Fun Facts

All too often, children think parents know nothing.  And, as the years progress, it seems like the less we remember.  So, when your children are asking help with homework and we baffle them with our big words because we truly do not understanding what in the world they are doing, we can salvage our pride.  Below is a list of fun facts that all parents should keep stored in case of emergency… you know those “okay, well I don’t know that but let me show you what I do know” moments.

Here you go parents, dazzle your children with your brilliance!

• Tipping in Iceland is considered an insult.
• People swallow about a pound of insects per year! There are even tiny pieces of insects in food!!
• The average life of a taste bud is 10 days.
• Ketchup was originally sold as a medicine in the 1830’s.
• Butterflies taste with their feet.
• A duck’s quack does not echo, and no one knows why.
• Average lifespan of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.
• American’s eat an average of 18 acres of pizza a day.
• A crocodile always grows its teeth back to replace the old ones.
• American Airlines saved $40,000 by removing one olive from every salad in 1987.
• An ant will always fall on its right side when intoxicated.  (did someone pay money for this study?)
• The Chico, CA city council enacted a ban on nuclear weapons, setting a $500 fine for anyone who detonates one in city limits.
• Starfish don’t have brains.
• The bible is the world’s most shoplifted book.  (sad but true)
• The Main library at Indiana, University sinks 1 inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
• Odds of hitting jackpot on a slot machine are 889 to 1.
• The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as blood plasma.
• Giant tortoises live between 150-200 years. (no wonder they are so slow!)
• If the entire population of China were to walk in front of you in a single file line, it would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
• A ‘jiffy’ actually means 1/100th of a second.
• Canada is an Indian word meaning ‘big village’.
• In America, you’re more likely to be hurt by a vending machine than a bear.
• The deer is the most dangerous animal in America.

Parents, these fun facts are to be stored for safe keeping.  Keep them handy and available.  You will need them!

Kids love to come home with their new facts that they learned in school.  Some of those facts we actually remember, but all too often we look like deer in headlights!  We parents may not know everything or even remember enough to keep up with the kids as they get older, but if we keep a storage of absolutely useless information, we can still dazzle the kids with our brilliance!