Your student’s teachers will be the first to tell you that the summer
vacation has serious effects on your child’s learning. While it’s
good to take a break from the books, teachers often struggle for weeks
to get those brains back in gear. Creating fun summer activities for your
students that help them to exercise their brains is a great way to keep
them on their game.
The lemonade stand is a fun way for your students to learn through the
summer. It teaches a range of life skills and gets them to practice math
all while having fun and learning the fundamentals of commerce. While
you can teach a number of lessons through a lemonade stand, remember that
its mostly about fun.
Spreading the lemon love
Start by working with your student to select a charity that they really
love. Whether they need to raise funds for their Girl Guide or Boy Scout
troupe, or they want to give the proceeds to a local pet shelter, together
you can find a worthy recipient of your lemonade income that will teach
your students about the importance of community and
charity.
Marketing savvy
Once you’ve decided on a charity, the next thing you can teach is
the fundamentals of marketing. Here you can discuss locations and why
some would be better than others. Next, take on the lemonade stand itself.
Discuss ways in which you can decorate your lemonade stand to attract
attention. Get your students to make signs that advertise their lemonade
stand, the charity they are supporting and the items that will be on sale.
They can also make posters to advertise the lemonade stand in advance.
Glitter, balloons, pictures and other decorative elements can help to
add a creative facet onto your educational endeavor. Also discuss ways
in which your students should greet customers and how they should help them.
Green your lemonade stand
This is also a great opportunity to focus on the environment. Make your
stand and posters from recycled materials. You can use boxes from your
local grocery store to create a store front and posters. Opt for biodegradable
cups or plastic cups that you can reuse. Make sure that all the materials
end up in the recycling once your lemonade stand is taken down.
Math Whizz
Keep lots of change on hand and let your students work out how much change
each customer needs to get. They can also count the money to see how much
they have made. This is a great way to get them to practice their math
skills while having fun.
