Meet with Ranch Crew Leaders during Sing & Play Stampede. Each day the Sing & Play Stampede Leader will excuse Ranch Crew Leaders for a quick huddle and prayer with you outside the Sing & Play Stampede area. This is a great time to ask crew leaders if they have any needs or concerns, to make last-minute announcements or schedule changes, and to encourage your crew leaders. Lead a prayer, asking God to bless your day, protect everyone, and give all leaders wisdom as they work with each child.

Register new children. Make sure you have plenty of workers on hand to register kids the first day. (This is an excellent way to use volunteers who aren’t available to help the entire week.) Set up separate registration sites for preregistration check-in and walk-in registration. Follow the Day 1 registration procedures outlined.

After Day 1, maintain a registration table to register kids who join your program midweek.

Meet with station leaders and Ranch Crew Leaders after each day’s program. Check in with all Avalanche Ranch staff to see what went smoothly and what could be improved for future days. Be prepared to change schedules, rooms, or procedures. You may even need to reassign some Ranch Crews. Work together to make any necessary changes to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Give announcements during Sing & Play Stampede or Showtime Roundup. During the course of the program, you may need to change schedules, stations, or Ranch Crew assignments. You also may have personal messages or lost-and-found items to deliver to participants. Each day check with the Sing & Play Stampede Leader and Showtime Roundup Leader to schedule any announcements you would like everyone to hear.

Attend Sing & Play Stampede and Showtime Roundup each day. These opening and closing activities will give you a good indication of how your adventure is proceeding. They also provide opportunities for children to see you and to identify you as the director. Each day the Sing & Play Stampede Leader may call on you to pray before dismissing kids to their stations. Besides, you’ll have fun!

Peek into as many stations as you can. We visit a variety of VBS programs every year, and we’re amazed at how many directors don’t really know what’s happening in the classrooms. While you don’t need to hover over the kids or make your station leaders nervous, it’s important to know that leaders are following your guidelines.
Help your staff be the best it can be. Your helpful presence will let staff members know that they’re not alone. Plus, you can make sure they’re following the program so it will be powerful. Remember, station leaders need to follow the leader guides because each station plays an important role in children’s overall learning experience.

Make sure all station leaders and Ranch Crew leaders are present each day. Arrange for substitutes if necessary. If you’re in a pinch for Ranch Crew Leaders, ask the Sing & Play Stampede Leader and Showtime Roundup Leader to fill in—or appoint yourself crew leader for a day.

Make sure station leaders and Ranch Crew leaders have the supplies they need each day. Have a runner available to collect or purchase additional supplies if necessary.

Help with discipline problems as necessary. In Avalanche Ranch field tests (and from real programs across North America), workers encountered virtually no discipline problems. Each day was so full of fun Bible-learning activities that kids didn’t have time to misbehave. Combined-age Ranch Crews encourage kids to work together instead of squabble, and minor problems can be handled by station leaders or Ranch Crew Leaders. So your job is easy!

Stock and maintain a first-aid site. Keep a good supply of adhesive bandages and first-aid ointment on hand along with phone numbers for local clinics and hospitals. You may also want to keep photocopies of kids’ registration forms near your first-aid site. You can use the forms to check for allergies or other health concerns. Be sure to tell your Ranch Crew Leaders of any allergies or special needs, too.

Keep an eye on Ranch Crews. You may notice that some crew leaders just aren’t tuning in to their crew members, and you need to reassign a few volunteers to more suitable jobs. Or if a crew leader is struggling with a group that suddenly grew, split the crew into two more manageable groups. A “heads-up” attitude will make this VBS experience the best for each child involved.

Prepare Avalanche Ranch completion certificates. Photocopy and fill out a certificate for each child. An Avalanche Ranch completion certificate is in the Starter Kit, and additional certificates are available from Group Publishing and your Group supplier.

Send the memories home! We’ve heard it again and again: “My kids can’t stop singing those songs!” Plan to provide (or sell) Sing & Play Stampede Music audiocassettes or CDs for the kids at your program. Set up a table, complete with information on how to obtain Sing & Play Stampede media items, outside your Showtime Roundup area. Check out the reduced prices in the VBS catalog. (One church we visited already had them available at the registration table on the first day.) There’s even a bonus poster in your Fund-Your-VBS Kit to help sell these awesome family resources.