When August hits in Texas and daily temps are in the 90s it can be hard to get the kids outside...that is unless you tell them they can have a lemonade stand! My daughters Stella (6) and Hazel (5) have had a lemonade stand each August for the last couple years, and this summer we decided to take it up a notch, thanks to some fun decorations from Oriental Trading! We turned their play table into a lemonade stand, covered a chalkboard with daisies to make a menu, and made a pretty money box to keep their change organized. The girls had lemon fans and water squirts available to keep our customers cool. The lemonade stand turned out to be a big success and a fun way to see our fellow neighbors on a Sunday afternoon. Stella and Hazel managed to go through seven batches of pink sparkling lemonade while serving their thirsty customers!
Make Your Own Lemonade Stand I've seen so many cute lemonade stand ideas around the web, but a lot of them are labor intensive and require some serious carpentry skills! While this one looks fancy, it is as simple as jazzing up a play table with some colorful decorations and adding poles made from cardboard-covered with duct tape! Find the full tutorial here. 
DIY Chalkboard Menu The more bright pink and yellow, the better for an eye-catching lemonade stand! I decorated the outside of a basic chalkboard with small artificial daisies and let the girls write their menu using a chalk marker. Find the full tutorial for this simple craft here. 
Sparkling Pink Lemonade A lemonade stand is only as good as its lemonade! This pink sparkling lemonade recipe was a big hit with our customers. It tastes so much yummier and fresher than the powdered variety but takes almost no time to make. It looks extra fancy served in a pretty beverage dispenser and garnished with raspberries and lemon slices. Find the easy recipe here. 
Hazel was in charge of filling up the cups, and managed to serve herself several cups of lemonade in the process! 
The lemonade looked especially refreshing served in these cute lemonade cups with pink striped straws. 
DIY Money Box This small tin lunchbox outfitted with paper cups worked perfectly for keeping the girls' lemonade stand money organized while they were making change for customers. Find the tutorial here. 
Stella was more than happy to be in charge of the money! She is still working on adding and subtracting money, so it was good practice! 
Keeping Customers Cool! The girls had a couple extra surprises in addition to the lemonade to help their customers cool off on the hot day – like these cute lemon slice paper fans. 
We also filled these lemon-shaped water squirts with water and kept them in a bowl filled with ice. 
There were "lemons" being squirted everywhere - it was a fun addition to the lemonade stand! 
Stella and Hazel love their yearly lemonade stand tradition and this one really raised the bar for fun! They're already looking forward to doing it again next year. If you want to have your own lemonade stand before summer is over, be sure to check out the lemonade stand tutorial, chalkboard menu, money box, and pink sparkling lemonade recipe!
