Planning a Southwest VBS? Great choice! This VBS theme is filled with desert beauty and fun fiesta touches that add up to one hot theme for your VBS! With these tips, you can learn how to create a Southwest theme that gets kids fired up for tons of VBS fun.
Background
Not only is this background beautiful and full of color, but it’s easy to achieve as well. To begin, simply hang pieces of gossamer fabric onto the wall. We used Gold, Orange, Red and Purple Gossamer. Use the same colors and scrunch them up to create colorful sunset clouds. Cut rock monuments and structures out of Pacon® Fadeless Brown Paper Roll and hang them onto the wall. You can create additional rock structures from painted heavy foam core. Line the bottom of the foam core with crumpled Kraft Paper Roll to create an earthy look.
Finish the scene by adding lots of greenery, including Jungle Greenery, a 3D Hanging Eagle and Cactus Grouping Stand-ups.
Check-in or Welcome Station
A check-in or welcome station is a great way to start each VBS day off on the right foot. To create your station, start with an African Safari Theme Archway. The preprinted welcome and wood motifs are perfect for this VBS theme! Use Home Sweet Classroom Bulletin Board Letters to add your church's name or a simple “To VBS”.
Decorate the arch with Southwest VBS Posters and Western Hats with Bands. Wrap a small table in Pacon Fadeless Weathered Wood Paper Roll and then use the Sarape Border Roll to add some color to the table. Don’t forget to stock up on extra Western Hats, Southwest VBS Nametags and Goody Bags for the kids!
Our fun cactus pens are perfect for the Southwest VBS Theme! There are several easy ways you can add Southwest flair to your station. Add these Textured Cactus Pens, Green Pens with Silhouette Cactus Toppers or Cactus Shaped Pens into a Galvanized Tin Bucket.
Place a Cactus Shaped Pen into a Small Hay Bale. Use the flags from Fiesta Paper Straws to write a welcome message or use them to help divide the kids by last name.
Use Small Plastic Classroom Storage Baskets to wrangle in and display these fun Southwest VBS Passports. Use the passports plus our Southwest VBS Stampers to check kids into to each station every day. Of course, each child can decorate their passport with the included stickers and collect the check-in stamps to get a prize or goody bag for collecting all the stamps!
Decorate the sides of your check-in station with Southwest VBS Cactus Stand-ups and a Donkey Stand-up. Add some Southwest flair to the donkey by dressing him up with Sarape Border Roll and Plastic Fiesta Banner.
Make your own easy 3D mini cactus by gluing a Green or Lime Green 12” Lantern to a Green Paper Dinner Plate. Add mini lanterns and Paper Flowers for more color. You can even draw spines onto the lanterns to make them look extra sharp! Finish off the Check-in Station with a fun Sarape Rug. Looking good!
Craft Station
What’s VBS without some fun crafts? This craft station idea is as unique as it comes, and simple to create. Use old wood barrels and a wood tabletop to hold all the crafting fun.
Decorate the table with a Plastic Fiesta Banner, and then use 24” hay bales decorated with Sarape Border Roll along with Wood Centerpiece Boxes to add some height to the table. Tip: Keep the bales wrapped in the plastic packaging for easier clean up.
Set out Galvanized Tin Buckets full of Classroom Scissors, Easel Paintbrushes, Elmers® Glue Sticks and Chunky Rainbow Brushes for easy access.
Craft Trays make the perfect place to contain paint bottles, Southwest VBS Foam Shapes, and other craft projects.
Fill Colorful Buckets and Classroom Caddies full of markers, Southwest VBS themed Craft Kits and DIY Wooden Lizards.
A Western Hat with Band is the perfect place to have Colorful Carabiners spilling out ready to be crafted into a fun lanyard or keychain.
Mini Wooden Crates are perfect to corral all those little crafty supplies like mini Elmers® Glue Bottles and Pony Beads.
Make your Crafts Station Arch one of a kind with this fun idea! We used a plain Western Arch and decorated it with Fiesta Cardboard Stand-ups, Paper Flowers, and DIY Lantern Cactus.
Label your station with a DIY Crafts Banner made from a DIY Unfinished Wood Banner and Home Sweet Classroom Bulletin Board Letters. Create a few extra stand-alone DIY lantern cactus to really bring your stations together in a cohesive theme. Don’t forget to add the Sarape Rugs! We placed several rugs next to each other to create one long rug.
Snack Station
We can’t forget about a snack station! To start, make a salvaged wood pallet wall, making sure to brace the back. Decorate the pallet wall with a balloon garland made with Lime, Green, Turquoise and Hot Pink Balloons. Blow up the balloons in different sizes and tape in Hibiscus Flower Centerpieces and Flower Hanging Fans to add pops of interest.
To continue making your snack station, cover a table in Weathered Wood Paper and decorate it with a Cloth Fiesta Bunting. You can use 24” Hay Bales and Wooden Centerpiece Boxes to add different heights. Prop up and line Wooden Centerpiece Boxes and then fill them with yummy candy. We filled ours with colorful Jolly Ranchers, Mixed Flavor Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, and Sour Patch Sour Straws. Using Mini Wooden Scoops makes it easier to scoop out the candy into our Cactus Treat Boxes.
Add something to quench their thirst, like this Barrel Beverage Dispenser and Cactus Plastic Cups with Lids and Straws.
Speaking of straws, these Fiesta Paper Straws are not only a great alternative to plastic straws, but also add a pop of color to the table when propped into a Galvanized Tin Bucket. Decorate the table with Cactus Tissue Paper Centerpiece and Cactus Stress Toys.
Serve these yummy DIY Pretzel Stick Cactus Treats up on a Long White Platter. You can find the instruction to make the DIY Pretzel Stick Cactus Treats and other VBS Snack Ideas here. Don’t forget the Fiesta Beverage Napkins! Finish off the snack station with a Sarape Rug and Southwest VBS Cactus Stand-ups.
Group Station
This group station is the perfect place to gather around the fire for music, stories, fun and fellowship. We wired a large branch from a fallen tree to two sturdy wooden crates to create a bench for the VBS leader to sit.
Decorate the bench with a Sarape Throw, perfect for those “chilly” Southwest nights. An inflatable campfire is the centerpiece to the group station circle while Tassel Pillows make the campfire area extra comfy.
Add in Bright Colored Buckets filled with Neon Colored Maracas and Wooden Bamboo Flutes to make joining in the chorus fun! Add a Southwest VBS Directional Sign to help kids find their next station, plus a few Cactus Stand-ups to help lead the way!
Want more Southwest VBS Snack Ideas and Southwest VBS Activity Ideas – including some free printables? Be sure to check out our articles, Southwest VBS Activity Ideas here and our Southwest VBS Snack Ideas here.
