Playpennies

It is possible to bake a birthday cake for a fraction of the cost of even a supermarket cake. And, because you're doing it yourself you can do something a bit fun too.

Like the cake in the picture below. I made that! It is, admittedly, a cake designed and made by an 8 year old, and it looks radioactive. But it is definitely a lot of fun and it looked great. I'm still quite chuffed with the end result, and that's another reason for making your own cake.

Here's a surprising secret. Baking is actually dead easy. You follow the instructions. That's it. Here's a top tip: if you don’t have anything to measure in, like me, then a cup is a tea cup, and a tablespoon is about two and a half dessert spoons. Once you've made the mix, pop it in the oven, and in about 15 minutes (for a dozen cupcakes or cookies) or half an hour you have the house smelling luscious and everyone talking about how fabulous you are.

When it comes to a home made birthday cake, you want something that looks fabulous but really can be done by anyone who has zero artistic ability. And doesn’t really know how to bake. So here’s the top five, easy, birthday cake ideas that I managed to find, recipes that are, crucially also a lot of fun.

There's all sorts of kid's handprint and foot print crafts available on the internet, and also loads of different bookmark options. My daughters and I have spent a lot of time playing with Shrinkles recently too, so I decided to combine the two into an easy and fun craft activity for Father's Day, to accompany the book we're giving him.

It occurs to me that here we are, less than a week from Father's Day, and I've not had the same barrage of marketing that preceded mother's day. Also, think about how many traditions are associated with Mother's Day, or Mothering Sunday.

Daffodils, either the real flower or crafted ones. Mum's traditional breakfast in bed complete with burnt toast and handmade cards. Lunch, out at a restaurant or cooked by dad. A day to put your feet up, but a day definitely spent with the family.

Then there's Father's day. No flowers here. I'd go with the breakfast in bed, but there's no real tradition of this. Then what? Do dad's put up their feet while the, er, lawn is mowed? Maybe have lunch cooked for them if they're the ones that normally do the cooking? There's really no stereotype here, is there?

Apart from the giving of socks and ties. But the same can be the said of birthdays and Christmas too.

So what to do for Father's day that's easy, special, and most importantly, doesn't cost very much? Read on for 5 fab ideas.

About three years ago I wrote a feature called A Sensory Room on a Budget and it had such a powerful response I thought it was worth revisiting this topic and taking a look at what special offers and ideas are available today to help parents in this situation.

A sensory room is brilliant for adults who need to relax, for children with sensory processing disorders such as autism, ADHD and Global Development Disorder, and for teens and kids who are overwhelmed and overstimulated. It provides a safe and calm place to relax and find equilibrium, to tame tantrums and control meltdowns. Here children are kept reassured and loved and soothed. So let’s set out to find a way of making one on a budget.

There's lots of ways to have a nice break in the UK, without it costing an arm and leg. Starting with getting there. Now is the time you'll need to start thinking about this if you want to get the best deals for a summer break. So here are some of the top tips we could find to save you cash while travelling to your destination - and back again of course.

Read on to find out more.  And please, do pass on your own tips. I'd love to hear them.

Half term is coming. It almost has the same soundtrack as Darth Vader in Star Wars, only with more screaming and hiding gin in a water bottle. And that’s just the parents. As the days of children roaming free approach, here are some ideas, tips and suggestions to surviving half term with your kids.

People queue up to give you stuff when you have a baby. Retailers recognise that sleep deprived parents of newborns are only too willing to try anything that might work. OK I am being cynical here! But sometimes it feels that way when you have a baby.

The truth is there's a lot of baby essentials you need, and there's a lot of company's out there competing for your cash. A good way to entice you into using their product is with a sample, or pack, given away free. And lets face it, we all love freebies!

So here are all the baby packs and freebies we could find at PlayPennies. We might not have got all of them. So if we've missed any, then please let us know by posting a comment in the box at the end of the feature. Now, read on to find out more.

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Finally summer is here! Welcome to warm and sunny months of flowers, dancing in the sun and finding things to do over the holidays. As the light streams out from behind the clouds colour seems to be everywhere – it sparkles on a web, it glints off a stream, it flashes in a rainbow. It’s the perfect time, I thought to write about that very topic. Colour.

Why is it so important that our children learn to colour in? When do they first recognise colours? When do they start colouring in and what inspires them to do so?

Baby has  taken his or her first toddling steps. They can get about, and you feel rather proud. This is a huge achievement.

The thing is, what they want to do now is walk everywhere. Get back in that pushchair? Are you mad?! And a toddler has their own agenda when it comes to getting anywhere. In fact, getting anywhere at all seems to be pretty optional for them.

They like going out. Some will be sociable, and want to mix with other children. Some won't and will prefer your company. But from now until they go to school they will want to go out and do things - and so will you. It is fun!

Activities at this stage are generally best if they offer a mix of stuff to do, which includes the ability to run, fast, in any direction they want.

So what do other parents recommend? I drew on the collective experience of our PlayPennies parents, scoured the internet, and asked every parent I know.

Right, so your summer holiday is on its way and if you’ve not sorted it out yet, then it is time to do so now. Here are some tips and tricks to saving money on your holidays so you don’t end up feeling stressed about your finances when you get home.

Every year we look at the baby essentials, the stuff you really will need if you're about to become new parents. And we also look at the stuff you can safely avoid. Like nappy disposal bins - to be honest a bin with a lid does the same job.

But there are the in-between items. The ones that some parents can't do without, while other parents find indispensable. The problem is, until baby arrives you just won't know whether this applies to you, or not.

These are the items that you should look at borrowing, buying second-hand, or waiting until baby is born. And here's a handy list for you to check off against your own shopping list as you prepare for that imminent arrival. This could save you quite a lot of dosh in the long term.

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I may have a six year old, but I remember exactly how tired I was when she was a six week old. I remember the feeling of my eyes dragging along the ground behind me, the inability to think beyond the weird fog in my head, and the desperate need to lie down wherever I was and just sleep.

So, here are some brilliant tips that will hopefully help you get your little one to sleep in a jiffy!

Is it possible to have a birthday party for your child, and not spend more than £50 or less? I found myself wondering about this when I read at the weekend that on average, people spend £300 on a child's birthday party.  With many spending as much as £800.

My first thought was, who are these people? And why aren't they in the same recession as the rest of us? The figures come from a poll run by Mums Show Live, an event held in London for parents of children aged four to 12. Which makes me think that it is the whole school thing that ups the ante. We start to meet other parents, look at what people are doing on social media, and start to feel pressured into doing the same. Suddenly, pin the tail on the donkey, jelly and ice cream doesn't feel like enough.

But people, it doesn't have to be that way. It is possible to throw your child a simple party and for it to be fun, and everyone to have a good time, and it not to cost the earth. Here are some top tips!

Music plays a powerful role in the development of a child. From the moment they can hear in utero to the day they are born and up, music can inspire them, relax them, help them learn and develop and so much more. This week PlayPennies teamed up with the very well know music group, Jo Jingles, to talk about the importance of music and singing for your children.

One of the big ticket items you're going to have to get when you have a baby is a cot, or cot bed. This can be as straightforward as going to the shop and buying the first one you see. But if you want to make a more informed choice then there are some things you really need to know. Especially if you decide to buy second-hand.

Knowledge can also save you cash. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If only I knew way back when my son was born what I know now. Choosing the right one when buying a cot was one such minefield. I can see now that I spent far more than I needed to simply because I didn't know what to look for.

The technology revolution and the rise of the app have made me very happy. Not only does it mean that we get to play around with amazing new toys, but we also gain access to a world of recipes and ideas that people never had access  to before. In this feature I am going to take you through some of the coolest recipe apps from the free to the costly…

Funny how at this time of the year I find myself wanting to spring clean. Maybe it is down to the whole change of season thing. Spring appears to have come a whole month late, but still the weather has finally managed to claw its way up past the 10 degree mark. And there's been a return of that yellow stuff too, otherwise know as sunshine.

As the sun lit the back wall of my living room for the first time in six months, I realised (as I do every year) that things have got a bit cluttered and dusty. Time to get the place looking fresh and clean.

This year I am boxing everything up, and sorting out the stuff I could feasibly make some money from. With a bit of organisation, I plan on having a really nice treat day out this half term. Paid for by the stuff I don't need! I'll update you on how I get on later in May, but for now, here's some of the places I've found that will pay for your junk, online. Read on to find out more.

Ever find yourself telling people that you're just not good at maths? That maths isn't your strong point? That you just don't get numbers? I'll let you in on a secret. It turns out that none of us are maths dunces. We were just taught it wrong.

That's the reasoning behind the massive change in the maths curriculum that took place a wee while ago. The idea now is to help children learn the concepts behind maths, not just formulaic stuff by rote. Apparently, saints preserve us, algera is something we should all do for the fun of it, like we do Soduku puzzles.

This might leave you though, as the parent of primary school children, a bit flummoxed at how to provide them with numeracy support in the same way you would their literacy. Well, there's lots of help to be had, and much of it is free. Read on to find out more.

Ok, so it is the greatest family reunion since the beginning of time. You’ve even managed to get Great Aunt Thelma to come to the party and your sister/aunt/in-law has just had the most beautiful baby ever. You want to grab this moment in time forever and so you whip out your camera or camcorder, film everything as much as you can, get home to view the footage with glee, and discover that in every, single shot someone is doing something terrible. There is no perfect shot.

So, without further ado, here are some of the biggest dilemmas revealed and we give you some tips to help combat these so you get those moments captured perfectly, forever.

Owning a video camera doesn’t mean you suddenly become brilliant at shooting home movies. Often the opposite is entirely true. There is camera shake, funny noises, blurred shots, a bit of a Blair Witch thing with random feet and noses, and the weather doesn’t help either. So, we went and asked around for some ideas on how to capture fantastic videos while out with your family and both Panasonic and the National Trust replied…

The weather has been, let’s face it, more than a little unpredictable lately. I would even go so far as to say that the weather, if likened to a mental state, has moved from strange to downright insane. So where can you go on a gloomy day?