cases"
Can be used in any order!


VBS Year One: "The Scottish Sleuths and The Case of the Hidden Hero." It is an in-depth study of the entire Book of Esther, presenting the amazing story of God’s providential protection of His people. The overall goal of this study is for your children to come to know and love God, their “Hidden Hero."

 

VBS Year Two: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of The Puzzling Parables." It is a study of twelve of Jesus' "Kingdom" parables. Each daily grouping of parable is arranged in such a way to teach the children a particular aspect of the Kingdom of God. The children will learn who God's Kingdom rules and operates in this world, and what the response of Kingdom-dwellers should be!

 

VBS Year Three: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of the Baffling Beginnings." It is a study of the first twelve chapters of Genesis, presenting the stories of God's perfect creation, the fall of man, the consequences of a fallen world and the flood, and God's covenant with His people. The study ends with New Testament texts that point to the restoration of our baffling beginnings in Jesus Christ!


VBS Year Four: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of the Mystifying Miracles." It is a study of the miracles of Jesus found in the four Gospels. The children will learn that Jesus is the bread of life, the light of the world, the Lord over nature, the victor over sin and Satan, and the resurrection and the life. These miracles truly show us Jesus!

VBS Year Five: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of the Wilderness Wanderers."  It is a study of the Book of Exodus. Your students will be learning how God delivered His people from slavery in order to make them dependent on Him, give them direction, discipline them, and dwell in their midst as their God. With this study, it is hoped that the children will come to understand more about who God is and the work He does in the Christian’s life. 

 

VBS Year Six: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of the Disciples' Distinctives."  It is a study of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Your students will learn how disciples are called to follow, confronted with their sin, committed to Christ, changed by the Holy Spirit, and commissioned to make disciples.


VBS Year Seven: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of the Cardiac Crusader."  It is a study of the life of David from the Book of I Samuel. Your students will learn that David was a man after God's own heart, and therefore had a heart for God, a heart of faith, a heart in covenant, a heart of hope, and a heart gripped by grace.

VBS Year Eight: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of the Titanic Transformation." It is a study of the beginning chapters of the Book of Acts. The focus is on investigating the beginnings of the early church and its application to our lives today. Christians are baptized in the Spirit and the Church is built by the Spirit. We also learn how the Church is given the boldness of the Spirit, does battle in the strength of the Spirit and adds believers by the work of the Spirit!

VBS Year Nine: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of the Faithful Fighter." It is a study of the Old Testament Book of Joshua. As God’s people enter the Promised Land, we observe much about our great God. We learn that He is perfectly sovereign and His promises are sure and secure. God is our strong deliverer and He is also angry at sin. Finally, we see that God is always to be served by His people. Our faithful fighter is not Joshua--it is the LORD!

VBS Year Ten: "The Scottish Sleuths and the Case of the Evangelical Encounters." It is a study of the lwhat happens when people meet Jesus! Mary and Joseph, Nicodemus and John the Baptist, and the Pharisees and Sadducees all had “evangelical” encounters with Jesus. They were impacted with the GOOD NEWS in the person of Christ, whether they knew it or not. We will also learn from Christ’s encounters with the Canaanite woman, the woman at the well, doubting Thomas, and the men on the road to Emmaus.

 

 

Curriculum Distinctives

The Scottish Sleuths VBS series is first and foremost dedicated to teaching God’s Word to children. The central core elements of each day are: the Bible Lesson, Bible Application, and Bible Memory. While most of today’s VBS programs tend to emphasize fun and entertainment while being “light” on Bible content, The Scottish Sleuths curriculum engages children with God’s Word—passionately communicated by teachers who love Jesus Christ.

Our other core distinctives:

  • Christ-centered, Gospel-driven, and theologically Reformed
  • Focuses on the verbal transmission of Bible stories (The art of storytelling)
  • Emphasizes class discussion in an open question and answer format
  • Age-appropriate
  • Maximizes the time with profound truths without trying to be too theologically elaborate
  • Reduces the amount of “busy work” by not using a “worksheet” approach
  • Does not overload with too much content or too many activities

The last element that sets The Scottish Sleuths series apart is that it is easy to teach! It allows your teachers to prepare their hearts and minds to be with their students instead of spending an inordinate amount of time working on lesson plans.