Hallmark have a sale on the recordable children's artwork set, which normally sells for £12.99 but is reduced by £5 to £7.99. Postage will cost you £2.20, bringing your total to £10.19, but if you buy 3 your shipping (over £20) will be free.

• Record a message to go with your painting

I actually reviewed the Hallmark Children's Recordable Artwork last September, so I can say without a doubt that this is a great gift for Fathers Day.

You receive a blank canvas, six washable paints and a paint brush, along with the recording frame with very simple instructions to record your message. You can wrap it up and give it as a gift, or post it to someone far off, and at the press of a button they'll hear a message from the painter - about the painting or just a general message.

It's a really sweet idea, and sure to be really meaningful, especially to fathers or grandfathers who don't get to see their little ones every day. And in fact to anyone, if you don't want it as a father's day gift.

Thanks to superdeal89 at HUKD

ASDA has a Little Tikes Playhouse in natural colours on sale for £85. That doesn't seem like a saving, except when you realise it's actually half their usual price and Amazon are selling it for £179!

• Set up house in the garden

Actually, the nice things about these houses is that they can be used both indoors and outdoors, I guess.

The playhouses are suitable for children over 18 months, though I can't imagine why - my 14 month old loves the one at the soft play centre.

The Playhouse in Natural reflects classic wood cabin design for playhouse which presents children with different outdoor fun activities and plays. The playhouse features detailed styling on outside walls and shingled roof top.

The playhouse is equipped with drop leaf table, phone shutters and a Dutch door for added fun. The high brick chimney on the rooftop makes it look like a wood cabin making it perfect for role play.

Reviewers say it's solid and sturdy, easy to put together and a great present for kids.

Thanks to biggysilly at HUKD

Parenting daughters is tough. There are so many messages about what girls should be, and more still about how they should look. Blogger Virginia Sole Smith has put together a resource of books about Brave Girls. I think I'm off to Amazon to do some shopping!

I really struggle to write reviews on nappies because they are so subjective. It's like writing a review on a pair of trousers. Just because they fit me doesn't mean they're going to fit you. I love trousers from M&S, but my sister thinks they hang funny on her, and they fit well around her hips and gape around her middle. We have different body types, so different brands work differently for us.

It's the same with cloth nappies and with disposable nappies.

When my oldest was in disposable nappies as a baby a friend recommended a specific brand, and they happened to be on sale, so we bought bulk - and I mean BULK. We had hundreds of nappies. And I had to change my daughter's outfit with every single nappy change, because they leaked everywhere.  We had to shop around a bit till we found something that really worked for us, and we found that in reusable nappies.

So, while I can tell you about our experience with Asda's Little Angels nappies, my advice would be to buy one pack and try them for yourself before stocking up in bulk, just because we're overall happy with them.

If you like making your baby and toddler food from scratch, this pretty new book from Ella's Kitchen has 100 recipes for mums and dads who want to cook for their toddlers. (I'm assuming it's all food anyone can eat though!) The book has an RRP of £14. 99 and is still selling at Amazon for £8.69. The Book People are selling it for £4.99, and there's a 10% off code too, and a free delivery one, both of which work together.

Take 10% off at the Book People

• Discount: 10%
• Discount Code: TENWIN

• Discount: Free Delivery
• Discount Code: MAYWEL

I''m sure we've all seen the Ella's Kitchen baby food products in the supermarket? Well, this is a book produced by the makers of the same.

It's their first book aimed at creating nutritious, convenient home-cooked food that the whole family will love.

The book includes 70 recipes including snacks, light meals and filling dinners like Salmon Fishcakes, Blueberry Pancakes, and more detailed Pasta Weekend meals.

Along with being a recipe book, there' are als0 vegetable prints, colouring-in and sticker pages too, to keep the little ones busy.

Thanks to jammy1012 at HUKD

Asda is selling kids DVDs at £3 each or 4 for £10, an immediate £2 saving on a bulk buy.

• Settle in for some movie magic

We all know endless screen time is not good for kids or their behaviour, but there's nothing like family movie nights to start of happy traditions that last well into teenage years, and sometimes beyond.

These DVDs from Asda are £3 each, but they are almost all reduced from £4 or £5 or in some cases up to £9, making your saving per DVD anything from £1 to £6, which multiplied by four can really add up with some smart choosing.

DVDs included are largely not new releases, but still classics the kids will love.

Some of the titles included, just to mention a few of the 116 available, are:

• Monsters vs Aliens
• Flushed Away
• Shark Tale
• Fireman Sam
• Postman Pat
• Thomas The Tank Engine
• The Gruffalo
• Ant Bully
• Spooky House

Both shipping and in-store pick up are free, so take your pick.

Thanks to gerrymig at HUKD

It's almost time to be thinking of the end of the school year. Not yet, but almost. This blog post has some rather lovely ideas for teachers gifts. Unique, unusual and sweet.

The Hidey House game from ELC at Mothercare is half price in their current sale, selling for £5 instead of £10.

• Play a different version of peekabo

This seems to be a childs take on battleships - does anyone remember that game? Does it still exist?

In Hidey House, two players try to guess where the other player has hidden their items in their house in this plotting game.

You place your items in your house board and choose a room and number to see if the other player has an item there in that room: if you find a piece, you keep it.

Mark places where you have found things with a green face and places where you have not with a red face to remind yourself.  The game is ideal for children because it's not hugely drawn out: there are four pieces to find, and the first person to find all four pieces wins.

The game comes with a game board, eight game pieces, and 32 markers. It is apparently great for hand-to-eye coordination and thinking skills, as well as social and communication skills

Amazon are selling the Babymoov Baby Bowls for £5.77, a £1.52 reduction in price. They are a set of six bowls, ideal for toddler snacks and baby food.

• Save pennies by taking snacks with you

It's been one of the biggest adjustments in parenting for me, having to take snacks with us and plan for hungry toddlers. It took a while for me to cotton on, and my daughter was constantly asking friends for their snacks, and I kind of got the message and bought a bunch of supplies for snack, and bowls to put them in.

I did find that they go missing a lot though, so while my first set were quite expensive, I didn't make that mistake the second time round, and this set for just under £6 for six bowls with lids would be just as perfect.

They have a capacity of 250ml so can hold a fair bit, are 100% airtight and can be cold sterilised, though why you would sterilise food bowls for tots is beyond me.

They are BPA free though, so no nasties leaching into your snackpots.

Now just to fill them and you're off.

The Fish Colours Mix and Match Peg Puzzle from Melissa and Doug has a pound off at Debenhams and is selling for £4 but the code GZ79 gives you 10% off, and comes with free delivery. It's also £4 at Amazon, but Debenhams is obviously a little cheaper.

• Colour match with Melissa and Doug

There's something about fish and fishing games, my daughter loves. She's always attracted to them. I don't know why, but I know she'd have loved this game a few years ago, and probably even now!

This wooden peg puzzle, featuring 10 colourful fish, includes ten interchangeable pieces, allowing children to make a different school of fish every time. I guess the idea is that they colourmatch, but they can also fit into the other fish-body-hole bits, so you can make colourful fish.

The names of the colours are under the pieces, so should help with word recognition too.

Not a bad little travel toy or gift for the price.

Thanks to xposure at HUKD

Vertbaudet has an offer on at the moment with £15 off a £20 spend. They also have a number of discounts with loads at 20% off and a few at 50% off too.

Take £15 off £20 spend and buy something nice for the summer

• Discount:£15 off £20 or more
• Expires: 30 July 2013
• Valid on:Full price items
• Promotion Code: 4600

Both Amazon and Tesco Direct have a sale on the Casdon Morphy Richards Kitchen Play Set. Delivery is free at Amazon, but £3 from Tesco, unless you can do click and collect, then it's free too. So, whichever you go for depends on when you want it and whether you want to be able to leave the house for it or not.

• Casdon Morphy Richards Kitchen Play Set from Amazon
• Casdon Morphy Richards Kitchen Play Set from Tesco Direct*

This play kitchen set is a complete set of kitchen appliances with contemporary styling, which looks remarkably similar to the real deal.

It consists of a fillable coffee maker which allows water to pour into the coffee pot, kettle with level gauge indicator, toaster with 'pop-up' toast and an extensive range of colourful crockery, cutlery and even play food.

"This Morphy Richards Kitchen Set has been specially designed to be true to life, right down to the last detail so your little cook will really feel part of your world while developing essential life skills", says Amazon.

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD

I just love this super simple idea for attracting butterflies to your garden. So simple and well, sweet.

Argos have on offer a Baby Polar Gear Little Ones Bottle And Insulted Food Cooler for £4.99, reduced from £9.99 and with free delivery.

• Go out prepared with a cool bag*

The insulated Baby Polar Gear Little Ones Bottle and Food Cooler with adjustable shoulder strap is ideal for drinks and foods for little ones. It apparently has a roomy interior, which fits all types of food pots, sipper cups, drinks and snacks.

It comes complete with freezable ice pack to keep contents cooler for longer.

The lid opens on three sides, so you won't have trouble getting things in and out  and it has a front pocket. There's also a quick release clip so there's no danger of getting it caught on anything.

It has sponge clean PEVA lining, so it can be kept nice and clean, and a mesh sponge pocket on the inside of the lid acts as convenient storage space for spare wet wipes.

Thanks to kellyhorserider1 at HUKD

We have aMelissa and Doug Stacking Train (£14.99) that my daughter has played with since her first birthday, almost three years ago. It's such a great set though, that even though it's not new, I still want to tell you about it.

The Melissa and Doug Stacking Train is made up of an 'engine' and two carriages. They all interlink and connect through slotted in pieces, which is great because the carriages don't unhook during normal play.

The three carriages have 15 building blocks which can be mixed and matched and played with in a number of different permeation.

There are a couple of great things about this set for your 1- 4 year old child. At a very young age, just stacking the blocks are fantastic for fine motor skills, and building towers are a good developmental milestone. As they get older, children can build colours together, shapes together, like by like, then later following the pattern to create the train on the box,  so this whole set really provides a myriad of learning opportunities.

The colours are great, bold and bright, and my kids love the train. It keeps them engaged.

Melissa and Doug are  normally great toys anyway, but this one has really lasted very well. It's been beaten and battered and abused in the care of two little girls, but it is still in pretty much as new condition.

Finally, the bricks are a great size because they fill up little hands, but are by and large too large for little mouths.

The Stacking Train by Melissa and Doug is an all round favourite for girls and boys.

Debenhams have halved the price of the 3 in 1 Disney Princess Sticker Studio making it £9. There's also an additional 10% off with either the code GZ79 or XY74, reducing it further to £8.90. Delivery is free in the UK too.

• Get creative with the Disney Princesses*

This 3-in-1 sticker studio from Crayola helps you to create 'Disney Princess' themed stickers and badges with a selection of markers and assorted artwork sheets included in the kit.

It looks like something most little girls would thoroughly enjoy, since it provides creative craftiness and 'fashion' accessories.

The set includes 1x drawing unit, sticker roll laminate, sticker roll backing, 4x markers, 1x half length Crayola pencil, 8x badges, 5x badge artwork sheets, 5x plain badge sheets, 20x sticker artwork sheets, 8x cellophane discs, 8x safety pins.

It's aimed at the over fives, and would make a great gift for under a tenner.

Thanks to xposure at HUKD

Tesco, through the Entertainer, are selling value packs of Moon Dough for £3. Unfortunately postage is another £2.99 and there's no click and collect option, but at 'was £20' plus £2.99, to just £5.99 is still pretty good value for money, especially if you're buying more than one, which at that price you can, and then have a replacement, or gifts to spare. I popped four in my basket and postage stayed £2.99.

• Model and play with Moon Dough

Moon dough is such fun, so long as you don't have a carpeted area to play on!

Aparently Moon Dough modelling clay never stains - I've not put this to the test - and it doesn't dry out either, as compared to its generically named rival in the modelling clay arena.

The dough is light and pliable, making it ideal for little hands.

It is also hypo-allergenic, so shouldn't cause any untoward reactions.

Moon Dough is recommended for little creative minds, aged over three years old.

Thanks to adwozere at HUKD

Need some inspiration for play ideas with your children? Here are 10 Pinterest Boards you should follow. And while you're following, follow PlayPennies too!

Proviz, the high visibility sports wear specialists, sent us a bicycle helmet and 'buglights' to review. Proviz provide a range of safety gear for sporting activities for both adults and children.

The helmet was too large for my daughter, so we're a bit non-commital about it at the moment, but the BugLights are fabulous. 

Homebase the same, but if you have one or the other closer to you, you can click and collect for free at either.

• Pack and Pay with the Hello Kitty Messenger Bag and Purse
• And at Homebase*

If your little one is a Hello Kitty fan, this bag and purse set could make a lovely little gift.

The Hello Kitty messenger bag is perfect for daily essentials or for school. It has two compartments and an internal pocket as well as an adjustable shoulder strap. It is made from polyester and has a 7.5 litre capacity, and weighs .2kg, so nice and lightweight.

The purse comes with a corresponding purse, which matches nicely.

As a set its pretty cute, and should thrill most little girls.

Thanks to cobman at HUKD