Sunday, November 3, 2013

Tips For Running A Stress Free Super Saturday!

Super Saturday is a wonderful Relief Society activity in which sisters get together and craft like mad! It's such a fun experience. This year I left feeling inspired and ready to challenge myself thanks to our great teachers. If you have been challenged with the task of putting a Super Saturday Together here are some tips that I found helpful!

Plan Ahead!

2-3 months ahead of time you will want to decide which crafts, classes, and luncheon you will want to provide. This gives you plenty of time to delegate responsibilities and leave sisters enough time to plan and prepare for what they will be responsible for.

6 weeks before your activity you can start setting out samples and sign ups for sisters so they have plenty of time to decide what they want to make. Sign ups should include a deadline so that you are not caught running around town finding supplies at the last minute! It is a good idea to allow for at least 3 weeks of sign ups to allow everyone a chance to sign up.

If you want the luncheon to be potluck style this is also the time to get your food sign ups ready.

Around 3 weeks before your Super Saturday you can create reminder slips that include what crafts the sisters have signed up for and how much their total is. State the date you would like all monies turned in and start purchasing all of your supplies. This will give you time to sort things out if inventories have changed or you have to find a new source. Depending on the direction you get you can also order a few extra supplies for sisters who may want to participate that day but have not signed up.

 If you have the time and the inclination you can get your committee together around 2 weeks ahead of time and run through the crafts. Some of the sisters will want to do all or some of the other crafts, but it will be very hard for them to find the opportunity to do so the day of as they will be helping others. This is also a fantastic opportunity to see where problems might develop or get the input of others to make the day go by more smoothly.

 Start kitting 1 week ahead of time. This will be the hardest week! You will feel like you are eat, sleep and breathing Super Saturday :) As far as kitting goes, I found it helpful to create bins for each project (I borrowed my daughters toy bins). So for example one of the projects we created was a pop up ornament scrapbook. I put all of the necessary pieces into a Ziplock baggie and labeled it with the sister's name and how many kits she had purchased. I also stored them in alphabetical order within the bin to make it easy for the sister or teacher to find her kit and get started. I also found it helpful to create a set of instructions and make several copies for each craft. This way if the teacher is otherwise occupied sisters had something they could reference at their fingertips. If you are creating extra kits label them with a price $. Labeling them simply as extra creates problems!

Also it is a good idea to check with all your people 1 week before to make sure teachers and anyone else who might be helping are ready and still willing! You will also want to make reminder calls for your potluck signup if you have gone that route.

If you will want the guys to help you set up tables, chairs, etc make the calls ahead of time. 

You may choose to set your tables up and lay out your kits the night before or early that morning. I recommend leaving at least 2 hours before for set up time. Tables can be covered for protection. If you will be working with wood you can set up a separate sanding area so that dust doesn't get stuck on wet projects. Paint brushes, cups, painter's rags, and paint can all be set out.

The day of you will be able to sit back and enjoy because you have delegated well and are so fantastically organized!

Optional: You may choose to offer a Finishing Night. Sisters with unfinished projects (does not have to be a Super Saturday project) can get together and craft and chat.

Helpful Hints: When pricing your kits it is recommended to allow for a $.10 difference on small projects and a $.25 difference on large projects. You will most likely need it! If there is any leftover you can provide a small snack for sisters to munch on while working.

This is just an example of what a schedule might look like.  


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