Watermelon
Did you know watermelons are a fruit that grow on vines? Watermelons are a melon.
Melons are in the same gourd family as squash and cucumbers. Watermelon likely
originated in the Kalahari Desert of Africa.
Watermelons are usually round or oblong and weigh 5 to 30 pounds. They have a
smooth, green rind (thick skin) which is not eaten. Most watermelons have red flesh
but there are orange and yellow-fleshed varieties. Some have seeds and some are
seedless.
Did you know there are over 1,200 types of watermelon grown in 96 different
countries? Watermelon is over 92% water and that’s how it got its name.
We hope you enjoy the farm fresh watermelon today from <FARM NAME> in <TOWN>.
Enjoy!
Short activities for enrichment:
1. Have students list ways they can eat watermelon at home.
o Try a slice of fresh watermelon.
o Add watermelon with other fruits to make a fruit salad.
o Place watermelon balls on skewers for fruit kabobs.
o Add to green salads.
o Puree for a sorbet or refreshing drink.
2. The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt and is depicted
in Egyptian hieroglyphics on walls of their ancient buildings. Watermelons were often placed in
the burial tombs of kings to nourish them in the afterlife. Look at the world map to find Egypt
and the Kalahari Desert in Africa.
3. In 1990, Bill Carson of Arrington, TN grew the largest watermelon. Research how many pounds
the watermelon grew to. (Answer: 262 pounds; 1998 ed. Guinness Book of World Records)