Summer Fun Facts for Kids

Summer Fun Facts for Kids
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Summer Facts

When you think about summer, what comes to mind? The long, hot, sticky days during the summer make it some people’s favorite season. For others, thoughts of summer are associated with foods, like ice cream and barbeque. Did you know that the biggest ice cream sundae ever assembled was 12 feet high and made with over 4,500 gallons of ice cream? This article is jam-packed with summer fun facts, so if you’re longing to find out more about summer weather, summer months or just random summer facts, you’ve come to the right place! [caption id=“attachment_130444” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]Learn about a plethora of summer fun facts! Where was the first swim school set up in the US? Keep reading![/caption]

Fun Facts About the Months of Summer

  • Did you know June 21st is the first day of summer?
  • June was named either for Juniores, the lower branch of the Roman Senate, or Juno, the wife of Jupiter, a Roman god.
  • July was named by Marc Antony in honor of Julius Caesar.
  • August was named for Julius Caesar’s adopted nephew, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavinus, who received the title Augustus, meaning “reverend.” He named the month for himself.
  • The last day of summer is September 20th. The first day of autumn begins on September 21st.
  • September comes from the Latin word septem meaning ‘seven.’ Julius Caesar gave it this name, when it actually was the seventh month in the calendar!

Weather Record Breakers

  • On September 13, 1922, the temperature in the shade in the Libyan Desert reached 136 degrees Fahrenheit. This is hot enough to fry an egg on a rock!
  • On July 4th in the year 1956, a world record for the most rain falling in one minute was recorded in Unionville, Maryland. The record was 1.23 inches in that one minute!
  • Hailstones weighing 1.67 pounds fell in Coffeyville, Kansas on September 3rd, 1970, which set a world record!

Random, Fun Summer Facts

  • Did you know a queen bee lays 1,500 eggs a day?
  • The largest wedding, in recorded history, took place in Korea on August 25, 1995. 35,000 couples were married in the Olympic Stadium in Seoul by Sun Myung Moon. 325,000 other couples were married by satellite link around the world.
  • The first National Spelling Bee was held on June 17, 1825.
  • On August 2nd, 1858, the first mailboxes were put up in the United States, in Boston, Massachusetts and New York, New York.
  • On the fourth Friday in June, people from all over the world gather in Fink, TX for a reunion of the Finks!
  • In 1827 the first swimming school opened in the United States in Boston, Massachusetts. John Quincy Adams and John James Audubon were students of this school!
  • In North Africa, the longest day of the year, Midsummer’s Eve, June 24th, is celebrated.
  • The ‘dog days’ of summer, which are the hot, sticky days, get their name from the rising of the Sirius, the Dog Star. The Sirius rises around the hottest time of the year.
  • On July 4th the North American Butterfly Association holds butterfly counts. In 2001, 300,000 butterflies were counted in 48 states, Canada and Mexico.
  • The first Father’s Day was observed in 1910, on June 19. It wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed legislation making it an official holiday on the third Sunday in June.
  • On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C.

That’s A Wrap!

If you haven’t read enough facts yet, there’s still time for one more. Thinking back to those cool summer treats, did you know that 80% of the vanilla beans used to make vanilla ice cream come from Madagascar? If these facts left you wanting to find out some more facts about other months, check out the books listed in the reference section below. Summer is a great season for fun facts, but the other three seasons are full of interesting tidbits too!

Article Credits

  • Hopkins, Lee Bennett, “Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts and More,” Greenwillow Books, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishing, 2005.
  • Ash, Russell, “The World In One Day,” DK Publishing, Inc., 1997.
  • Allison, Linda, “The Sierra Club Summer Book,” Yolla Bolly Press, 1989.
  • Makeicecream.com, facts about ice cream
  • Image by Pexels from Pixabay