1 Reduce, reuse, recycle The detritus of just one junior school pupil’s packed lunch generates a huge 30kg of waste per school year!2 Get rid of unnecessary packaging If you must wrap sandwiches, use recycled aluminium foil (£2.95 from www

Ready Steady Lunchbox by Lucy Broadhurst (Murdoch Books, £12.99) is packed full of recipes for even the fussiest eaters, this is perfect if you are stuck for school lunch-box ideas or if you’re a budding junior chef wanting to have some fun

Put on a fashion showThe contents of a dressing up box should provide bags of inspiration for a true ‘fashionista’ style parade. Spotlights, a makeshift catwalk and even a few camera flashes will add to the sense of occasion for all concerned

-efficient north London homes being opened up to the public. When I warned my husband, Pete, about the need to be up by 10am he was aghast. “You mean we live in a show home?” he guffawed, looking around the piles of boxes, newspapers, curtains, children’s toys

for a short transfer time between airport and resort, and childcare, ski schools and slopes that are close to your accommodation. It’s also worth checking out ski school times – afternoons are always warmer. Older children, with endless energy

like their animal mascots and in St Johann in Tirol, a chocolate-box village an hour from Salzburg, the children’s ski school is run by Bobo, a giant penguin, and offers a mix of skiing and indoor activities. Skiing here is fairly gentle, so it’s a good

further with activities ranging from gladiator lessons (for all guests aged seven and over) and pizza making to parties with clowns and magicians. On arrival, children are presented with either a Welcome Activity Box or rubber duck.How much? From £285 per

of Legoland, the Middelfart Resort is a laid-back parkland with chalets, sports fields, two pools, and its own shoreline, from which a steamboat puffs away on sea tours. During Danish school holidays (which overlap with ours, but tend to end mid

Nintendo Wii, table tennis and giant Jenga, while lunch will be a very grand eight-course affair celebrating both French and English seasonal traditions. On Boxing Day, there’s complimentary tickets to The Sound Of Music starring Connie Fisher at the New

’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry begins. Rowling’s ability to write a compelling narrative that appeals to young readers and adults alike has been key to the Potter legend. The darker later volumes make Potter daunting for some under