Opening weekend was very exciting, we worked hard building and painting the stand on Saturday. On Sunday it was time to make our lemonade (fresh squeezed of course) and cookies. We did a batch of strawberry chocolate chip cookies on Sunday and also a batch of chocolate chip on Monday. I honestly do not know exactly sure how many we sold in all, because the kids really liked the cookies and it seemed like every time I turned around one child or another had a cookie in their hand! But, that doesn't matter, they had fun!
We also learned a few valuable tips on the first day. 1. When having a lemonade stand near the water, also have a trash can! 2. While we were not offering alcohol, a bottle opener would be a good idea to have available so people do not try and use our stand counter instead. 3. We will need a larger cooler to hold more lemonade. 4. People want hot dogs. 5. Ice cream, popcicles, chips, and pretty much any other muchie food item would also be good sellers! 6. A tip jar labeled "saving for our trip to Disney world" will produce as much income as the lemonade! 7. We need to add a bell so that when a customer comes to the stand and the kids are swimming, they can let us know they are waiting.
I have been asked numerous times why I want to encourage my kids to have a lemonade stand at the lake. People have asked, "isn't that a lot of work for you? Don't you want to relax while you are at the lake?" This got me thinking, why am I so excited about something that had me baking and cleaning in the kitchen at 9:30 in the morning so that we could hurry down to the lake only to be interrupted from my suntanning to help get the pitcher to stop leaking? The answer is simple. My kids love it! They love it and they are learning in authentic ways, about things they don't even realize! Sure, there is the obvious lesson of being an entrepreneur and learning about supply and demand, counting money, etc. But, I find, especially at my kids ages, that the most valuable lessons they are learning have nothing to do with the selling of their goods.
Let me walk you through some of the lessons I saw my kids learn this weekend. They learned about hard work and the pride it can bring them. The girls went to the store with me and helped me pick out paint brushes and the shade of yellow paint for the stand (incase you are wondering, its "jazzy yellow"). When we brought it home they were anxious to get started. They did an awesome job helping paint the boards for the front of their stand. Did they cover every board evenly? No, I did a lot of smoothing and filling in the blank spots, but they kept at it until I told them they could go play while I finished up the details. Then, even before the stand was finished, when they saw their newly painted boards attached to the front, they were so excited to see something they helped design and "build" become a reality. Next, it was time to make our lemonade and cookies. They helped me in the kitchen, now, again there are the obvious lessons of math, following directions, etc when reading a recipe and completing any task in the kitchen, but I also watched them practice taking turns squeezing the lemons and stirring the lemonade and talking to each other to ask for another turn and offer to switch jobs. They were then able to help me organize all of the items needed for the stand. Cups, plates, a towel, lemonade, cookies, and a money jar. For little minds and little hands, this is a large task on its own. When we got down to the stand and had everything set up, I was able to see them experiencing pride as they saw all the work they had done come together. When the first customers arrived, I was able to watch them learn about socialization, customer service, and manners. Asking someone they don't know what they would like, answering questions about the cookies and the cost of the items, and giving them what they asked for are huge challenges for young children. These are skills that need to be practiced and cultivated and all to often, kids are rushed through these tasks because they take time! As parents we are more inclined to make it easier on everyone and order for our children at a restaurant or answer a question for them when talking to other adults so that it is easier to understand or goes quicker. I helped my children answer the questions they didn't know the answers to, but instead of speaking for them, I encouraged them with what to say and waited for them to share the information. As the day went on, they learned the answers themselves and easily offered them to each new customer. I then watched as my children learned that while they were able to leave their stand to swim and play, their play had to stop when it was time to work. They would excitedly run out of the water and over to help their waiting customers. When the day was over I was pleased to see how willing my kids were to help clean up. While I realize, some of this was simply the excitement of it being the first time for their lemonade stand, I also know that it is my job as their parent to help them learn these behaviors are expected each time and to encourage it to continue. Finally, it was fun to watch as their counted their earnings! They separated the coins by size and then counted each dollar. Since I had allowed them to each spend $0.75 at the store earlier in the weekend on a piece of candy of their choice, they realized that the $15 they earned in their first day was A LOT!
So I guess my answer to people who wonder why I want to spend so much time on this project with my kids instead of relaxing, is that I don't see it as work. I view this lemonade stand as an awesome way to teach my kids many lessons they need to learn. They will develop skills and have opportunities to be creative and try things that many kids don't have a chance to do until they are much older. I see this lemonade stand as a tool to help me provide them with feelings of pride and responsibility as well as offer them with problems they need to solve and assist them in developing strategies to do just that. I also see this lemonade stand as a way to make memories that they will cherish and as a way for me to get to "play" with them in a way that is exciting to both them and me! This is a project that I am anxious to continue with them throughout the summer and see all the opportunities it presents to us! Stay tuned for updates!
Also...what kinds of cookies/goodies would you be interested in buying at a lemonade stand? Leave some input in the comments section and help me come up with some new recipes to try!