Paul's Jail

We build a jail for Paul for VBS several years ago. We used large applicance boxes and cut a frame and then in the frame we cut spaces between the bars - then the "jail" was painted black. A large piece of black felt (or any dark material) placed across the top of the "jail" walls helps to make the place look darker. If you use a three sided jail, make the back wall out of an sheet painted to look like the inside of a cell - cracked walls, a light bulb hanging from the ceiling, a pan of moldy bread, some rats, etc. The more the merrier! Hang the cloth jail wall on the room wall to complete the jail. Colors used were shades of gray and some brown (the wooden parts of the cell.) If you can paint some bones on the floor of the scenery - great. Before the children entered the "jail" they were fingerprinted and a digital "mug" shot was taken of each child, complete with a prisoner number that changed for each child. Mean looking Romans guards kept the "prisoners" moving along in a "kindly manner!" The children loved it. When their jail term was over - they received their mug shot and finger prints as a souvenir!