We made an Ark of the Covenant for VBS for our daughter.
We made it as cheap as possible because it needed to be done fast and we didn't know if it would be kept and reused, so we wanted to keep the cost down. This is about half the size as described in Exodus 25:10-22. For their use, the top does not open, so this is a basic visual aid.
Jesus feeds the 5,000+ is the second lesson in the Walking in Sonshine VBS.
Depending on the age group, disciples were discussed first, and the older students discussed Jesus feeding the 4,000 and the 5,000 and the differences between both events.