A Fairy-Tale Castle for Real

Have you ever wanted to live in a fairy-tale castle? This is a real castle called the Swallow’s Nest, on the south coast of Crimea, and would make anyone feel like a king or queen. The castle looks almost cute with its thin pointy towers, but it survived a big earthquake in 1927 and still stands today — in case you’re looking for a castle as your home.

Wee ones: What shape are the spires, or pointy towers on the castle roof?

Little kids: If your friend’s castle has 6 spires, and your castle has 5 spires and you build on 3 more, who ends up with more spires?  Bonus: If your home is 20 feet tall and you add on a 10-foot spire, how high is the tip of that spire?

Big kids: As castles go, this one isn’t so huge: it’s just 33 feet wide and twice as long. How long is it?  Bonus: The castle was finished in 1912. For how many years has it stood, even with that earthquake? (Right now we’re still in 2014.)

Answers:
Wee ones: Triangles. In 3D they are cones.

Little kids: You do, with 8.  Bonus: 30 feet.

Big kids: 66 feet long – about 4-5 car lengths.  Bonus: 102 years.

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