Summer is at its hottest and there’s nothing like an ice-cold glass of lemonade in this heat. Generations of kids have earned money by selling lemonade on sweltering summer days and lemonade stands are a perfect summer activity to introduce this topic.
Before you pick the day of your stand, a little preparation is needed. Finding the right street corner is just as important as offering delicious lemonade to keep neighbors and passerby’s coming back for more. Offering fresh fruit is also a fun twist to delight customers and convince them to tell their friends about your children’s lemonade stand.
To find out how to set your kids up to start a successful stand, read this tutorial.
Step 1: Find a stand If you have the time, order a fun pre-built lemonade stand, or if you prefer to keep it simple, a rolling bar cart or side table is easy and portable to bring out to the sidewalk.
Step 2: Create bright lemonade stand signs with your kids This is where your children can get creative! Bright markers, glitter, different fonts – they can let their imagination’s run wild. Since the price of the lemonade will be listed on the sign, here is a good opportunity to teach them about money, pricing, costs and profits.
Step 3: Decorate your stand by picking out a cute tablecloth, napkins, paper cups and straws (optional)
Step 4: Create a money tracking system We love these cash registers that encourage children to learn money skills and making change for their customers. An envelope will also do with a ziplock bag for smaller change.
Step 5: Use a kid-friendly pouring method An easy pouring method for smaller kids is with a large mason jar that has a nozzle. This way there’s less spilling and they can easily grab a cup and pour the lemonade in a jiffy. Can’t find something with a nozzle? You can achieve a similar effect by serving lemonade in a punch bowl with a paper plate placed on top to prevent bugs from getting into your lemonade. Let’s face it, even the bugs will get thirsty in July’s heat!
Step 6: Choose the perfect lemonade recipe Not all lemonade is created equal. It’s worth coming up with a tasty recipe so you don’t disappoint your customers. Be sure to sample each batch to make sure it has just the right amount of sweet and sour flavors before you try to sell it. Here are two options.
- Make it from scratch with fresh-squeezed lemons. For one gallon of water, you need 2 cups of fresh lemon juice and 2 cups of white sugar. Mix well so the sugar dissolves.
- Go to Salata West U and buy a gallon of their signature Lemonade or Limeade and receive one free (offer valid through July 31st) Hey, we all need some parenting shortcuts these days!
Make sure to keep a cooler filled with ice to add to the mason jar, punch bowl or even to the individual cups to keep the lemonade cold.
Step 7: Help your kids pick out some fun fruits Berries and fresh fruit will add extra flavor to your lemonade while frozen berries can help the lemonade also stay cool. Blueberries and strawberries can take 1-2 hours to freeze. Having a bowl of fruit for your kids to snack on while they are running their stand is a good idea to keep them energized. Salata West U is always my secret weapon for a variety of fun fruit and other healthy toppings when I’m in a pinch.
Step 8: Share your pictures with West U Moms and Salata for a chance to win a Salata gift card if you use their lemonades. Be sure to tag @salatasalads on Instagram and @salatawestuniversity on Facebook!
Good luck and stay hydrated!
