I’ve always found it somewhat strange/confusing that September is considered a “fall” month, even though summer doesn’t technically end until the month is more than two-thirds over. (I feel the same about the other seasons: how is it that winter doesn’t begin until December 22?!) However, despite what my calendar (and the 90-degree weather) is telling me, Autumn Fever is in the air, and with it comes the start of a new school year. I know that many areas have been back in school for almost a month now, but the schools around us just started back up this week. Now that the kids are all putting their freshly-sharpened pencils to good use, I thought it would be fun to share some back-to-school trivia. Whether or not you are starting school yourself, enjoy this back-to-school lesson and share it with your favorite student.

Back to School Fun Facts

A History Lesson

  • For centuries, an elementary education was only available to America’s wealthy. This changed in the 1840s when reformers tried to get tax funding for schools because they thought that if education was free, more people would attend, resulting in better citizens and decreased crime rates.
  • At one time, geography determined when students attended classes: in small rural areas, school went from December to March and from May to August so that kids could help plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. In urban areas, schools were off in the summer when hot, crowded classrooms could foster the spread of disease.

Art Class

  • By the time a child turns 10, he will have worn down approximately 730 crayons and will have spent an average of 28 minutes per day coloring.
  • In the Color Census of 2000, blue was voted the favorite crayon color, while tan, tumbleweed, and spring green were voted the least-favorite colors.

Back to School

Back-to-School Math

School Geography

  • The length of summer vacations varies among countries: in Ethiopia, summer vacation is 12-15 weeks long, depending on the school. In Germany, students get a six-week vacation.
  • School hours also differ in other countries. In Brazil, school runs from 7 a.m. to noon because students go home to share lunch with their families, and in Mexico, students go to school Monday through Friday with elective classes on Saturdays.
  • The biggest school in the world (in terms of pupils) is the City Montessori school in Lucknow, India, which was establish by the Ghandi’s in 1959 and has more than 32,000 students.

Back to School

Psychology

And one more just for fun . . . J.K. Rowling announced on Twitter this week that this past Tuesday was the first day at Hogwarts for James S. Potter, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley’s oldest son.

Do you have an interesting back-to-school story or piece of trivia to share? I’d love to hear it!

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