Helping your kids build and operate a lemonade stand is a great way to get them outside, get them working, and teach them a little bit of entrepreneurship during the summertime. Whether you're good at construction or not, you can help your kids create one fantastic summer experience. When you've finished building your stand, make sure you top it with homemade lemonade and maybe even some homemade treats.
Building Your Own Stand
You'll need five slabs of 4-feet-by-8-feet sheets of plywood, preferably 1/2-inch-wide plywood. Using templates that are available from This Old House magazine article "How to Build a Lemonade Stand," which is available online, cut out all of your panels and notches. Ensure that you've taken every safety precaution when you're cutting the wood, especially if there are children around when you do it. The parts of this lemonade stand fit together with notches that you will cut into them.
After it's cut, you'll want to sand the wood to ensure that there are no splinters or jagged edges. Electric sanders will make this easier and faster, but they are not necessary. Then you and your kids can paint the wood. To make the structure stick out, use bright colors, like yellow and red. You may want to use a primer first.
Once everything is dry, you can assemble the stand. Stand the two sidepieces up with the slots that you cut facing upward. Then slide the front piece, with the slots facing downward, into the sidepieces. Slide the crosspiece onto the back for stability. Then you can lay the top segment onto the stand, fitting the notches around the sidepieces. Your kids can help with this process by holding boards steady as you slide them together.
Take two long pieces of PVC pipe and affix them to either side of the lemonade stand. You can use Velcro tape to accomplish this well. Have your kids draw, on individual placards or piece of paper, the letters for "LEMONADE." Using yarn or string, hang the paper or cards in between the PVC pipes. You can string the yarn through the paper or cards or attach the letters to the yarn with clothespins.
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