School holidays might be over, but why not think ahead and get some ideas and supplies in now! Your first stop is the local library... because not only do they have plenty of books, but movies and often games too. There's often a reading morning once a week and most libraries are online with plenty of good sites in the search engine.

Get some handbands in to use as rewards for jobs done and behaviour that deserves something special. Kids like collecting, so get a series of handbands that will build up to a set and make sure all their friends are in on the game too.

Kids winter sports are starting up soon and if you're in charge... now's the time to start thinking about fundraising. The weekly sausage sizzle is now a lolly cart, ice blocks, chips and more... but what about something healthy, something different to also stick on the counter? You can get reduced rates on higher quantities of handbands with the team motto and in the club's colours. Think about it - it's healthy, advertises the club all over the suburb and is a great collectible for the kids.

The best adventure of them all - let the kids camp out in the back yard in a tent, with a 'midnight feast', a lantern and a torch. Pack them off early enough and they'll be asleep (!!) before you know it and will have had a memorable night. Teach them some card games to play by camp light and give them a board game as well. If you have a portable DVD player, a quiet movie at around 8.30 will have them falling asleep by 9ish. Perfect!

Look up a list of the  city farm visits close to where you live and put that on the holiday agenda. Get ready ahead of time with yummy snacks and a simple lunch and make an adventure out of it with a couple of other families. They're often good value for money and it gives the kids something very different to experience. And it's way cheaper than a day at the movies!

Motivation is in the eye of the reader... really.