Not pure academics, but...
I knew a guy [he is dead now] who had an empty barn with a concrete floor. Years ago he had made a tiny hole high up on the wall so the sun would shine through the hole and light a very small spot on the floor. Every day for years he would mark and date the spot at the same time everyday. He traced the path of the sun on his barn floor for years. I don't know what he was trying to prove but it was fascinating to see the graph of the sun's travel on the floor.
Our local labyrinth has invitation signs for people to take a soltice walk and there will be a soltice bonfire tonight at the labyrinth. It's more of a big deal here then in a lot of other places.
To which you can also add that the sun is further away from the earth in June than in December. So, all other things being equal, (latitude, altitude, sea water temperature, etc.), the Southern hemisphere has colder winters and warmer summers than the Northern Hemisphere.