Plan Avalanche Ranch publicity. Decide how you’ll promote Avalanche Ranch in your church and community. Refer to the “Publicity” section in this manual for publicity ideas and resources.

Set up your Avalanche Ranch church Web site. Follow the easy steps to set up a Web site for your church’s Avalanche Ranch. Encourage preregistration. With your VBS Web tools, families can register online from the comfort and convenience of their homes. Once your Avalanche Ranch Web site is up, paste your URL (that’s the Web address at the bottom of yout Web Toybox homepage) into your publicity items. Families can access your site and register, and staff members can fill out staff applications.

Begin recruiting station leaders. Use the recruiting helps detailed in the “Recruiting” section (pp. 145-151) to catch your Avalanche Ranch volunteers. The “Recruiting” section also includes bonus ideas that will captivate people’s hearts and minds, while allowing you to flex those creative muscles (in an easy way—with great results). And the photocopiable job descriptions, handouts, and bulletin inserts make your job a breeze.

Estimate your Avalanche Ranch enrollment. Use figures from your church’s Sunday school or figures from last year’s VBS program. Once you’ve estimated how many children will attend, figure out how many Ranch Crew Leaders you’ll need. You’ll need one adult or teenage Ranch Crew Leader for every five children, including preschoolers. Be sure to have extra Ranch Crew Leaders ready in case you need to form Ranch Crews for last-minute registrants.

 Order Avalanche Ranch materials. If you purchased the Avalanche Ranch Starter Kit, you already have a leader manual for every station and all the multimedia components you need. You may want to order additional leader manuals for team teaching—and a copy of each leader manual for yourself, if you’d like. We also recommend that you purchase the Clip Art, Decorating, and Song Lyrics CD, which includes customizable forms, decorating outlines, song lyrics, and more than 200 pieces of clip art.

For every elementary-age child, you’ll need to order one of these items:

✔ Wild Ride Bible Guide (includes Daily Challenges and The Survivor’s Bible for Operation Kid-to-Kid)
✔ Avalanche Ranch name badge
✔ Set of Bible Memory Buddies
✔ Bible Point Craft items:

For every preschooler, you’ll need to order one of these items:

✔ Buddy Bag
✔ Prayer Journal
✔ Operation Kid-to-Kid Prayer Bear (each child will make 2 bears)
✔ Prairie Dog Bible Book (includes Daily Challenges and The Survivor’s Bible for Operation Kid-to-Kid)
✔ Avalanche Ranch name badge
✔ Set of Bible Memory Buddies
✔ Bible Point Craft items:

For every crew leader, you'll need to order one of these items:

✔ Avalanche Ranch name badge
✔ Preschool or Elementary Crew Leader Pocket Guide
✔ 1 set of Daily Challenge Wow Cows
✔ 1 Crew Bag

Even if you’re planning a late-summer program, it’s not too early to order materials. As you update your registration count, you can order additional student supplies as needed.

Explore your church facilities. You’ll want to be deliberate in selecting your station areas. If your plans involve more than 150 children, run two or more simultaneous stations. For more information on how to do this, see “Ranch Stations” on page 26 of your Director's Manual. You’ll need to set up a separate room or area for each station. Use the following guidelines:

Sing & Play Stampede
✔ large room to accommodate entire VBS (possibly a sanctuary or fellowship hall)
✔ sound system/microphone (helpful)
✔ outlet to plug in audiocassette player or CD player (or a sound system to play Sing & Play Stampede Music audiocassette or CD)
✔ outlet to plug in overhead projector (if using Sing & Play Stampede song lyrics transparencies)
✔ screen (for your music video)

Chadder's Wild West Theater
✔ classroom to accommodate one-fourth of the elementary-age kids (helpful if room can be darkened)
✔ outlet to plug in TV and DVD player
✔ DVD player

Cowpoke Crafts And Missions
✔ classroom to accommodate one-fourth of the elementary-age kids
✔ 1 or 2 low tables (helpful for supplies)
✔ outlet to plug in audiocassette player or CD player when using Sing & Play Stampede Music audiocassette or CD

Chuck Wagon Chow
✔ large room to accommodate entire VBS (possibly a fellowship hall or gymnasium)
✔ church kitchen or other uncarpeted area for Chuck Wagon Chow Service

Horseplay Games And Spotlight Drama
✔ room or outdoor area to accommodate one-fourth of the elementary-age kids (a fellowship hall, gymnasium, or lawn)
✔ room enough for children to run around
✔ outlet to plug in audiocassette player or CD player if using Sing & Play Stampede Music audiocassette or CD

Wild Bible Adventures
✔ classroom that can comfortably accommodate one-fourth of the elementary-age kids and that can be darkened. Since the Wild Bible Adventures room requires “sets,” it’s helpful if this room can be undisturbed for the entire Avalanche Ranch.
✔ classroom that’s in a quiet area of your facility (helpful for storytelling)
✔ outlet to plug in CD player

Showtime Roundup
✔ large room to accommodate entire VBS (possibly a sanctuary or fellowship hall; could use the same room as Sing & Play Stampede)
✔ sound system/microphone (helpful)
✔ outlet to plug in audiocassette or CD player
✔ video projection unit
✔ large screen (for showing Sing & Play Stampede Music video and Spotlight Drama PowerPoint presentation)
✔ stage (helpful)

Prairie Dog Preschool
✔ up to 4 classroom(s) to accommodate all preschoolers for Crafts and Play, Games, Chadder’s Theater, and Bible Adventures and Missions
✔ outlet to plug in TV/DVD player and audiocassette player
✔ DVD player
✔ restroom facilities in room or nearby
✔ child-size furniture
✔ preschool toys such as blocks, modeling dough, dress-up clothes, and stuffed animals

Plan and schedule a leader training meeting using the guidelines in the “Staff Training Meeting” section.
This outline incorporates the Wah-hoo! Recruiting, Overview, and Pass-Along Training DVD, which contains clips from Avalanche Ranch field tests. Your station leaders will enjoy seeing Avalanche Ranch in action. Be sure to include Ranch Crew Leaders in your training so they can better understand their role. The DVD is filled with helpful, practical tips to make station leaders and crew leaders the best staff around. Plan to meet for at least two hours.