Every Christmas stocking needs an activity sticker book. This one is available on Amazon at £1.29, reduced from £2.25. Delivery is free with Amazon's super saver delivery.

• Click here for Crayola Activity Sticker Pad @ Amazon

Crayola products are always good quality, at least in my experience. These bumper books have 64 pages and a double page spread of stickers. The manufacturer's description describes it as "packed full of activities and fun pictures to colour in, this book is perfect to keep you entertained at home or when travelling."

There are two styles of the book included in the special offer on Amazon, and it isn't clear which one you'll get. I don't think you can specify - it is more a case of pot luck.There are a couple of reviews of the book on the website and it seems that people are pretty happy with it.

Thanks to clgay at HUKD!

We have this one! My son was given it as a present when he was a toddler, and the pen is still working. It's a nice book, with lots of activities. Or just scribble space if that's what your child prefers. Amazon has the Peppa Pig Wipe-Clean Game Book on sale for £2.79. The price is normally £3.99. Delivery is free with super save delivery.

• Oink oink! Wipe clean Peppa Pig fun @ Amazon

The pages on this book are a little bit thicker than a normal paperback, and are covered in a glossy coating. The black pen sits in its own little container on the cover. Don't try to open it from the front! Open the book up - the container is designed to be opened and closed so you can always keep the pen with the book.

There are lots of games and drawing spaces in the book. I have to say that the black pen doesn't wipe off entirely though, but it can be removed enough to re-use each page. One word of warning though. Do make sure that your child knows that it is the book that is wipeable and that this isn't a special pen that you can use on anything and wipe off! I still have a few black marks on the white veneer of the bookcase that I've not been able to remove.

Thanks to clgay at HUKD!

As Christmas approaches we are all frantically writing our lists, preparing our budgets and getting ready to spend a small fortune on the Big Day. So how about putting some of those precious funds towards Oxfam this year? You can get some gorgeous gifts that actually make a difference.

• Click here to explore Oxfam Unwrapped

This year Oxfam Unwrapped is launching a new line of children’s gifts in a big, fat first. This is the first time they’ve included a specific range of gifts for kids and their prices start from only £7. Each and every one of these will help transform the life of a child in an impoverished country.

Playtime has health messages for children using games and fun. It comes with a free activity book for kids aged 3-8 so kids will have fun while donating to others. The desk and chair will cost £21 and will give a young child their own place to sit at school.
For £30 you can educate a child, and for £17 you will give girls a head start with activities designed specifically for girls. Finally they have, for £47, care for a vulnerable child that includes medical, financial and emotional support for children suffering from HIV and AIDS.
If you’re not sure how Oxfam Unwrapped works, it’s simple. Just select the gift, pick a card, pay for it and your chosen person will get a card that tells them all about how their gift changed someone’s life. And a child gets a much needed item.
Go on, unwrap Oxfam this year.

I don’t know about you, but I am finding school quite hard. Every other day there’s a leaflet telling me about this activity or that developmental milestone. Then there was the Parent Teacher evening where all these goals were laid out for us to try and help our children achieve. It is all very intimidating.

So what better time to investigate the thousands of free resources on the internet that have been designed to help us help our kids? I’ve gone and done all the hunting, downloading, checking and finding for you, all you need to do is click and enjoy.

Zing Education has a bunch of free Reception Year worksheets on their site, along with a global index to free educational resources for parents. The site doesn’t look like much but there is a veritable smorgasbord of stuff in there.

Primary Resources is a site that is really for teachers but there’s nothing stopping parents from going onto the site and having a look. I really like the layout of the site and the volume of material is impressive. This site is just as helpful for other years with subjects listed along the side and then further broken down into years and ages.

For free resources and reviews on all things related to Maths, visit the Maths Blog. They have counting games, maths games, free worksheets, links to leading maths sites, and reviews of maths software and books. I am terrible at maths so this is utterly brilliant for me.

The BBC Schools website offers you lots and lots of free resources. You get activities, radio shows, programme guides and games in a wide range of topics and subjects. It’s pretty easy to find the right activities for your child’s age group, and you can visit the Parents section for helpful advice on all aspects of education and learning.

Top Marks is an educational search engine – a nice and unique service. You can find teaching resources, advice, homework help and other such scrummy educational things by using their sytem. They have also provided some great resources themselves and these are broken down nicely in the left-hand column. They also provide resources for parents who have children with special needs.

Child’s Eye Media have free films and worksheets available to watch and download. There isn’t a massive amount of material on their site, but it is definitely worth popping over for a visit. At the moment they have all the resources for the Safer Strangers, Safer Buildings campaign which teaches children how to identify trustworthy adults and what buildings they should go into in an emergency.

Colouring pages (spelled wrong), kids crafts, home school resources, puzzles, printables and other free activities for kids are all available at Activity Village. I really liked the stuff they had on the site, there is so much to do and it actually made me quite excited about doing things with my child. The only down side was the US English.

You can nab a free trial from Education City at the moment. They have educational games, online activities, whiteboard resources and special needs facilities. The site has won awards and is, really, one of the best places to go for extra school help. However, once your trial has expired you’re going to have to pay.

The National Schools Partnership is divine. I love this site. It is for teachers and schools but nobody’s going to hammer down your door and demand that you stop teaching your child cool stuff, are they? Here you can download lesson plans, notes, resources and more. They are free, they are fun, and they are seriously good.

Another spot to visit for maths help is MathSphere. The aim of the site is to help children with maths with worksheets and more. They do charge for some of their services, but they have sample worksheets and games and resources available for free.

Communication 4 All is a hideous looking site. It is. But don’t be put off because they have LOADS of ace stuff for you and your kids. You can get flashcards, songs, activities, phonics, literacy guides and so much more here. I really enjoy this site, even if it does mean painstakingly right-clicking on every image to make it visible, and scrolling for hours to find resources.

The Guardian has a long and very helpful list of websites for children with special needs. The links will take you to sites that are designed to provide parents and teachers with additional help and ideas to support their children.

Hopefully this fairly exhaustive list has given you some great ideas to help you support your kids at school. Many of these activities are such fun that children won’t realise they’re learning and you can finally find the time to wash those dishes…

Images: Bored Woman Studying by Petr Kratochvil, BBC Schools, Activity Village,

Hope, Coffee, And Melody by Barb Ver Sluis

Oooh, we are huge Toy Story fans in this house. When I bought my daughter Buzz Lightyear I think it was more for me than it was for her. I am definitely going to get her this Toy Story 3 storybook pillow for our loooong Christmas flight in December. Down to only £7.50, it’s a great price.

• Click here to get Toy Storied at Wilkinson

So…I hear you asking me what exactly a Toy Story 3 pillow is? Well, the answer is that I don’t know either. Apparently it is a book and a pillow in one. Yes, you read that correctly. This is why I want to buy one because this idea fascinates me.

Questions like – won’t it be very uncomfortable, and ouch, and how – all pop into my head. Basically you can read and play with Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story with a plus and comfy pillow that is a book. Buzz is the bookmark. Hahahaha.

Thanks to karinaj at HUKD!

These Encyclopedia Prehistorica: The Complete Collection books aren't just any old books about dinosaurs and other monsters; they're POP-UP BOOKS about dinosaurs and other monsters!

• Click HERE to roar on over to Red House for this deal

These Encylopedia Prehistorica: The Complete Collection books aren't just any old pop-up books; they're AMAZING POP-UP BOOKS!

They, whoever 'they' are, say a picture paints a thousand words - well I don't have a thousand words to play with (about 200 actually) so I have a little video link for you instead.

It shows you one of the books, being turned page by page and in it you'll see just how AWESOME these books really are.

I could describe them to you all I like, but that still wouldn't do justice to this stunning Encylopedia Prehistorica: The Complete Collection.

Click this video link and you'll see exactly what I mean, then come back and I'll tell you the rest...

So? What did you think? FABULOUS hey!

There are three books in the collection:

• Dinosaurs
• Sharks and other sea monster
• Mega Beasts

You've seen the dinosaur one and I think it's pretty safe to assume the others are just as great.

Fabulous to look at; fabulous to learn from, these Encylopedia Prehistorica: The Complete Collection books should be £50 but are being sold by Red House for just £12.99.

I've ordered from Red House before and their service is exemplary; the comments I've read about these books are even more so.

I'm taking advantage of this deal now - my youngest loves monsters and dinosaurs - before it becomes extinct!

Thanks to gooner045 over at HUKD

I don't think there's a Julia Donaldson book that I don't adore! I think the same is probably true of just about everybody too!

• Click HERE to go on over to Amazon

Amazon have some great deals on Julia Donaldson books just now, with most of them having been reduced by at least half price which brings them down to around £3 each.

It is only slightly possible that you don’t recognise the name Julia Donaldson but if I can guarantee you’ll have heard of at LEAST one of her books…The Gruffalo. If you only ever buy one Julia Donaldson book, make sure it's this one.

Tabby McTat is my youngest's current favourite and is a tale of a young kittens, friendship and loyalty.

Room on a Broom is a lovely ryhming story about a witch and her cat. They are zooming around happily on their broom one evening when the wind blows the witche’s  hat off. A dog brings her hat back and he joins them for a ride on the broom.

During the course of the evening they pick up lots of other passengers but then the broom snaps and the story gets a bit tense from this moment forward.

I won’t spoil the rest of the story for you – if you don’t already have this excellent Julia Donaldson book in your collection then I thouroughly recommend it!

Helen Nathan is a leading baking expert and has just written a simply adorable book called The Enchanted Cookie Tree. The book follows the adventures of Flossie Crumbs as she creates gorgeous cookies for the fairies and their new baby princess.

The first half of the book covers the story of Flossie and her family as they meet up with the fairies and find out that the King and the Queen of fairies have just had a little baby. The fairies ask Flossie to create cookies for the enchanted tree as a part of the baby’s welcoming ceremony.

Hidden on every page is a tiny fairy that children have to find. I love that. I have a real thing for books that hide items in the pages and encourage my daughter to explore the pictures. The little fairies are also truly cute, and sometimes really hard to find! My daughter really enjoyed that part of it.

THEN the book has an entire section dedicated to fantastical baking. Yes, you can create each and every one of the cookies from the story. They are laid out with simple and clear instructions, lovely pictures of the finished products, and a complete list of all the ingredients you need.

My personal favourites are the Geoffrey marshmallow spider biscuits (they are super easy to make and fabulously creepy), the mini footprint baby cakes (which would be a stunning pressie for a baby shower), and the various shaped cookies.

Baking with kids is a great way of spending time together, getting nice and messy, and generally having fun while eating scrummy food. I am a terrible cook but a great baker, and I found these recipes easy and almost foolproof. It’s a stunning book and would make a brilliant Christmas present.

I love things like this Make and Colour book collection of eight books which are on offer over at Red House.

• Click HERE to make a dash for Red House

I'm a HUGE Christmas fan - forget Halloween, that's nothing more than commercial begging as far as I'm concerned, it's Christmas all the way for me from here until the big day!

I love decorating the tree and hanging long home-made nut garlands around the the fireplace (drilling holes in over 300 nuts was a labour of love let me tell you!) and I still have some paper decorations that the teenagers made when they were little.

This Make and Colour book collection has eight books that are full of things for your kids to...erm, make and colour!

The titles included are:

• Make and Colour: Christmas Cards
• Make and Colour: Christmas Decorations
• Make and Colour: Greetings Cards
• Make and Colour: Farm Animals
• Make and Colour: Paper Dolls
• Make and Colour: Paper Planes
• Make and Colour: Party Things
• Make and Colour: Thank You Cards

...which are perfect for the run-up to, and during Christmas.

I've always found that cards and presents for the grandparents, made by the kids, have been more valued than something bought.

Not only that, when the Christmas holidays start to drag, there are lots of activities in these books to keep young minds occupied.

These should retail for £30.45 but are currently up for grabs with Red House for £7.99; use this code too and you'll get free delivery thrown in - FREE5037.

Happy making and colouring!

It's half term, and if you have kids going crazy indoors, then this free book could help your frazzled mind. The RSPB are giving away a free wildlife book for kids that's packed with activities, images, ideas and so much more. It is a sure-fire way to keep them busy over the holidays, especially on chilly rainy days.

• Click here to get your freebie from the RSPB

To get your free wildlife fun book you only need to fill in your details and they'll soon send a copy your way. Inside you'll find pictures of different animals and bugs, along with information about them and some tantalising facts to boost little minds. Great for education and fun!

The book also has activities and games to keep little hands busy. You can find out how to make a bird cake, all about minibeasts that live in the garden, and meet the Wild Times gang - Owlbert, Rookie, Red and Squeak. Download the form from the site and post it to the RSPB for your free book. Simples!

Thanks to crazvgterrier2000 at HUKD!

Reading. One of the best gifts you can give to a child. The wondrous worlds, the magic and imagination, the hours of visiting other places and people. Reading is one thing I will always love, and I will always thank my parents for introducing me to the wonder of reading. However, books can be quite expensive and, as a parent, you can get quite tired of reading the same stories over and over again.

Instead of wearily dragging out the same stories, or taking books out from the library and forgetting to return them (like I do), why not boost your entire children's book collection for free? Fantastic stories for all ages available for nothing at all. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they all have two things - they are free and they are doorways to the imagination.

The first site you simply have to visit is All Books Free. They have a huge range of free books for you to download directly from publishers and author websites. The books are for all ages - toddler to teen - and even include old classics like the Elves and the Shoemaker (one of my personal childhood favourites). All you need to do is click on the link for the book and you'll be taken to the site where you can download and print a PDF copy.

If you don't like the idea of reading from tatty pieces of paper, you can invest in some folders to put the pages in and print off old illustrations to decorate the covers. You can even get your kids to join in with the decorating to really personalist the books to their tastes.

Another idea is to purchase some ribbon and a punch and to then punch the sheets, weave the ribbon through, and voila, you have a stunning little book that cost nothing more than a few accessories.

Best Children's Books have got the Beatrix Potter stories on their site for absolutely free. This is a gem of a site with stories like The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Tale of Benjamin Bunny and the Tale of Jemima Puddleduck, there for the taking. They also have a Peter Rabbit Colouring Book that you can buy for $2 if you want some extra fun.

The stories are exactly replicated from the originals but you will have to endure adverts running down the sides of the text. I wasn't able to print the pages so I can't tell you if they print without the ads, but you can always copy and paste the text into a Word document to avoid having adverts on your pages. The site says it is entirely legal as the copyright has expired. You can also get free copies of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes and free fairy tales on the same site.

Another utterly fantastic resource is Children's Storybooks Online. They have an enormous database of free books for children that covers ages from tot to teen. You can enjoy any number of different titles, and they add new books to the site all the time.

The books from Children's Storybooks Online have to be read online though, so while not as convenient as some of the other sites, there is a lot more variety. The layout is really simple, you just have to sit back and use the mouse to navigate the pages. The site is also broken down into the different groups for easy navigation. An utter gem for long journeys and on-demand reading entertainment.

Mighty Book has over 800 free books for kids of all ages. They also have activities and games, all of them geared towards entertaining and educating your child. The books are plain or animated and you can have a select few for free. If you want access to the entire database you'll have to subscribe, but there are enough sample free books to enjoy without having to spend any money at all.

Classic Literature boasts an impressive collection of classic texts that have been released into the public domain. Among these you'll find children's classics like Alice in Wonderland and Journey to the Centre of the Earth, among others.

You can even get the entire Oz series - from the Wizard of Oz all the way through to the final episode. If you never read through the entire Oz series, then grab these and get reading with your kids - they are as strange and fabulous for adults as they are for kids.

Hopefully this pile of free children's books, and websites packed with free children's literature, will keep you and your kids entertained for many happy hours. They will certainly come in handy as the Christmas holidays approach, the nights draw in, and we all look for ways to keep little hands and minds busy. Happy free reading!

I was transported back 25 years as soon as I came across this deal for the Adrian Mole Book Collection!

• Click HERE to relive those days of teenage angst

I loved reading the Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 and 3/4 - the  3/4 bit was so spot on, it's the most important part of that age you know!

I haven't read it in a very VERY long time, and don't own copies of it any more either, but I can't help wondering how much of its subtle humour was lost on me at the time?

Oh don't get me wrong, I found it funny back in the day but with teenagers of my own now, I'm rather curious to see if it would be funny from this side of the teenage fence.

Hmmm...I think I've just talked myself into taking advantage of the deal The Book People have on the seven books that make up this Adrian Mole book collection!

The titles are:

• The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
• The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
• True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole
• Adrian Mole The Wilderness Years
• The Cappuccino Years
• The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole
• Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Adrian Mole Collection has an rrp of £55.93 but is up for grabs for £7.99 and if you bung this code in to your basket too - OCTWEL - then you'll get delivery thrown in for free too.

Thanks to andywedge over at HUKD!

I think this is just such a sweet gift idea for a little girl, no matter what time of year it is. This Guess How Much I love You book and writing set for £3.99 (discounted from £9.99, plus free delivery) from the Book People is a beautiful set.

• Scribble on over to the Book People for this great offer

Perhaps it's a throw back to years gone by, but I love the idea of letter writing. In reality it's been years upon years since I last wrote one, but I do love the idea, and I think it will be a valuable skill to teach my daughter one day.

This beautiful gift set includes a mini-hardback edition of Sam McBratney’s Guess How Much I Love You and a gorgeous accompanying writing set. The writing set comes complete with 20 sheets of paper, 12 envelopes and 12 sheets of stickers for decorating the pages, or anything else little girls might want to decorate.

If the sweet little story of parental love and devotion is not enough to make you well up a little, imagine the joy a hand written letter can bring to a grandparent or aunt this Christmas.

In addition to the £6.00 saving, you can also have free delivery on this 32-page hardback book and letter writing set by entering the code OCTWELL

With thanks to Dinnie from HUKD

Here's a Thomas and Friends discount code for you that will whip 20% off the price of a personalised Thomas and Friends Christmas story book.

• Discount: 20%
• Minimum Spend: £0.00
• Promotional Code: U10-OCTPOD (Expired)
• Expiry: 15/12/2010

Click HERE to personalise your own Thomas and Friends book

I’ve been down the personalised book route before and, to be honest, they’ve been a bit naff – not very good quality and the stories haven’t been that great.   There’s certainly no need to worry about that this time!

This time, your little one (and mine, I've just ordered one...this is the downside to finding great deals *sigh*) and Thomas are the stars of the story, helping to find Father Christmas who has got lost on Sodor in the middle of a snowstorm!

The order process is very simple:

• enter your child's name as you'd like it to appear in the book
• choose a friend's name
• select character features for your child's character so that they actually look like themselves (well as close to as possibly anyway)

There are two formats to choose from too

library format - which is the same size as the normal Thomas and Friends story books for £7.99

gift book format - which is bigger and costs £10.99

Personally, I like the idea of my personalised Thomas and Friends story book fitting in with all the other ones.

There is free delivery on all personalised books too and you MUST order before 15 December if you want delivery before Christmas, which you do...right?

Don't forget to add the discount too, otherwise you'll end up paying full price!

Thanks to lyates080 over at HUKD!

Books Direct Bargains have a lovely little deal on this Charlie and Lola Board Book set of three books; at 50p a book you really can't go far wrong!

• Click HERE for some Charlie and Lola book bargains

I love Charlie and Lola!

The other day when I was in the park with my youngest, we saw a boy who was the SPITTING image of Charlie - it was quite unnerving actually and I resisted the temptation to look around for Lola!

I don't know anyone who isn't totally smitten with Charlie and Lola, Charlie has...

"...a little sister Lola, she is small and very funny."

Ahhhh it just reminds me of bed time with my youngest when he was a couple of years younger.

Charlie and Lola were on TV at just the right time for post warm bath, in pyjamas and hot milk viewing which was followed by bed and more Charlie and Lola with bed time stories.

These three board books are ideal for really little book worms, the titles are:

• Charlie and Lola's Things
• Charlie and Lola's Animals
• Charlie and Lola's Opposites

If you spend over £5 with BooksDirectBargains then you'll get free delivery, so it's worth looking around to see whether anything else takes your fancy.

Or perhaps order three sets and keep them in the pressie drawer for those last minute present dramas!

Thanks to j1983 over at HUKD!

WHSmith have some lovely deals on children's books at the moment; I'm particularly taken with these little box sets of board books for titchy kids.

• Click HERE to bag some book bargains

Board books are a great way to introduce littlies to reading.

Developing  a love for books from early on is very important, can you imagine a life without being able to enjoy getting lost in a good story?!

This little board book 'That's Not My...' box set is a lovely touchy-feely collection of little stories; the titles are:

• That's Not My Bunny
• That's Not My Teddy
• That's Not My Monkey
• That's Not My Monster

Each page has a different texture for tiny ones to explore and I've not read a single review that says a bad word about them.

Of That's Not My Teddy:

"I have 'read' books with my son books from when he was a couple of months old, but none light up his face and make him shriek with excitement as this one does."

Of the That's Not My...series as a whole:

"Any parent who hasn't discovered the Usborne touchy-feely 'That's not my X...!' series is missing out. The amount of joy my child has had from this series never fails to amaze me."

These lovely little books as a box set should should retail for £23.96 but are yours for £9.99.

There are lots more book in the That's Not My... children's book series for you to collect too.

Thanks to lucerysmum over at HUKD!

Amazon have a bunch of 2011 annuals marked down from their usual RRP of £7.99 to only £3.99 and up. There is fabulous range on offer and they’ll all make fantastic Christmas stocking fillers.

• Click here for your Christmas at Amazon

The range of annuals on offer include the Top Gear: Official Annual 2011, Hello Kitty Annual 2011, LEGO: Official Annual 2011, Beano Annual 2011, Club Penguin: The Official Annual 2011, Simpsons Annual 2011, Jacqueline Wilson Annual 2011, Doctor Who: Official Annual 2011 and plenty more.

They range in price from £3.99 to £5.59 and have been marked down from around £7.99 on average. They are all fantastic books for Christmas stockings. I remember getting the Beano Annual every year, or fighting with my brother to read his annual, I forget, either way it was an inherent part of Christmas day.

So, hopefully you'll find an annual here that will tantalise your tastebuds and get those last minute presents out of the way.

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD!

If you're looking for some book bargains then these (up to) 75% off children's box sets and gift books at WHSmiths is a deal you should look at.

• Click HERE for book bargains at WHSmiths

If you're a regular reader you'll know that I love books; if you're a new reader (welcome), I LOVE BOOKS!

I always loved getting box sets of books for my birthday and at Christmas time. There was just something about having all of them together in their special box that made them extra special.

I still get a thrill out of book box sets now - even the Little Library ones that I bought for my youngest a couple of years ago, made my heart jump for joy.

Looking at all the book box sets on offer at WHSmiths is like a chocaholic going into Thorntons!

When I was little I loved reading the Enid Blyton Adventure books and I'm THAT excited to see that they're included in this promotion - I might just have to buy them and relive my 'yoof', especially as the whole set has been reduced from £14.97 down to £3.74.

With box sets for little kids right through to those for older kids and Gruffalo gift books, there's bound to be something here that your kid(s) will enjoy.

Thanks to Taswir1 over at HUKD!