Jane Marie’s Lemonade Stand 101

 Plan - Who will help?  It’s always more fun to involve friends.  Of course, adult supervision is necessary if any cooking or cutting is involved.  (See lemonade recipe.) 

Location - The ideal place for the stand is the child’s own front yard if he/she lives in a neighborhood with many houses.  If you live in an apartment, perhaps it could set up outside the front door – check with the super.  If you live out in the country with little foot traffic, then perhaps a relative in town will volunteer a good location. 

Signs - Again, plan ahead.  Have the child take time to make attractive, legible signs.  They can be made of posterboard and stapled to telephone poles on the street corner if permitted by law.  If not, a sign or two in the yard itself tacked to a strategically placed tree near the road or to a stake in the ground works fine.  

The Stand - If Mom or Dad has the time, they can help the kids make a fancy stand out of scrap plywood and lattice or whatever materials are on hand.  Otherwise, a simple card table, child’s table, picnic table or patio table works well.  Mom may offer a still-pretty tablecloth that has seen better days to cover the table.  A patio umbrella or a shade tree will make the time selling drinks more pleasant for everyone and keep the ice from melting so quickly.  Don’t forget to have several lawn chairs for the comfort of the guests and chaperone*.

The Recipe – If you’re not using a mix or prepared product, try our own special REAL lemonade.  It’s not hard to make, but adults or older children need to help the younger ones with the cutting and squeezing of the lemons.

Pricing - Don’t allow the child to get greedy.  The pricing must be reasonable for the product.  Explain that the more they charge, the less they’ll sell.

We often gave our profits to what we then referred to as the “Crippled Children’s Fund.”   I still have the letter thanking us for our efforts.  I’ll never forget when the mailman delivered a letter to me with my name typed on it, thanking me for my generosity.  I felt particularly grownup that day.