Lemonade Stall

What you need

• two or three lemons in a bowl, and a lemon squeezer
• a plastic jug of cold water and a spoonful of sugar
• plastic cups
• paper and crayons for a sign and pretend money
• a small table for the stall

How to do it

1. Cut the lemons in half yourself, then let your child press and twist each half on the squeezer.
2. Tip the juice into the jug of water, add the sugar and let them stir and taste until it's just right.
3. Set up the stall on a small table with a sign they draw, a row of cups and some pretend money drawn on paper.
4. Take turns selling and buying, pouring one cup for each customer and counting how many have been sold.

Why it matters

Squeezing the lemons themselves makes it their lemonade and their stall, from the first pour to the last cup sold.

What they're learning

Squeezing and twisting

Pressing hard on a lemon half.

Counting out cups

One for each customer.

Running a stall

Saying hello, pouring, taking the money.

What to look for

Notice them working out how many cups they need before they start pouring.

A tip

You do the cutting with a sharp knife, then put it away. Lemon juice stings in cuts and eyes, so wash hands afterwards, and keep the sugar to one spoonful.

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