MakeItMike's


VBS 2009 is still a year away, but it's not to early to start collecting ideas for Group's Crocodile Dock VBS. Croc Dock will be an American swamp/bayou themed location. Yes, they know that most of the reptiles in the American swamps are alligators not crocodiles, but Croc Dock rhymes!

The upper level of Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride is a good place to look for inspiration with old fishing shacks, pirogues (flat bottomed fishing boats), electronic fireflies, bamboo fishing poles.

I didn't get a chance to make a hovercraft for PowerLab VBS, maybe I'll make a swamp boat for CrocDock. It could roll on wheels that were hidden inside the "hull" so it would look like it was floating across the stage

How about a wooden dock on stage made from 2x6s, like a wooden deck? Maybe make it on some split plastic or steel 55 gallon drums so it looks like it's floating and paint it mossy green.

"Monster Mud" is made from 4 or 5 parts pre-mixed drywall compound and 1 part latex paint. It has been used for years in haunted houses to sculpt fabric. Trees can be made from chicken wire and burlap soaked in Monster Mud (Here is a link to one of these trees. CAUTION - this is a haunted house/Halloween site in case you are against that sort of thing) Cotton gauze soaked in Monster Mud would probabably make great moss to drape from bushes near to waterline. Camo netting (available from military surplus) might make good Spanish Moss to drape from trees

For LavaLava Island, I made a crocodile out of wood that was just the back of the croc sticking up out of the water. It would be even better to make a "float" (the word for a group of crocodiles) out of styrofoam like this hippopotomus


Keep an eye out a Michael's for sales on Cattails, Pussy Willows, Irises, etc. Maybe someone will come up with a good cheap way to make lots of Tules or Bullrushes

Posted 7/06/08