Visualizing your happy place is a powerful tool for students and youth. When we are stuck in an uncomfortable situation or longing for class to end, this visualization helps to bring in positive fe…

tumblr.com Women have been running down them....... (touch pic if gif isn't working) and being carried up them for ages. Grand Staircases I love staircases, those fabulous bridges between floors. The are usually the first impression that a home makes when guests enter. When we deck the halls during the Holidays, they usually get our utmost attention as we garland, light, and tie them up in beautiful ribbons and bows. We stand on them for family pictures, slide down their banisters, brides descend them, and if you are like me, even fall down them a time or two. The purpose of this post is more about how to decorate staircases in exciting ways. Your staircase may not be as big in size, but it can still be grand in how it's decorated. I have a normal sized staircase that I recently painted in a faux marble treatment. Now it makes a statement and is more impressive. Use art, harlequin patterns, faux stone (see My Faux Limestone Project - July 2012) or marble treatments, paint murals, stencil, use paneling, wallpaper, furniture placement or beautiful runners. It may be on a smaller scale but by all means make your guests say "WOW" when they enter your home. All styles are beautiful to me. I adore simple, primitive stairways. French country entrances with unpretentious yet elegant staircases causes my heart to skip a beat. While this post is dedicated to their grander cousins, stay tuned for a post about them too. Enjoy these architectural beauties from private homes and palaces and be inspired! google.com Muralists can paint beautiful scenes or there are wallpapers you can use to create a look like this. google.com I love the mural painted on the back of this curved staircase. So much more interesting that just paint. You could also paper this area. Anything to add interest and elegance. It might be a pattern, stone treatment, or they make wonderful stencils now. It's not that hard, just takes time. The end result is well worth the effort! georgianadesign.tumblr.com The perfect place for a piano, or a chaise, or settee. The space NEEDS something! info.asmarainc.com This staircase has the perfect runner for this beautiful entry and the wallpaper really makes this area gorgeous! google.com Intricately carved and painted newels and baluster makes this staircase incredible. google.com I am not sure, but this looks like faux marbling and tromp l'oeil painting on these walls. I faux marbleized the newels, risers and decorative trim work of my staircase and LOVE it. Remember there are so many creative ways to bring the WOW factor to your stairways. indulgy.com L-shape designed stairway with raised paneling and wallpaper. Please no plain white walls ladies! petitcabinetdecuriosites.tumblr.com Freestanding curved staircases have no support from underneath, and aren't attached on either side to a wall. This unseemingly stable structure is kept rigid by the staircase's engineering. Kensington Palace You might not have black marble steps like these, but you can still find ways to make YOUR palace more interesting.I painted my steps black in an old home I restored. Then layered coats of polyurethane to seal it good. They were beautiful. lindalumdebono.blogspot.com It you are a fan of wood staircases, this should definitely make you smile! Steps can be made of wood, marble, or stone like these. indulgy.com See these black marble newel posts. You can do the same thing with a faux marble treatment. Many grand staircases have elaborate lighting topping their newel posts. pinterest.com Another amazing example of a staircase with illuminated newel. This was so fabulous I just had to include it. thingssheloves.tumblr.com A gorgeous iron baluster. Consider iron instead of wood. If you don't have limestone walls, create them! (See July's Faux Limestone Project post) google.com Main hallway of Chatsworth House, a stately home in England. stylemepretty.com I love interesting walls so of course I love to paper above the raised paneling. onelondonone.blogspot.com Harlequin floors are stunning entrances and make stairs look so elegant. tumblr.com Beautiful, intricate, stairway with an exotic flair. google.com Another beautiful free standing staircase. This one also has a balcony. If you are going with all white, make sure your flooring is interesting. This area work well because of the windows and how they bring interest to the staircase. I do, however, think some interior landscaping is called for here. sheilazellerinteriors.com I thought you might be interested in seeing the grand staircase at Althorpe, the ancestral home of Diana, Princess of Wales. I love interesting ceilings! google.com bourbonandpearls.tumblr.com Lovely staircase with a double bullnose (last step design) and two volutes (sets of curved balusters). google.com Over the top, but stunning!!! bseidshop.com Beautiful raised paneling surrounds this staircase giving it a grander appearance. thearchitecturalist.tumblr.com A radius attached staircase is attached on one side to a wall, and can be freestanding or have support underneath. The collection of architectural elements gives this staircase interest. Do you collect something that could be displayed on the walls of your stairway? thearchitecturalist.tumblr.com This is called a flare staircase. The steps flare out at the bottom. I thing staircases are the perfect area to display a tapestry. Staircase at Petit Palais - Paris. Gorgeous sweeping curves! lord-of-hahn.tumblr.com Beautiful wood staircase with decorative paneling. Display a collection of art or a few LARGE pieces. Your stairs need to be decorated. vmburkhardt.tumblr.com laceandtea.com An incredible example of the spiral staircase design. oldhouseonline.com Lovely detailed staircase. tumblr.com And we all recognize this scene and the staircase it is spotlighting. Titanic One of the most iconic grand staircases. Part of a cherub lamp fitting from the grand staircase has been recovered and is on display at a Titanic museum in the eastern United States. Enjoy decorating YOUR grand staircase!

We have to applaud her acting skills!

This is a fun worksheet about places in the city for ESL students.

Basic vocabulary, like knowing prepositions, is necessary for beginning readers. Teach prepositions with this simple game.

There is only one day left to enter our Super Science Packet give away! If you haven't checked it out yet, head on over the give away by ...

I am often heard saying that we NEED to understand we were a victim because we WERE... The victim role is not a place we want to live, but we must understand

Tokyo is one of the most photogenic cities in the world. The capital of Japan is also a place of contrasts, from contemporary observation towers to historic shrines and temples. Discover 20 cool and Instagrammable

Here’s a fun science experiment that will definitely get a “wow” from the kids. Combine baking soda and vinegar to make sodium acetate, or hot ice! It crystalizes instantly when you pour it, allowing you to create a tower of crystals. Since the process of crystallization is exothermic, the “ice” that forms will be hot […]

Butter Chikin ramen noodles uses flavorful Indian butter sauce in place of regular ramen broth. You cook the noodles in the sauce itself, making this a one-pot meal! Add whatever veggies you like. For the protein, I use tofu, but you can also use vegan chicken substitutes or soy curls.

Bring your love of travel home by cooking some of these traditional recipes from around the world at home! No passport needed!

In 1889, British Prime Minister William Gladstone got out a wheelbarrow and began moving his personal collection of 32,000 books from Hawarden Castle in

Your new readers will love making their own Magic Wand Reading Pointers that they can use to keep their place while reading. It's an easy way to make reading magical.

Creative Writing Worksheet – Decision Making (PDF) Your characters’ decisions will determine the course of your story. Will they make the right choice or the wrong one? And who can tell the difference? Use this worksheet to test which decisions will weave a better tale. You can find a ZIP of all of the writing worksheets…

So here’s the low down when it comes to the right breathing for singing. It’s NOT intuitive. That’s right. It’s not something people tend to do naturally - you really have to learn how to do it because the way you breathe for singing is the opposite to how you naturally breathe. Normal breathi

Bring your love of travel home by cooking some of these traditional recipes from around the world at home! No passport needed!

With info on the must-see spots, like the "real life Hogwarts" (John Rylands Library), or the colorful street art in the Northern Quarter.

When wandering in Prague, it’s hard to escape the crowd. The famous Charles Bridge, beautiful Prague Castle, and the Old Town Square make this town oh-so-popular among tourists. But what happened when you want to escape the crowd for an afternoon but still enjoy the best of Prague? Enters Aria Hotel

Run Effective Meetings 100% of the Time Do you dread running a meeting because it seems like no one is paying any attention? Do your meetings seem to drag on for forever and even you

After this past week, my kiddos could certainly answer that question with a big YES! This week we learned what the setting is, what makes up a setting, and why on earth it matters so much! My kiddos rocked it, so I’m here to share what we did. I know that spending an entire week on setting might seem like…

Our guest blogger shares her tips about how to make time for vocabulary instruction and how to make vocabulary instruction engaging for your students!

A list of unmissable places to visit in the Netherlands that includes famous cities, small towns, flower parks, theme parks + more - the perfect Netherlands itinerary designed by an ex resident.

Most of us find architecture fascinating. The built environment around us reflects the history and culture of a place that can shape our experiences and perceptions of an area. However, not all the buildings stand the test of time and many are left to decay. For some, they become unwanted ghosts of the past; for others, they are objects of mystery and awe.

Digital lessons made simple and effective. Learn how to use Padlet to teach a digital lesson with student interaction and feedback.

Visiting Pompeii in Italy. Parking, prices, smoking, food, clothing, bodies. 17 tips to make your trip to Pompeii run smoothly. A Pompeii travel blog.

Do not fear to modernize your home. This article will give you some advice on how to improve your home without spending too much.

This expanded form worksheet gets your child to break down numbers by ones and tens. This expanded form worksheet is an easy introduction to place value. Download to complete online or as a printable!

The perfect place to reconnect with nature.

Here's a nifty tool you can make for teaching place value in upper elementary.

These are the best Arts and Crafts Movement places in Britain. From Arts and Crafts houses in the UK to museums with the furniture and art, it's all here.

The Kindness Project, School Imporvement Project, Positive School Climate, School Counseling, Middle School

No-equipment legs workout for all fitness levels. Visual guide: print & use.

If you didn’t consider yourself a nature lover, you might change your mind after seeing these homes that take indoor/outdoor living to a new level.

The Kindergarten Math Unit 2 set is here, and it's filled with fun number 11-20 games and worksheets. No prep printables and fantastic Math Centers.

Just a quick post today. . . This was a bit of a combo lesson I did earlier this year. We first brainstormed the differences between fiction and non-fiction. My friends did pretty well, but it was a bit surprising to see what they missed. I think in all, the last bullet in each column was one they hadn't really thought about before. We had talked about genres briefly a few days prior, so I added it on to our lesson. My friends brought favorite books from home. We identified the genre, wrote it on a sticky and then put the book title under it. The sticky was then put on our anchor chart in the correct column. What was nice is that it was a nice book share. They got some great ideas for books they want to read in the future from classmates recommendations. Not surprisingly, none of them had a non-fiction book. I pulled some non-fiction books from our class library and we determined the different genres from those. I did end with a handout that streamlined the different genres in an easy to read chart. This went into their reading binder for reference as needed. They seem pretty solid on genres now. Hopefully!

This easy dinner bake combines pasta, bacon, French onion soup mix, cream and cheese for the ultimate crowd-pleasing meal.

Plenty of interactive ideas and activities to teach landforms for kids. Find videos, worksheets and even experiments to help.

The most stunning feature about English is that it is born from a confluence of a number of cultures from across the world. Every single word holds more than just what it intends to denote. [...]

Just 4 ingredients and easy to make. All it takes is a little patience and elbow grease.