Homeschool Bake Sale

For our end-of-year final project for homeschool, we hosted a bake sale to go along with the book, The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. There was a lot of math, selling tips (they sold lemonade in the book), and a sibling rivalry turned friendship that were stand-outs in the book--all things that were great teaching points. As parents we guided the discussions leading up to the sale, but the decisions were made by the kids. One discussion we had was possibly having a cause to raise money for and if that would generate more customers. Based on a personal experience with a kindergartner in our homeschool group, we decided to raise money for the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association. It gave greater meaning to the project. Each family team was responsible for one poster and 2-3 baked items to make. In hind sight, I wish I would have avoided chocolate! Peanut butter Rice Krispies and Mint Oreo Truffles were two of our family items, and I didn't think through that it would be warm and thus melt the chocolate. :( The kids were responsible for doing the math to see how much change was owed back. The sale got a little lengthy for the kids, but we had a steady stream of people. I was humbled by all the people that stopped by, including my parents. The kids raised over $300!

A close friend did the sweetest thing ever that I want to record. Not only did she purchase a pan of cinnamon rolls, but she wrote a note to the kids involved. The note essentially said that she was proud of the kids for raising money for a good cause. Doing service can be a hard thing but results in blessings. As an example of that, she enclosed a $5 bill for each homeschool student. The thoughtfulness of that made me cry...especially because she's a penny-pincher like I am!