23/02/2025
The Neighborhood Cafe Lemonade stand
By Sloane
Dear Gardening Enthusiasts,
Welcome to the latest edition of
The Giving Tree !
In this issue, we're learning about The Neighborhood Cafe Lemonade Stand.
“ This lemonade stand right here, this is something to be proud of,” says Sloane, author of this newsletter, age 9.
About The Cafe:
Selecting the Right Location:
We always make sure we select the right location for our stand. We started out by selling it in my driveway but my mom and the team suggested we try somewhere more public than a steep driveway and road. We decided to try the park but didn’t have time that day, so we went to our local swim club and downtown Orinda. Therefore by doing that we were able to raise a lot of money and donations for children's hospitals around the globe.
Getting the stand ready : We always get the stand ready by getting a card table, our freshly squeezed lemonade, cookies, paper towels, small cups and big cups, tape and our signs that our 2 helpful artists have made. We put the card table down where desired. We set the lemonade on the table in a big metal jug and pour out a glass in our big cup to get us started and so the customers know what the lemonade looks like so they can decide if they want it or not. I have made delicious cookies to add to our stand and complete it. We always remember to bring paper towels to clean up messes and to give the customers a good experience of clean delicious cookies. We like to have big cups and small cups for amount preferences, and the small cups can be free samples for current workers. We have 3 signs that our helpful artists ( Gia and Campell ) have made. We always need to remember to bring tape to tape the signs to our card table. We also can’t forget the signs that each have a special purpose. Our sign that says Lemonade and Cookies Please Go Slow!!! Serves the purpose of making sure cars have time to slow and see what our stand is about. Our second sign says: Neighborhood Cafe Today we are selling… Chocolate chip cookies and freshly made lemonade. All the money we earn we donate to Children’s Hospitals. Small cup 50 cents $1.00 per item. We hope you enjoy our services! THANK YOU!!! This sign is for hanging on our card table so people know what the stand is about. Our final sign says: Lemonade we usually use this sign for advertising farther away from the stand. We use these tricks to help our stand look beautiful!
The Lemonade Recipe:
Ingredients
7 cups of water
1 ½ cups of simple syrup ( sugar and water )
9 lemons
First, get a large container that you are planning to sell your lemonade in. Fill it with 7 cups of water. Next, if you want to make homemade simple syrup, grab a small pot, add about 3 tablespoons of water and about ½ a cup of sugar, wait about 10 minutes for the sugar to dissolve ( stir frequently ). Store in a jar until you are ready to sell, best refrigerated. Then, pick or buy 9 lemons and use your squeezer to squeeze all the juices into your big container and also add the simple syrup. Add ice if needed. Tip: do not sell in the rain.
Pest and Disease Control: Make sure to clean up after you make your lemonade! If you don’t clean up, pests will come. Also make sure you are not contaminating your foods! You might get sick, along with your customers. When you are cleaning up your mess you definitely want to do these things in order to make sure the place you make your lemonade is pest free, put all the used lemons and anything compostable in the compost, put all your trash in the trash can and lastly wipe down the table\ counter even if it isn’t yours( you might want help from a friend). While you are handing things out to the customers you might want to keep this in mind, make sure you have washed your hands, make sure you are not coughing or sneezing on any foods or drinks and lastly when you are giving out treats make sure you are using a napkin. To clean the table I advise using Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner and paper towels. I advise you to make chocolate chip cookies as they are a classic and they are pretty popular.
Flowering: Make sure you have a floral arrangement! If you do, customers might be more attracted to your shop. Also make sure you have an arrangement with lemons on the bottom where the water is so that it looks nicer! If you have lemons on the bottom it is very pretty and it is sure to send your customer off with a smile on their face, and you too.When you are making a floral arrangement there are some things you want to keep in mind, get flowers that go well together, add some leaves to give it some texture and fullness and don’t add too much water or else your stems will rot. When you are putting lemons in the bottom of your vase here are some things you should try, make sure you are using a clear vase, the lemons may rot so take them out if they do and the lemons look better sliced in half. When you are making a floral arrangement I advise you to put a penny inside to insure the flowers last longer. When you are picking lemons to put in a vase or to make the lemonade I advise you buy a lemon picker.
Fun Fact:
Did you know lemonade stands are often seen as the quintessential first business for kids, teaching basic lessons in entrepreneurship, money management, and customer service?
