Melons Grades 3-5

MELONS GRADES 3-5 July:M Melons July: Melons Watermelon Facts! Check out these fun watermelon facts! Wild watermelons originated in southern Africa. The watermelon can be classed as both a fruit and a vegetable. It is a fruit because it grows from a seed, has a sweet refreshing flavor, and is loosely considered a type of melon (although it is actually a type of berry called a pepo). It is a vegetable because it is a member of the same family as the cucumber, pumpkin and squash. It is also harvested and cleared from fields like other vine growing vegetables. The watermelon is the official state vegetable of Oklahoma. By weight, a watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water. The high water and electrolyte content of watermelons make them ideal as a refreshing summer thrust quenchers. They keep us hydrated, our skin fresh, and can clean the kidneys of toxins. Nutritionally, watermelons contain high levels of vitamin B6 (which increases brain power), vitamin A (good for eye sight), potassium (which helps in curing heart disease and keeping the heart healthy). The watermelon also contains Vitamin B1, C and manganese which protect against infections. China is easily the world's largest producer of watermelons with 69,139,643 tons produced in 2011 compared with just 3,864,489 tons from the second highest producer, Turkey. All parts of a watermelon can be eaten, even the rind, which actually contains a number of nutrients too, but due to the unappealing flavor is rarely eaten. In China though, the rind is used as a vegetable and stir-fried, stewed or pickled. There are more than 1,200 varieties of watermelon that come in various weights, shapes, sizes and red, orange, yellow or white in color. Key commercial varieties of watermelon include the Carolina Cross, Yellow Crimson, Orangeglo, Moon & Stars, Cream of Saskatchewan, Melitopolski, and Densuke. Farmers in Japan have started growing cube shaped watermelons by growing them in glass boxes where they assume the shape of the box. Originally this was done to make the melons easier to stack and store, but the novelty of the cubic watermelon can fetch double the price of a normal one at market. As of 2013, the Guinness World Record for heaviest watermelon is for one grown by Lloyd Bright in Arkansas, USA. The watermelon weighed in at 121.93 kg (268.8 lb). Source: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/food/watermelons.html July: Melons Watermelon Polo! **Make sure you talk with the pool manager before doing this activity to ensure it is allowed** Watermelon Polo. It’s a guaranteed source of crazy entertainment. Use baby oil or vegetable oil to grease up a large watermelon, and then throw it in the center of the pool. Blow a whistle, and then have two teams enter a swimming pool. The teams then kick, push or swim with the watermelon in an effort to get the watermelon to the opposing team’s side of the pool while the opposing team tries to do the same. Check with pool manager before doing this activity! TROPICAL FRUITS GRADES 3-5 Fun Facts About Bananas My name is Bobby Banana. Did you know that…? o Bananas are a fruit. o Contrary to popular belief, bananas do not grow on trees. They actually grow on plants that are giant herbs! And the clusters of bananas grow pointing upwards, not down. o Banana plants can grow up to 20 feet tall or higher! o Banana plants are part of the Musaceae family of plants. o The scientific name for bananas is Musa X paradisiaca. o Bananas have grown on this planet for more than one million years! o As many as two million tons (that’s four trillion pounds!) of bananas are imported into the United States in a year. Now that’s a lot of bananas! o Bananas are harvested every day of the year, and are available year-round in US supermarkets. o Do you know what color bananas are when they are picked? They’re green! They don’t turn yellow until they are ripened in special ripening centers. This happens before they are shipped to your grocery store. o Bananas are the most popular fruit in the United States. Americans eat an average of 28 pounds of bananas per person per year. That equals about 112 bananas per person per year. o One medium banana counts as one serving of your 5 A Day. o Bananas are a good source of vitamin C, fiber, and potassium. o The Spanish word for banana is plantano. o The French word for banana is banane. o The Italian word for banana is la banana. o The German word for banana is Banae. © 2004 Dole Food Company, Inc. Find more fun facts about fruits and vegetables at www.dole5aday.com. July: Tropical Fruit Mango Facts! Check out these fun mango facts! The mango is one of the most cultivated fruits in tropical areas of the world, it is native to the South Asian areas of Eastern India, Burma and the Andaman Islands. Buddhist monks are believed to have introduced the mango to Malaysia and eastern Asia around the 5th century B.C. Legend has it that the God Buddha found tranquility and meditated under the cool shade of a mango tree. The evergreen mango tree can grow as high as 35-40 m (115–130 ft). They are a long living tree with some specimens having been known to still bear fruit after 300 years. The flowers of a mango tree are small and white with five petals, and the fruit takes between three and six months to ripen. Mango fruit can come in various shapes, size and color including yellow, orange, red and green. Mangos contain many nutrients. The vitamin content depends on the variety and maturity of the fruit. When a mango is green and still growing there is a high vitamin C content, as the fruit ripens and matures the amount of beta carotene (vitamin A) increases. Nearly half of the world's mangoes are produced in India, but the country accounts for less than one percent of the international mango trade due to the fact India consumes most of its own production. More fresh mangoes are eaten around the world every day than any other fruit. Mangoes are a very common food used in a number of cuisines around the world especially in the tropics. The fruit is used in all types of meals and courses such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and used in refreshing juices. Mango lassi is a very popular drink throughout South Asia, it is a combination of ripe mangoes or mango pulp with buttermilk and sugar. Aamras is also a popular thick juice made of mangoes with sugar or milk, and is often consumed with bread or rice. Mangoes are added to smoothies and as a topping on ice cream. Mango salsa and chutney are very popular as accompaniments to salads, chicken, and fish or served as a snack. Ripe mangoes are often used as an ingredient in curries. The mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines. It is also the national tree of Bangladesh. In India and several other cultures the mango fruit and leaves are ritually used as floral decorations at weddings, public celebrations and religious ceremonies. Giving someone a basket of mangoes is considered a gesture of friendship. Common mango varieties in countries such as the US and UK include: Tommy Atkins, Haden, Kent, Keitt, Ataulfo and Francis. In Asian countries such as India popular varieties include Alphonso, Benishaan, Kesar and Chaunsa. July: Tropical Fruit Pineapples – a Sign of Hospitality! Pineapples are traditionally a welcome gift in the tropics. Centuries ago however, modes of transportation were relatively slow and fresh pineapples (being perishable) were a rare luxury and coveted delicacy. The fresh pineapple was highly sought after, becoming a true symbol of prestige and social class. In fact, the pineapple, because of its rarity and expense, was such a status item that all a party hostess had to do was to display the fruit as part of a decorative centerpiece, and she would be awarded much social awe and recognition. Colonial confectioners sometimes rented pineapples to households by the day. Later, the same fruit was sold to other, more affluent clients who actually ate it. In the 1600s, the pineapple remained so uncommon, and such a coveted commodity, that King Charles II of England posed for an official portrait in an act then symbolic of royal privilege - receiving a pineapple as a gift. During the 20th century, the pineapple primarily symbolized hospitality. American Sea Captains placed the fruit outside their homes to signal to friends that they had returned after a voyage. It was this act that began the trend of stone pineapples being placed at the entrance of fine properties. Pineapples appeared frequently in the decorative arts on gates, bedposts, crockery, napkins, tablecloths and door knockers. This pineapple fountain (pictured) can be found in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Did you know: The pineapple was used by political cartoonists during the Napoleonic Wars to symbolize extravagance. July: Tropical Fruit The Pineapple Plant! The pineapple plant has a dense, shallow root system. It grows about 90cm high and bears long, stiff, prickly leaves. The fruit arises from the center or heart of these leaves. After the fruit is removed, the mother plant produces a sucker from which another fruiting stem arises. This fruiting process can be repeated, over and over, for almost fifty years - the lifetime of a native plant.

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