Summer Riddles
You can feel me but cannot see me cooling you at the beach
What is a breeze?
This invention made backyard summer cooking easier in the 1950s
What is the charcoal grill?
The longest day of the year occurs during this phenomenon
What is the summer solstice?
I’m tiny, loud, and ruin outdoor dinners—especially uninvited.
What is a mosquito?
A bat-and-ball game often played casually in parks
What is wiffle ball?
I bring shade but travel with you
What is an umbrella?
This outdoor movie experience first opened in New Jersey on June 6, 1933, showing the film Wives Beware
What is the drive-in movie theater?
This ocean glow at night is caused by microorganisms
What is bioluminescence?
This cooling system uses evaporation instead of refrigeration
What is a swamp cooler?
An evaporative cooler, or swamp cooler, is an energy-efficient device that lowers air temperature by passing hot, dry air through water-soaked pads. It works best in arid climates, providing a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative to traditional air conditioning.
Tossing bean bags into a raised board target
What is cornhole?
I crack without lightning and boom without thunder
What is fireworks?
Air conditioning was first developed by this engineer
Who is Willis Carrier?
The buzzing insect famous for summer evenings
What are cicadas?
I’m the only time it’s acceptable to eat outside and fight bugs at the same time.
What is a picnic?
A ring toss game often played at picnics
What is quoits?
I glow stronger when the days are longer
What is the sun?
This dance craze associated with summer beaches rose in the 1960s
What is “The Twist”?
Sudden heavy rains in desert regions during summer
What are monsoons?
I’m tossed back and forth but never get offended.
What is a beach ball?
A giant outdoor block-stacking game
What is giant Jenga?
I carry treasures from the ocean but never move on my own
What are seashells?
Earliest medicine shows proliferated in the 19th century doing this form of entertainment.
This activity done by Street performers often to just entertain crowds in summer.
What is busking?
Famous people: Ed Sheeran; Benjamin Franklin; Rod Stewart, George Michael, Tracy Chapman, BB King
Animals that sleep through the hottest months practice this
What is aestivation?
Similar to winter hibernation, estivation slows an animal's metabolism, breathing, and heart rate to prevent dehydration and conserve energy when resources are scarce
including some tortoises, salamanders, and frogs. Some land snails do it. A few insects and some types of crab do it. It’s rare in mammals, with only one species of lemur and (maybe) an African hedgehog known to do it. The most often cited example of estivation is the lungfish
I’m invited to every barbecue but nobody eats me.
What is a grill?
Knocking down wooden pins in a lawn game
What is kubb?