Every year I look through the VBS packages offered by the major CE Publishers and make software suggestions. This list is not a recommendation of any particular VBS. They each have their strengths and weaknesses.

Here are my VBS software suggestions for 2010:
 

Cokesbury's Galactic Blast

Session One - The Creation Story, Genesis 1

Biblical Connection:  Children are reminded of all God has created - both seen and unseen.
Praise Phrase:  Our God is wonderful!  Praise God!

Software:   Awesome Bible Stories' CREATION story.  www.sundaysoftware.com/awesome  Also found in Play and Learn Children's Bible CD for younger children, www.sundaysoftware.com/playand.htm

Session Two - God is with Elijah at Mt. Horeb, I Kings 19

Biblical Connection:  Children are reminded that God is always with them just like the moon is always next to the earth, even when it can't be seen.
Praise Phrase:  Our God is incredible!  Praise God!

Software:  Elijah and Jonah CD, Elijah, Ahab and the Still Small Voice.  www.sundaysoftware.com/Elijah-Jonah

Session Three - Jesus knows the woman at the well, John 4

Biblical Connection:  Children are reminded when they look into a star-filled sky that God has created and knows each star just as God has created and cares for each one of them.
Praise Phrase:  Our God is amazing!  Praise God!

Software:  Life of Christ CD lesson #14, www.sundaysoftware.com/christ.html, and Let's Talk CD, www.sundaysoftware.com/lets-talk "The excuses we make." See lesson suggestion at www.sundaysoftware.com/crossref.htm

Session Four - Jesus heals a blind beggar, Luke 18

Biblical Connection:  Children are reminded that a comet is nothing more than a dirty snowball in outer space until it comes close to the sun and transforms into a brilliant glow in the sky just as their lives are transformed as they grow into a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Praise Phrase:  Our God is magnificent! Praise God!

Software: Let's Talk CD, www.sundaysoftware.com/lets-talk.   See lesson suggestion for this story at www.sundaysoftware.com/crossref.htm and www.sundaysoftware.com/lets-talk/more-lessons.htm

Session Five - Jesus appears on the road to Emmaus, Luke 24

Biblical Connection:  Children learn that a super nova is an exploding star giving birth to new stars just as Jesus’ life and resurrection gives new birth to all who believe in him.
Praise Phrase:  Our God is awesome! Praise God!

Software:  Jesus in Space CD!  The Mission to Ice Moon Alpha to help the Snoballians retell the Emmaus Story.  www.sundaysoftware.com/jesus

Cokesbury/Abingdon's PRAISE PARTY

Software!  Attack of the Sunday School Zombies CD www.sundaysoftware.com/zombies  ...all about coming to Worship and Sunday School with a praise-filled attitude.

Augsburg’s BAOBOB BLAST
For the ELCA and PCUSA

Software: Let's Talk or Kid Pix... kids create new calls for new occupations and for different types and ages of kids. See lesson example at www.sundaysoftware.com/crossref.htm.  Also found in Play and Learn Children's Bible CD for younger children, www.sundaysoftware.com/playand.htm

Software: Actual Reality, the Newsboys' interactive lyrics for the song "God is Not a Secret".

VBS Memory Verses Many VBS curriculums have daily memory verses. That makes Cal & Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD one of the most popular for our VBS customers. You or the kids edit-in the verses, add comments and a quiz to each verse, then play onscreen. Quizzes, Puzzles and Take-homes Quiz your kids at the end of VBS or the end of each day by using  Fall of Jericho Quiz Making/Playing Game. In the Jericho program you create a set of questions that summarizes all your VBS lessons.  Play it on DAY 5 as a group.  You can also do this in Bible Grand Slam (Bible Baseball software). Create Crossword Puzzles and Word Searches each day or for certain days using Bible CrossWords and Word Search CDs.  These puzzles can be played on screen, or they can be printed out  for the READERS. These puzzles could be something your OLDER STUDENT TECHIES create for the younger pals and give them at the end of the lesson to take home.

Each day is a different part of Joseph's Story.

Software: Use our Joseph's Story CD. Break it into parts, of have the older kids play it all the way through in the final two days. www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph

Also found in Play and Learn Children's Bible CD for younger children, www.sundaysoftware.com/playand.htm

 

Group Publishing's HIGH SEAS EXPEDITION

Day 1:  Peter freed from Prison, Acts 12

Day 2: God comforts Paul in storm at sea, Act 27

Day 3: Paul survives snakebite, Acts 28

Day 4: Peter and John teach about Jesus, Acts 3

Day 5: Community of Believers share, Acts 2

Software to Use:  Life of Paul CD covers Paul in the book of Acts. 
Paul CD overview: www.sundaysoftware.com/lifeof
See complete outline of Paul CD at www.sundaysoftware.com/paul.htm

David C Cook's Wildwood Forest

Day 1:  Gideon, Judges 7

Software:  Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD to do the day's verse from 1 Samuel 17:47
"It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's."  www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin

Day 2: Fiery Furnace, Daniel 3

Software: Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD to do the day's verse from Psalm 47:2
"How Awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!" www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin

Day 3:  Paul and Silas in prison, Acts 16

Software: See my software lesson suggestion at www.sundaysoftware.com/crossref.htm.
"Singing in Jail" story found in Play and Learn Children's Bible CD for younger children, www.sundaysoftware.com/playand.htm

Day 4:  Elijah meets God in the Cave, I Kings 19

Software: Elijah & Jonah CD has the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel, escaping to the cave at Horeb.  www.sundaysoftware.com/Elijah-Jonah

Day 5:  Wild Love -the Birth of Jesus, Luke 2, Matthew 2

Software: Fluffy and God's Amazing Christmas Adventure CD ...various parts of this CD will do the Xmas story great!  www.sundaysoftware.com/fluffy

Gospel Light’s SonQuest Rainforest

Day 1:  Parable of the Soils/Sower

Software: Use Kid Pix to illustrate, www.sundaysoftware.com/kidpix.htm

Day 2:  The Lost Sheep, Matthew 18

Software: Use Prodigal Son CD to look at the Lost & Found Son, www.sundaysoftware.com/prodigal/prodigal.htm.  Lost Sheep also found in Play and Learn Children's Bible CD for younger children, www.sundaysoftware.com/playand.htm

Day 3:  Good Samaritan, Who is my Neighbor?  Luke 10

Software: Good Sam the Samaritan CD, www.sundaysoftware.com/sam.htm

Day 4:  Knock, Seek Luke 11

Software: Use Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD for this memory verse. www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin

Day 5:  Parable of the Talents "use it or lose it" Matthew 25

Software:  This parable is one of the 6 stories in Awesome Bible Stories CD, www.sundaysoftware.com/awesome

A servant girl speaks up, and God's power heals Naaman.
2 Kings 5:1-14

The story of Naaman has some good visuals, several characters and good lines. I would suggest my "photograph tableau" concept where you photograph the kids acting out parts of the story, then pull (import) the images into Kid Pix or a wordprocessor to make a storybook.  For younger children, you're going to need older helpers. Create 4 or 5 story scenes and print them out. Have the kids take turns arranging the printed scenes in the correct order. You can add captions or 'talk bubbles' to the pictures.

Shepherds see baby Jesus and tell everyone about the Savior.
Luke 2:1-20

Fluffy and God's Amazing Christmas Adventure CD has a shepherds section and quiz. www.sundaysoftware.com/fluffy

An army officer goes to Jesus, and Jesus heals his servant.
Matthew 8:5-10, 13

Two things jump out at me that suggest this would be a good story to create dialog for an animated character to speak aloud in Let's Talk CD, www.sundaysoftware.com/lets-talk.  1) Why did the officer think he "wasn't good enough" ? Have him elaborate on that idea. 2) There was a crowd following Jesus, and many in that crowd were probably upset that Jesus would heal the servant of an "enemy." You can bet that some were also thinking, "if Jesus can heal this man without even seeing him in person, why doesn't he just heal all the sick people right now?"  You can open up the "Talk Now" module in the Let's Talk program and pose a series of questions to your students in a similar vein, and have them response. For young children, have "keyboard buddies" help them create the words.

A boy shares his food, and Jesus feeds more than 5,000 people.
John 6:1-13

Found in Life of Christ CD (older) and Play and Learn Children's Bible CD (younger.

A young man shows courage, and Paul lives to serve Jesus.
Acts 23:12-24

This interesting story introduces us to the fact that Paul had a sister and nephew. The nephew tells Paul about a plot to kill him, and is sent to the Roman centurion who gets Paul out of town. Unlike some other of Paul's friends and relatives, the boy was named neither in the scripture, nor church tradition.

For younger children, I might have them illustrate in Kid Pix in a super outfit that represented the boy's traits and character
What would be a good super-hero name for what he did? --make an emblem.
What qualities did he possess?  
Other questions:
How did the simple courageous act of warning Paul affect Paul's mission?  

This story might call for some map work. Caesarea is on the shore of  the Mediterranean Sea and has extensive ruins, including that of the governor's house. 

[Note: I wish this lesson extended to verse 35... to include the exciting visual of Paul being taken to Caesarea by armed escort, and the centurion Claudius' letter to Governor Felix in defense of Paul. For older kids, I would do a lesson where I "brought charges" against one of the kids in my class for spreading lies and preaching about Jesus, and then have my students create a letter in defense. For drama I might do a mock trial.]

Concordia Publishing's PLANET ZOOM

Day 1: Jesus the boy in the Temple, our Savior, came to seek and save the lost. Luke 2

Software: Use Cal & Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD for today's memory verse.  www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin. Also found in Play and Learn Children's Bible CD for younger children, www.sundaysoftware.com/playand.htm

Day 2: Jesus Feeds the 5000, our Savior, does big things, John 6.

Software: Use Life of Christ CD's lesson on Feeding of 5000. Also found in Play and Learn Children's Bible CD for younger children, www.sundaysoftware.com/playand.htm  Use Cal & Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD for today's memory verse.  www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin

Day 3: Jesus raises Jairus' daughter, our Savior, says, “Believe!”  Mark 5

Software: Use Cal & Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD for today's memory verse.  www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin

Day 4: Jesus rose from the dead, our Savior, tells us to go and tell, Matthew 27

Software: Life of Christ CD. www.sundaysoftware.com/christ.html  and Jesus in Space, Emmaus story. www.sundaysoftware.com/jesus.  Also found in Play and Learn Children's Bible CD for younger children, www.sundaysoftware.com/playand.htm

Day 5: Peter rescued from jail. Jesus, our Savior, works through His people Acts 12.

Software: Use Cal & Marty's Scripture Memory Game CD for today's memory verse.  www.sundaysoftware.com/luther-calvin

SeaQuest from Regular Baptist Press

Don't see your preferred VBS on our list?  Email neil@sundaysoftware.com for software suggestions for your VBS!