Table Topics   Updated daily!
April 7, 2008
Mind-stretching brain games and conversation starters.
It's the perfect opportunity for sharing stories, building knowledge, strengthening character, and having fun!

Understanding the elements of literature often makes reading more enjoyable. Encourage your children's love of books by exploring the elements of literature.

For me, as well as many other people who love reading, one of the things that makes a book truly enjoyable is having characters who seem real. Discuss stories that have strong characters. What makes the characters in these stories seem real?

Do not hesitate to use movie stories as well as stories from books. Even though I am not the biggest fan of adventure movies, I still remember how Indiana Jones hated snakes.

You can find more information on characterization here:

Characterization

      Read another issue of Table Topics
      Practice characterization using the story Little Red Riding Hood

Do you get bored easily? Would you like to see something different the next time you look out your window? There is an apartment building in Curitiba, Brazil containing eleven stories that can each be programmed to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise at varying speeds. Each floor consists of one apartment with a non-revolving core where plumbing for bathrooms and kitchens remain static.

Here’s a picture:

The World's Only Completely Revolving Tower in Curitiba, Brazil