Lemonade Stand

What's here

A way for your child to run a tiny piece of a real economy. They make a product. They pick a price. People walk up. Money changes hands. The afternoon ends with a small pile of coins and bills that wasn't there in the morning. Every part of that loop is math, and most of it is also civics — pricing, supply, change-making, customer service, what to do with the proceeds.

You don't need to make this complicated. A folding table, a pitcher, a sign, a few cups, a coin tin. That's a stand.

A way in

Some children propose it themselves on a hot afternoon. If yours hasn't, you might float it: "Want to set up a stand on the sidewalk this weekend?" Most six-year-olds say yes. The proposal is the activity's beginning.