So if you’ve been looking to unload a lot of stuff that’s collecting dust in your garage, such as that old bedroom set with the cheap mattress, or the kitchen furniture that has been needing a replacement for a while, get your neighbors together and think about putting on a garage sale to end all garage sales.

All it takes to put together a winning lemonade stand is a pitcher of lemonade, some cups, a table, a few chairs, and a nice big sign to advertise the goods. If your kids are going to be sitting directly out in the sun, it’s a good idea to include a patio or beach umbrella into the setup, or at least some hats and plenty of sunscreen.

What about the lemonade? If you’re making a stand for the neighborhood, our advice is to go as authentic as possible. Here’s a great formula for winning lemonade from Simply Recipes.

Perfect Lemonade

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method

1. Make simple syrup by heating up the sugar and water in a saucepan. Let the sugar dissolve completely.
2. While it’s dissolving, extract lemon juice from lemons using a juicer. You’ll need about 4-6 lemons.
3. Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Dilute with the cold water. Refrigerate for about a half hour.
4. Serve with ice and add lemon slices for garnish and additional flavor.

Now that you’ve got your lemonade, it’s time to pick a spot. It’s best to find a location that’s near a main street but set far enough back from traffic so that safety doesn’t need to be a major concern. Encourage the kids in your neighborhood to be part of the planning process. It’s a great opportunity to have them involved in establishing the price of the lemonade and of course creating the sign for the stand itself. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can work with them to prepare and sell extra goodies at the stand (a great chance to learn about impulse buys!) Chocolate chip cookies are a great choice, but there’s no end to the possibilities here.

Done right, a lemonade stand can be a great way to get the kids outside, meet the neighborhood, and learn something in the process.

Tips for Halloween

• Of course, trick or treating always works best when planned in advance. Organize your neighborhood a few weeks in advance and let homeowners know that there is a concerted effort.
• Publish planned trick or treating hours, ideally early enough for the very little ones, but running late enough for older kids to have a real Halloween night experience. In general, 5-8 pm works best.
• Encourage homeowners to follow a lights on/lights off policy. If they wish to have trick or treaters visit, they can leave the porch or exterior light on. If they’d prefer to not be disturbed, lights off.
• If you have the time and resources, consider creating a simple welcome sign to distribute. You can cut out orange jack-o-lanterns from construction paper and distribute to neighbors, encouraging to tape them to their door to welcome trick or treaters.
• Depending on how rowdy your neighborhood gets, you may want to ask for adults to volunteer to walk the streets in the later hours of night. This can help prevent the fun from getting out of hand.