Grand View Builders

Buying a bunch of holiday presents can get pricey. Give something a little more personal this year and create something homemade! Take a look at these fun DIY Christmas crafts that will make for great holiday gifts.  Let us know which ones you decide to make on our Facebook page!

Holiday Coffee Sleeves

Fashion a cute Christmas sock or small sweater into a reusable sleeve for coffee or hot cocoa to go. After washing, cut a 3-inch section from the top of your clothing. Embellish with buttons or felt snowflake cutouts for added winter charm. Slip the sleeve onto your to-go cup or tumbler, roll the ends to hide frays, and start sipping.

Photo Frame Calendar

This sweet and easy-to-make Christmas gift will be appreciated all year long. Fill one side of a hinged dual photo frame with a mini monthly calendar and fill the other with a special photo. Include the other months in a plastic sleeve, so the recipient can change the calendar as needed, along with fun stickers and scrapbook paper so they can personalize the design if desired.

Pretty Paperweights

Glass paperweights decked out for the holidays make practical and gender-neutral gifts — ideal for coworkers and teachers. The simple project starts with a glass paperweight kit, available at craft and hobby stores or online. Decorate the paperweight with scrapbooking paper, gift-wrap, or an old Christmas card. Thin foam letters glued to the paper send glad tidings.

Winter Wonderland Candle Trio

Give a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift with these beautifully adorned glass cylinders. Transform three plain cylinders into a snowfall-inspired trio with shimmery adhesive snowflakes (available at scrapbooking stores). Fit a pillar candle inside each cylinder, and include a ribbon-wrapped box of matches to complete the gift.

Thoughtful Notecard Gift

Create custom stationery for a friend by embellishing an unfinished wooden box and plain-Jane note cards with ribbon and buttons. Attach the ribbon and buttons with double-sided tape or hot glue. Line the inside of the box with brightly colored paper.

Monogrammed Candle

Personalize a store-bought candle for an inexpensive Christmas gift. Simply wrap cardstock around the candleholder, and embellish it with a die-cut accent and letter. No die-cutting tool? No problem — use stickers instead.

What do you need for a truly spooky Halloween? A giant spider in front of your home! Make this one easily out of materials that you have around your home – it’s a great activity to do with your kids. Simple instructions listed below:

-Collect nine black trash bags and stuffing such as newspaper, left over packing materials, or even leaves.
-Fill one trash bag with stuffing and tie it closed to create the spider’s body.
-Hold the second trash bag on its side and fill the length with stuffing.
-Wrap the empty bag around the stuffing several times, so that it looks like a spider’s arm, and secure it with a tie. Repeat this for the other seven legs.
-Use a glue gun to secure the legs to the body.

Pro Tip: You can cut off the bottom of Styrofoam cups and glue them onto the body to make eyes.

We got this idea from MoneyCrashers.com – check out their list for more decorations!

Looking for some healthy snacks for the kiddos to come home to? Food Network has some really yummy things for you to try – all pretty healthy too!

Sweet Bagel chips made at home are better for you than the ones at the store!

Salami Snails are a snap to make!

Edamame Hummus is sure to be a hit – even with picky eaters!

Apples and peanut butter are a tried and true snack. Make yours more fun by slicing up these Apple Moons.

We’re sure your kiddos will enjoy these treats! Stop by in the comments below and tell us which one they liked best!

One of the hardest things about eating meals as a family is the fact that kids do not like eating vegetables. Creative parents can employee different methods in order to ensure that their children get the nutrition that they need. Take some of these tips with you to the table tonight and see if you can get your little ones to enjoy their greens.

A veggie soup with a tomato base is a great way to sneak some loads of different on your child’s plate (or bowl!).

Vegetable juices are a great way to make eating veggies yummy AND fun!

Playing with fruits and vegetables will make your children more likely to sample their art supplies

If all else fails, you can always adopt the tried and true methods of allowing your kids to cook with you – they’re more likely to eat what they’ve helped to makes – or hiding veggies in other foods – try cauliflower in their mashed potatoes!

While activities such as allowing your children to play with their food may not seem conducive to table manners, a little bit of cajoling in order to show your children how yummy vegetables are is never a bad thing. Eventually, they will understand how it’s great to eat “good for you foods” and their plates will disappear in the blink of an eye! All above ideas adapted from Squidoo.

While school may be ending, summer is the perfect time to get kids excited about reading! Reading is fundamental and it’s important to teach your children the importance of reading at an early age. Additionally, they can learn responsibility by acquiring their first library card! Kids at Grand View Builders communities are zoned to Lamar, Conroe, and Alvin school districts but they can still enjoy the recommended summer reading lists for children created by HISD. We’ve attached links to these lists and also selected our favorites from each! These books are so much fun, they will make summer reading a fun activity rather than a boring chore!

For your little ones, preschool – K

Arthur Goes to Camp, Marc Brown.

For your 1^st-2^nd graders

Frog and Toad are Friends, Arnold Lobel

For your 3^rd-4^th graders

Shiloh, Phylis Reynolds Naylor

For your 5th graders

Al Capone Shines My Shoes, Gennifer Choldenko

For your 6^th graders

Bound, Donna Jo Napoli

For your  7^th-8^th graders

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

For your 9^th-10^th graders

A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway

For your 11^th-12^th graders

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Make sure to post pictures of what you and your children are reading to our Facebook and Twitter pages!