The three-year olds in the YWCA’s nationally accredited child care facility recently celebrated the end of summer with a lemonade stand. After weeks of reading books about picnics, making cardboard ants, and grilling hotdogs and hamburgers on pretend grills, the children learned about making lemonade. They were assisted in this special activity by the YWCA’s Junior Board members, who conduct cooking classes once a month. The cooking classes help the children served by the YW become comfortable in the kitchen, and also teach important skills for meal preparation like measuring, counting and stirring.
As Education Specialist Delyne Hicks explains, the lemonade stand was also an important part of the children’s curriculum: “An art print from the early 1900’s of children making lemonade and selling it at a stand was brought into the classroom as part of our aesthetic education program, in which we look at others and discuss and respond to what they are doing. Our goal was to have the children look at the picture and want to re-create the scene themselves.”
On the day of the lemonade sale, the excitement in the air was tangible as the children painted signs and anticipated the arrival of their customers, the YW staff. Junior Board members helped some children roll and juice lemons, while others measured sugar and water. Once all the ingredients were combined, the lemonade was taste-tested and ready for sale! The YW staff and volunteers purchased the delicious drink for 5 cents a glass. Some of the children were anxious to help the customers, others wanted to stuff the money into the cash register, but they all enjoyed drinking the lemonade!
The YW thanks the Junior Board members and wonderful child care staff who made this project a success. If you would like to make a donation to our child care programs, please click here.
