Squash facts for kids

The word squash can mean a few different things! It might refer to a type of plant and its fruit, a fast-paced sport played with rackets, or even a sweet drink. Let's explore the different meanings of "squash."

What is Squash the Plant?

Squash is a popular type of plant that grows delicious fruits. These fruits are often eaten as vegetables. Squash plants belong to the Cucurbita family, which also includes pumpkins and gourds. There are many different kinds of squash, and they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors!

Types of Squash Plants

Squash plants are generally divided into two main groups:

• Summer squash: These squashes are harvested when they are young and tender. Their skin is usually soft and edible. Examples include zucchini, yellow squash, and pattypan squash. You can often eat them raw or lightly cooked.
• Winter squash: These squashes are harvested when they are fully grown and have a hard rind. They can be stored for a long time, often through the winter months. Examples include butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and pumpkin. They are usually cooked before eating.

How Squash Plants Grow

Squash plants are known for growing quickly. They often have large leaves and can spread out quite a bit in a garden. Many types of squash grow on vines, while others grow as bushes. The plants produce both male and female flowers. Bees and other insects help to move pollen between these flowers, which allows the fruit to grow.

Eating Squash

Squash is very healthy! It's full of vitamins, like Vitamin A and Vitamin C, and also has fiber. People eat squash in many ways:

• Baked or roasted
• Steamed or boiled
• In soups or stews
• Grilled
• Even raw in salads (especially summer squash)

What is Squash the Sport?

Squash is a fast and exciting indoor racket sport. It's played by two players (or sometimes four players in doubles) in a special four-walled court. Players use rackets to hit a small, hollow rubber ball against the walls. The goal is to hit the ball in a way that your opponent cannot return it before it bounces twice on the floor.

How to Play Squash

The game starts with a serve. Players take turns hitting the ball against the front wall. The ball must hit the front wall before it touches any other wall. After hitting the front wall, the ball can bounce off other walls before hitting the floor. Players must hit the ball before it bounces twice. Points are scored when an opponent cannot return the ball legally.

Equipment for Squash

To play squash, you need:

• Racket: Squash rackets are smaller and lighter than tennis rackets.
• Ball: The squash ball is made of rubber and is hollow. Different colored dots on the ball show how fast it bounces, which helps players choose the right ball for their skill level.
• Court: A squash court is a rectangular room with four walls, a floor, and a ceiling. Lines on the floor and walls mark the playing area.

Squash Tennis

Squash tennis is a game similar to squash but uses equipment that is more like tennis. It's played on a squash court, but with a tennis racket and a tennis ball that has been deflated a bit. This makes the game feel a bit different from regular squash.

What is Squash the Drink?

Squash can also be a type of drink, especially popular in the United Kingdom and other countries. It's a concentrated fruit syrup that you mix with water to make a refreshing beverage. Think of it like a very strong juice concentrate.

How Squash Drink is Made

Squash drinks are made by taking fruit juice or fruit flavoring and adding sugar (or a sugar substitute) and sometimes other ingredients like citric acid. This creates a thick, sweet syrup. When you want to drink it, you simply pour a small amount of the syrup into a glass and add water, then stir.

Flavors of Squash Drink

You can find squash drinks in many different fruit flavors, such as orange, blackcurrant, lemon, apple, and mixed fruit. It's a popular way to make a tasty drink quickly and easily.

Other Meanings of Squash

Squash in Movies

There is a short movie from 2002 called Squash. It was nominated for an Academy Award, which is a very important award in the film industry. The movie is about a game of squash.

Squash in Professional Wrestling

In professional wrestling, a "squash" refers to a match that is extremely one-sided. This means one wrestler wins very quickly and easily, often in just a few minutes, without the other wrestler putting up much of a fight. It's a way to show how strong or dominant a particular wrestler is.

Images for kids

• Squash court.jpg

  An empty squash court, ready for a game.