THEME RELATED STUFF

Fun Facts About Summer

Alice, Golden Empire Council

?   Americans eat seven billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

?   Strawberries, a favorite summer fruit, are related to the rose – each one has about 200 seeds.

?   Watermelons originally came from the Kalahari Desert region in Africa, even though a watermelon is 92% water.

?   The word barbecue comes from the Arawak word barbakoa, meaning "frame of sticks."

?   Thank the Chinese when you enjoy ice cream during the summer – it was  invented there around 2000 BC

?   Summer squash is just a name for some varieties of squash that are harvested while still immature and tender and edible. Some are actually available year-round.

?   What we call the first day of summer was actually right in the middle of it in the ancient calendar, where summer was the season that surrounded the longest day.

?   The North Pole actually gets the most sunshine of any place on earth on June 21^st – and for several weeks after!

?   When you drink a glass of summer lemonade, think of  the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes wife Lucy – she was called Lemonade Lucy all year long, because she refused to serve liquor in the White House.

?   The first person to give tips about how to land a fish in summer was a woman - Dame Juliana Berners, whose “Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle” was written in 1496 and followed for the next 150 years by English fishermen!

?   Although today we eat lots of sliced tomatoes during the summer, they were thought to be poisonous to people until the mid-19^th century.

?   Americans eat about 140 pounds of potatoes a year, and they are 540 times more likely to eat potato salad on July 4^th than on an average day.

?   The Sun doesn’t just heat up the earth during the Summer – it also holds the earth and other planets in our solar system in orbit.

?   In the Northern Hemisphere where we live, Summer is during June, July and August – but if you live below the equator in the Southern Hemisphere, those are the winter months for you – and the Winter is really Summertime!

REMEMBER FIRE SAFETY 

Sam Houston Area Council

As S’more Summer Fun may involve some fire building
(by adults or Webelos Scouts),
here are some reminders as you take caution:

ü  Build your fire in the center of a 10-foot circle that is free of flammable materials such as twigs and dry grass.

ü  Don’t build the fire against a tree or between the roots.

ü  Don’t use firewood that spits sparks.

ü  Break burnt matches before throwing them away, be sure that they are “cold out”.

ü  Never leave a fire unattended.

ü  Keep a bucket of water, dirt, or sand handy for emergency use.

ü  When you are through with the fire, put it out. Spread the coals and ashes and sprinkle them with water. Stir and sprinkle until the fire is cold out. This means it feels cold to the touch.

From the Cub Scout Leader Book, page 33-3.