The Enrichment Cottage

In our ward we go to places that have lunches under 5$. If the sisters can’t afford that then it’s ok because we rotate eating out with pot lucks at the park. The pot lucks at the park are great because we can bring our kids and save money on babysitting. And we still get time to talk with each other.
-Michelle

Well, it’s only appropriate that I have “midweek” activities. We started about 5 months ago meeting on the second Thursday of the month from 10-12.
We have tied quilts, made wall hangings, cut out dresses, and made t-shirts.
We have about 8 sisters attending each month. They want to do humanitarian projects only, although we didn’t start out with that goal in mind. We always follow the project with a pot luck. One month we all brought salads, one month all chipped in for tacos and the last two months it’s just been potluck. It has been so great we all just love it.

Now we have a request to start an exercise group. I haven’t checked into that yet. We’ll probably just rent different video’s from our public library and view them at the church.

-Cindy
Gladstone, OR

We have a midweek activity once a month during the day. It is two weeks after the official evening homemaking night. We have a potluck lunch and eat whatever shows up…..even if it is all Jell-O. We have done things like scrapbooking, quilting, cooking demos, gardening hints, etc. Lots of fun and socializing for the daytime home moms. No lessons! Just food and fun!

-Cara Lee

In my ward we have an Out to Lunch Bunch which meets once a month all sisters are invited and someone picks a restaurant the month before and it’s announced . Not everyone comes each month, we have different sisters each month. We have also started a Scrapbooking and Rubber stamp group once a month.

-Lil in CA

Our ward is just about to start several mid-week activities for the summer, and we’re really excited about them.
*Every Thursday we’ll have a Picnic in the Park for anyone who wants to bring their own lunch at a park with lots of play toys for kids.
*A monthly Pot-Luck at the Church where sisters can bring whatever they’re working on at the time (ie: Needlepoint, crocheting, etc.) with a quick 15 minute demonstration of something (machine quilting, card making, etc.)
*Walk and Talk! We will meet at a school in town that has a walking track and take turns watching each other’s kids play on the playground while we walk and talk around the track!

Acacia Pearson
Newport, Oregon

The way I like to view and plan midweek activities is with two things in mind. First, if you don’t have enough time to do it during the monthly enrichment night, do it in a midweek class, or two, or three! Some examples could be: pottery (long class), crochet, quilting, candle wicking, learning to make certain foods or meals.
Secondly, I like to think of them as the “extras.” Therefore, those classes that we don’t have to have, and do not really want to have the night of enrichment. I’m thinking in terms of what doesn’t necessarily daily improve your homemaking skills. Some examples could be: doll-making, making costumes, field trips and the like.
Don’t let this limit what classes you do have during the week. With prayer and guidance from your Bishop and Relief Society Presidency, you can plan fun, and meaningful midweek activities.

Here is a list of ideas that you could do:
Lunch Bunch-weekly sack lunch-meet at the park to play group
Book Club-meets monthly
Cake decorating-just getting this started
Cooking-Freezer Meals/Once a Month Cooking-meeting bi-monthly to learn this
Cooking-using food storage
Dutch Oven Cooking-learn some basic techniques, then dinner get togethers where everyone brings something they’ve made
Cultural Events-get together whenever there’s a play/musical/etc
Crafts-monthly projects
Exercising/walking groups
FHE packets group-posted all this in a previous email
Genealogy-bimonthly trips to the F.H. Center
Temple Group-Tuesday mornings
Dinner groups-Friday nights 2-3 couples
Home Decor-learning to sew curtains, ongoing projects
Knitting-learning to knit
Quiet Books-run like our FHE Packets group
Scrapbook group-get together once a month for 5-6 hours on a Friday night
Tole Painting-weekly get-togethers to paint own projects

We’re still working on some others and working out the details on some of these, but overall we’re off to a great start and the classes/groups keep growing.

-Stacy (Taterhopp)

We are having a Mid-Week activity June 25th for the moms and their kids. It’s a forth of July theme and we are making Flip flops tied with different red white and blue ribbons, t- shirts stamped with red white and blue stars and cute hair bows made with, of course red, white and blue ribbon. We are then going swimming afterward at someone’s home. it should be fun and it gets everyone ready for the fourth of July!

Cara Steele
Gilbert AZ

Well our groups are slowly coming together. We are finding it a huge shift in culture doing this….. For everything else we do in the church there are detailed guidelines and handbooks, but for this we are actually having to use a healthy mix of inspiration and common sense in following the new guidelines.

Our groups are as follow:

Temple group – weekly visits on a Thursday when there is an extra session in the morning that fits perfectly in with school hours etc.

Family history group – no interval has been set as yet. Lots of different things planned for this one ranging on the needs and interests of the sisters that attend. Archive visits, visits to Family History centre, idea exchange, instruction by family history consultants, etc etc

Basketball – mostly YSAs who have formed a team and will be playing in a league, but is not a closed group.

Book club – We have a very capable and enthusiastic sister in charge and a number of sisters ready and eager to get started so this is going to be good.

Quilting – this one has been up and running for almost a year already and also includes non LDS women

Walking group – will go on hikes and rambles in the bush

Fitness group – this one was very popular and has a very enthusiastic group leader
There will be a parenting group starting later in the year. There is also a movie group and a dinner group for the sisters who either don’t have anyone to go with normally or for the sisters to just enjoy a meal together to socialize.

-Mari Viertel

Other Resources:
• Midweek Activities eBook- Are you feeling uninspired and need new creative midweek class ideas? This download is PERFECT for you!
• 100 New and Creative Class Names- This list of one hundred class names is especially for Enrichment Leaders who need creative, new and fresh ideas for class titles or titles for their HFPE nights.