现在中国人留学无所不用其极，这不，水影儿阿姨，又遇到了新问题，VBS？到底是什么留学方式啊？^_^

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这个问题是柔柔的刚刚今天问我的，所以我一定要耐心细致地回答一下。

VBS是Vacation Bible School 的简称，是美国教堂在暑假为孩子们提供的宗教教育课。VBS以接纳小学生和学前班的孩子为主。

VBS的历史可以追溯到1894年。美国的第一个VBS就是在那年兴起的。现在的VBS，通常有圣经故事讲解，唱歌跳舞，手工，表演等活动。

VBS通常是免费的，但有一些教堂会收少量的材料费。比如我家小宝今年夏天要去的这个VBS，就收了$30的费用。

VBS通常持续一周，上半天课。VBS的教学内容非常轻松灵活，属于寓教于乐那种。

和美国孩子相比，我们中国孩子去VBS的人数相对少。知道为什么吗？VBS通常是半天上学，如果大人要上班，中午扔下工作去接孩子，非常不方便。除非是大家合伙开车(CAR POOL)，轮流接送。

如果你对VBS感兴趣，把妞子寄到我家来吧。我可以天天负责接送。

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a specialized form of religious education which focuses onchildren. Churches usually hold the week long events during the summer, though the lengths of such programs may vary, and they are sometimes held during other times of the year.

History

The origins of Vacation Bible School can be traced back to Hopedale, Illinois in 1894. Sunday school teacher D. T. Miles, who also was a public school teacher, felt she was limited by time constraints in teaching the Bible to children. So, she started a daily Bible school to teach children during the summer. The first Bible school enrolled forty students and lasted four weeks. A local school was used for classes, while an adjoining park was used for recess.^[1]

In 1898 Eliza Hawes, director of the children’s department at Epiphany Baptist Church in New York City, started an “Everyday Bible School” for slum children at a rented beer parlor in New York’s East Side. Hawes continued her efforts for seven years.^[2]

Dr. Robert Boville of the Baptist Mission Society, became aware of the Hawes’ summer program and recommended it to other Baptist churches. Boville established a handful of summer schools which were taught by students at the Union Theological Seminary. During one summer, one thousand students were enrolled in five different schools. In 1922, he founded the World Association of Daily Vacation Bible School.

Today

Today, many churches run their own Vacation Bible School programs without being under the umbrella of a national organization. Some churches opt to use themed curriculum programs from their respective denominations or independent publishing houses which provide easy preparation and include marketing tools.

Modern programs usually consist of a week-long program of religious education which may employ Bible stories, religious song, arts and crafts, skits, or puppet shows which cater towardelementary school-aged children. Groups of local churches who do not have the resources to run VBS for the entire summer may elect to coordinate their schedules to provide continuous childcare.

Most churches provide VBS programs at no cost to those attending. Some churches, however, may charge a nominal fee for the program. The cost, if any, is established by the church.

From：http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4a2cefc10100j2l8.html?retcode=0

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