Food Facts
Percent increase from 2008 to 2009 in the number of U.S. households growing their own produce: 19
Money for produce, per season, that a family can save from investing $70 in a home garden: $530
Times more likely preschoolers are to eat fresh produce if it’s home-grown and not store-bought: Two
Percent of 4th through 6th graders who enjoy working in the garden: 96
Percent who enjoy taste-testing fresh fruits and vegetables: 98
Percent of children who consider watermelon their favorite fruit: 60
Percent whose favorite is apples: 30
Percent of children’s daily intake of vegetables that comes from French fries: 25
Percent of their fruit intake that comes from juice: 40
Rating Rides
Percent of children whose favorite amusement park ride is the merry-go-round: Four
Percent whose favorite is the roller coaster: 55
Year the U.S.’s first roller coaster, the Switchback Railway, opened in Coney Island, Brooklyn: 1884
Year the world’s oldest continuously operating roller coaster opened, in Melbourne, Australia: 1912
Sources: Real Simple, Parenting, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Scholastic.com