The new youth and children’s coordinator at First United Methodist Church is giving the annual vacation Bible school her first go.

“I’ve been going to that church since 2005,” said Ali Harber. “I wanted to get more involved.”

This year’s vacation Bible school at First United Methodist, which takes place daily from 6 to 8 p.m., started Monday and runs through Friday evening at the church. Harber, who started working for the church in May, said this year’s theme was ocean-based, and called “Operation Overboard: Dare to Go Deep with God.”

“All of our stories kind of revolved around that,” Harber said.

The first couple days, Harber said, have gone well. About 21 children, ranging in age from 4 years to sixth grade, are involved this year. First United Methodist has four teachers, one to cover each of the four stations, plus four assistants to help them.

“It’s definitely a lot of work, but in a good way,” Harber said. “I really like spending time with the kids.”

The format this year starts as a large group, but breaks into smaller groups that each go to different activities. Craft time gives the children different hands-on projects to work on, including making refrigerator magnets and bean bags shaped like fish. Discovery time, which focuses on science-related subjects and experiments, includes an experiment on density that involves vegetable oil, water and food coloring. There’s also recreation time and snack time.

“They rotate into the four different stations,” Harber said.

In addition to the instructors and their assistants, several teenagers are helping with skits this year.

“It’s something they volunteer for,” Harber said of the teens. “They earn money toward youth trips that we take as a church.”

The most recent of such trips was in July, when a group of seventh- through 12th-graders went to Petersburg, Ill., to participate in a mission camp. After, they worked on stewardship projects to help people in Springfield, Ill. Harber was along for the event as one of two mission trips she’s led since taking the job at First United Methodist.

On the whole, she said the Bible school has been going off without a hitch.

“The program’s been running very smoothly,” Harber said Thursday. “No real problems have arisen so far.”

The children themselves seem content, too.

“I think they’re really enjoying it,” she said. “I’ve heard nothing but positives.”

On Friday evening, the grand finale will bring the whole group to the rented-out Austin Municipal Pool to enjoy open swim time. Children can bring their family members, and the teachers and staff from the bible school will join in on the festivities.