There’s a third off the Chad Valley Police Ride-On at Argos at the moment, reducing this usually £16.99 toy down to £10.99.

• Whizz about on the Chad Valley Police Ride-On

I swear there were a few hours this afternoon where I actually thought it was summer. It was warm, the sun was shining and we went and met up with friends for a quick cup of coffee – in the garden, no less!

Our friends’ son has the fire engine version of this ride-on and both kids loved it. My daughter had to be dragged off it to go home!

Made from plastic and suitable from about 12 months up to 20kg, it’s not a huge toy at just over 45cm high – including the handle. The seat itself is 19cm.

It has a front and rear anti-tip feature, and a rear backrest for support. And wide wheels to provide balance.

The seat also opens for storage, so your little crime fighter can keep their tools of the trade on hand.

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD

There’s 75% off the Chad Valley Sylvatown Wooden Shops Playset at Argos at the moment, with the £44.99  shopping complex costing just £11.24 .

• Play shops in the Chad Valley Sylvatown Wooden Shops Playset

This three shop playset is a classic street of 3 brightly painted shops, each one including a clothed and poseable shopkeeper and an exquisitely detailed set of accessories.

The shops include a bakery, florist and candy store, which can be accessed from the rear while children serve their friends through the double opening front panels.

The shops are set over two floors, so there’s plenty room to fill with play pieces and additional equipment.  As a wooden playset, it should be durable enough to withstand many sets of hands for a long time too.

The shops playset is 42.6cm in height, 64.2 in width and 24cm in diameter.  The playset is not suitable for children under three, due to small parts.

Thanks to daisymeisha10

We’ve had the Chad Valley Colour In Play House here on PlayPennies before, but never at £6.99. I’m pretty sure that’s the cheapest I’ve ever seen it. It’s reduced from £19.99, so is less than half price, and you can collect for free in store.

• Decorate and play in a cardboard house

There’s very little information available on the Chad Valley Colour In Play House, apart from the fact that it comes with 12 jumbo markers.

Fortunately PlayPennies regular SlayerKat ordered one of these in the summer, and gave us some feedback on it. She said it was really easy to put together, with no glue or cellotape required. She also said that it was nice and sturdy and had taken her three kids a good few hours to colour in – and anything that keeps kids busy for a few hours is great in my book!.

According to SlayerKat, the pens that come with it aren’t very good, but if you have your own, they’ll work fine.

The Colour In Play House has pre cut-out doors on each side and windows that open.

Thanks SlayerKat for all the information!

I'm rather fond of toys like these little Chad Valley constructions vehicles, they're bright, they're chunky, not hellishly expensive and make great presents for little fans of anything digger or building site.

• Click HERE to grab your Chad Valley construction vehicles

My youngest spent hours and hours playing with toys very similar to these Chad Valley construction vehicles when he was younger; he's five-and-a-half now but he still revisits them from time to time when he gets a bit fed up with lightsaber battles and fighting the Empire.

You'll get a lovely bright cement mixer (I think all cement mixers should be this colour, it'd be rather fun) and a crane truck; they're free-wheeling and are suitable for little vehicle fans aged 18 months or older.

The product description says that these Chad Valley construction vehicles require two AA batteries, which aren't included, but it's not overly clear whether that's two batteries each or just two needed in total - I'd make sure you have four to hand, just in case.

The price for these two Chad Valley construction vehicles is £8.99 and delivery will cost you an additional £1.99, a bargain compared to the £5.99 you pay with the main Argos store.

Thanks to missgem at HUKD

If you’re after girl’s dress up toys right now, you’ll love the Chad Valley 4-in-1 Fantasy Set on sale at Argos Ebay. It doesn’t say how much it used to cost, but it’s now £4.49, plus .99p for delivery, making it £5.48 all in.

• Dress up like a fairy fantasy princess

In royal purple, this set is a four in one consisting of a crown, necklace, star-shaped sceptre and “high-heeled” shoes.

The crown, or tiara, has sequins and sparkles, and is pretty much the quality you expect from these things, but they are brand  new items from Argos.  They do say, however, that the packaging might be damaged as it’s been shipped around but one of our lovely HUKD folk mentioned that she’d ordered a few bits from them recently and has been very impressed with how quickly it’s been delivered, so that’s always a good start.

These are suitable from age 3 up and would make great stocking fillers, advent calendar gifts or a nice present as a four in one gift.

Thanks to missgem and EmmaHarris at HUKD

Argos are selling this Chad Valley round sandpit - sans sand - for £23.29 instead of £34.99, saving you a third.

• Click HERE to go to Argos

I think playing in sand is one of those childhood things you never grow out of; it doesn't matter whether it's messing around with sand on the beach or digging around in a sandpit, I still love it.

The Chad Valley round sandpit comes with a ground sheet, a cover sheet (very important) and six modular pieces which fit together.

Each section has a compartment that you can fill up with water or use to store sandpit toys.

It's suitable for young sand diggers aged 18 months or over and it will take about 3kgs of sand to fill it - Argos are selling 15kg bags of play sand for £2.99.

The other good thing, I think, about this Chad Valley round sandpit is it's size, it's big enough for littlies to have fun playing in but isn't so huge it'll dominate your garden.  It's 141cms in diameter and just 18cms deep.

You can arrange to have your Chad Valley round sandpit delivered to your home for £5.95, or you can save yourself some cash and reserve and collect in-store instead.

Thanks to lottysdad08 at HUKD

I love this Chad Valley Garden Limbo!

• Click HERE to limbo over to Argos

Years and years ago we used to have family Boxing Day parties at my nan's; all the aunts, uncles and cousins would get together (often in fancy dress) and indulge in lots of fun, games and general family frivolity.

Among some of the silly games we used to play (kids and grown-ups alike) was Limbo.

Our Limbo 'set' wasn't as sophisticated or refined as the Chad Valley Garden Limbo; ours, when it got too low to comfortably hold, was two dining room chairs and a bamboo cane from my granddad's garden shed!

But it was so much fun and I'm actually rather tempted by this Chad Valley Garden Limbo, especially as it's such a cute little deal - £2.49 instead of £4.99.

It's made from PVC, is quick and easy to inflate and will provide hours of fun in the garden, or indoors if the weather is being less than cooperative.

It's 141cms high and 145cms wide and is suitable for little ones aged three and over - it wouldn't really be Limbo for littlies younger than that, more like 'just toddle under this inflatable thing in my garden' and THAT doesn't sound like much fun at all.

Chad Valley Garden Limbo is available for home delivery, but at £5.95 please just pop down to your local Argos and collect it in-store for free instead.

Thanks to lucersymum at HUKD

Sand and water play with this table will cost you £8.99 at Argos Ebay, with £1.99 for delivery. It is still £19.99 at Argos.

• Have hours of fun with the sand and water table

I’m still on the lookout for things to make our garden a haven for our little girl for this summer. While I know she can entertain herself for hours with a simple twig and sand mound, I do like the look of this three-part water table.

Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, this can be filled with sand, water and small toys (although none of those are included.) One of the reviewers mentions a “good lid” and added toys, although there’s nothing about it in the description.

The sand and water table has 4.3 stars from 23 reviewers, which is pretty good. Reviewers say that it’s a good height for toddlers and 100% of them would recommend it to a friend.   It comes with a 12 month Argos warranty.

Signed for delivery means someone has to be in, but items are despatched the next working day, so you won’t have a terribly long wait.

Thank to eld1985 at HUKD

Another Argos special for you, this Chad Valley Value Pack of four games is less than half price at £6.99 instead of £19.99.

• Get four games for the price of one with Chad Valley

A great idea for party pack fillers, I'd split them up and put a toy in each bag. Alternatively, four toys in one pack can't really go amiss either.

There are four games here:

• The Motor Mechanical game is a reaction game . Your aim is to assemble the car before the time runs out.
• With Tumbling Chimps you have to hang the maximum number of monkeys on the tree without letting them fall down.
• In the Funny Face game you must build a matching face before time runs out.
• The last game will leave you in a state of tension and suspense as you attempt to balance the luggage on the kangaroo before he bounces away, apparently.

These aren't available for home delivery, but I had a look around and although they are out of stock in a few places, there's still stock at most I checked.

The games are suitable for two players and for children aged five years and over.

Thanks to holnwob at HUKD

I know it seems a little crazy to be thinking about swimming pools in February, but these Inflatable Chad Valley Pools are a great price for the prepared frugal parent.

• To inflate a pool for your garden click here

I doubt I'm alone in willing spring to be here in full force, so in preparation, now's not a bad time to look at a nice little pool or ball pit for your garden.

As a pool it has a 140l capacity, and as a ball pit, can hold 330 of those ball pit balls, which aren't supplied. Apparently it takes about four minutes to fill the pool and about five minutes to inflate it, which is pretty good going when you've got an excited toddler chomping at the bit.

The pool comes with a repair patch included , and it's suitable for indoor and outdoor use – but it's not one an adult can lounge in when things hot up – it has a weight restriction of 35kg.

Standard delivery is £1.99 and there are 'more than 10' in stock.

Thanks to cherish138 at HUKD

The Chad Valley Guitar Set is £6.99 at Argos Ebay Outlet, reduced from the usual £24.99 and a great looking set for aspiring young guitarists. On it's own the guitar is worth over £10.

• Get the Chad Valley Guitar Set

A lovely little set for any young music lover in your family, the Chad Valley Guitar set includes a guitar, strap, headset microphone, microphone, stand and amp with volume control.

The guitar includes demo songs, a swing bar and 3 drum keys . It's not a very environmentally friendly gift as it requires 12x AA batteries, which aren’t included.

While some reviewers complained that it didn’t last very long and had to be returned for another one – particularly with a working mic – others absolutely loved it and their children did too.

Although from Argos' Ebay Outlet this is a brand-new, unused, unopened and undamaged item and there are 'more than 10 available'. Postage is also somewhat cheaper than at Argos, at £1.99, so a pretty nifty gift set for under £9.

Delivery will be within 2-3 days, and you have a 12 month Argos warranty.

Thanks to theboss at HUKD

Argos are selling this Chad Valley Wooden Table and 80-Piece Train Set for half its full retail price - £29.99 instead of £59.99.

• Click HERE to go to Argos

Before my youngest started school he went to nursery, they had one of these Chad Valley Wooden Table and 80-Piece Train Sets and every morning, without fail, most of the kids (the girls too) would head straight for it; it was one of the most popular play items.

It's suitable for little train fans aged three years and over - when there were open parent play days at nursery a lot of the dads made a beeline for the train set table too - and it comes with a whole host of train set bits and pieces.

The Chad Valley Wooden Table and 80-Piece Train Set includes four trains, three vehicles, 10 road signs, two stand blocks, one track with bridge, one track with a gate, 14 trees and bushes, 10 building pieces, seven figures, 28 normal track pieces and a table to put them all on.

This is currently out of stock for home delivery which means you're going to have to go out into the big wide world to pick one up.

It can be a laborious task searching for stock on the Argos website so I was rather 'excited' when I came across istockcheck.co.uk which searches for, and lists, stock for your searched item in ALL the Argos stores across the country, starting with the ones nearest to the postcode you entered.

It will also tell you how far away each store is; hurrah. I've entered a fair few postcodes for various parts of the UK and there are quite a few of these Chad Valley Wooden Table and 80-Piece Train Sets around, so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting your hands on one.

Thanks to shadow1 at HUKD

Argos will be selling this Chad Valley Creativity Play Station for £19.99, instead of £49.99, until 1 February.

• Click HERE to get creative with Chad Valley

I love to see kids draw and get creative, so much of their lives now are spent using technology that it's great to see them getting 'down and dirty' with some good old fashioned pens, pencils and paper.

Thhis Chad Valley Creativity Play Station is perfect for encouraging that rather than watching TV or playing with a Wii, PS3, Xbox, iTouch, iPad or whatever.

It's their own personal creative space you see. No one sits at it to do anything else - unlike the kitchen table - and it has all sorts of features that turn a bit of drawing into an event.

The Chad Valley Creative Play Station has a large workspace and lots of storage and shelves to stash pens, pencils and crayons. It's got a reversible chalkboard top which converts to a whiteboard and it comes with a stool and a paper roll holder.

If that wasn't enough, three paint cups, three brushes, fabric pockets, 12 coloured chalks, two markers and one eraser are also included.

If you want a Chad Valley Creative Play Station then it's available for next day home delivery (£5.95) or click and reserve to collect in store.

Thanks to shadow1 at HUKD

The Chad Valley Light and Sound Police Car or Fire Engine is £6.99 at Argos, down from £16.99. In comparison, the same thing at Amazon is £22.99.

• Click here for police car or fire engine fun from Chad Valley

Oddly, neither of these have any product reviews on either Amazon or Argos, although at their original prices, that's not that much of a surprise!

You can choose from either the police car or the fire engine, each of which is chunky, and apparently easy to use, with flashing lights and melodies. As there are no reviews, there's no real way of knowing how good or annoying those melodies are, sadly! If you find out, come back and let us know!

The fire engine has an extending ladder and the police car has a rotating siren.

Each requires 2xAA batteries, which aren't included.

The Chad Valley Fire Engine or Police Car are available for click and collect reservation, or can be delivered to your home address within 2 days at the rather expensive £5.85

Thanks to shadow1 at HUKD

Argos are selling a value pack of four Chad Valley games for £7.99 instead of £19.99 at the moment.

• Click HERE to go to Argos

Cast your mind back to when you were a kid at school..

Tell me I'm not imagining things when I seem to remember we spent more time AT school than we did on holiday. I thought so, so how is it possible that in just five weeks time the kids will off school and enjoying the first half term of 2011?

If you have kids of a certain age then games, such as the ones that make up this Chad Valley game set, can be the saviour of your sanity, particularly if the weather isn't very good - which, let's face it, in February isn't very likely.

The four games included are: Funny Face, Tumbling Chimps, Kangaroo and Motor Mechanical.

Play Motor Mechanincal and you have to build the car before the time runs out. Kangaroo is a Skippy version of Buckaroo; the object of the Tumbling Chimps game is to balance all your monkeys on the tree without any falling off and Funny Face is another 'build it against the clock' game.

All of them are for two players or more and little kids aged five and over and can be reserved for in-store collection.

Thanks to sammy321 at HUKD

The Chad Valley Guitar Set is £9.99 at Argos, reduced from £24.99 and a great looking set for aspiring young guitarists.  Also a pretty neat deal, since the guitar alone retails for £10.20.

• Jam with Argos and the Chad Valley Guitar Set

I'm not sure if this is the perfect gift for someone you don't really like, a bit of a payback for all the noisy gifts your sister-in-law bought your little one, or actually a great little set for someone with a good sense of rhythm and a love of music, but either way, it's a pretty good saving.

The set includes a guitar, strap, headset microphone, microphone, stand and amp with volume control.

The guitar include demo songs, a swing bar and 3 drum keys – you know, just like all the pro's have. It requires no less than 12, yes, that's 12, t.w.e.l.v.e. AA batteries, which aren't included – and might I recommend a charger and rechargeable batteries!

While some reviewers complained that it didn't last very long and had to be returned for another one – particularly with a working mic – others absolutely loved it and their children did too. As Jane said, “worth buying to watch my 2 and 4 year olds trying to be band!”

This items is available for both store pick up and delivery.

Thanks to goonertillidie at HUKD

The Chad Valley Complete Kitchen Set is on offer at Argos for £16.49, half of its original £32.99

• Click over to Argos for the Chad Valley Complete Kitchen Set

The Chad Valley Complete Kitchen Set comes with everything a little chef will need for great imaginative play.

It comes with a cooker which has a light up hob as well as realistic cooking sounds. The kettle sounds like real pouring water as well as having the bubbling sounds of boiling water. The toaster even pops up of fake – real – sounding beans on toast.

It also comes with a dish washer, complete with the wooshing and splashing sounds, and lights. There are over fifty pieces of cutlery, plates, cups, food boxes and realistic role play food.

And of course, there's no reason not to add real food to play time.

Ideally, the set can be packed away after play, so there's no large plastic kitchen in your front room – especially since it's only H)17.7, (W) 50.8, (D)31.1cm. in size.

It requires six AA batteries, which aren't included and three CC batteries – also not included.

Sounds like a great set for fun indoor play!

Thanks to goonertillidie at HUKD

Argos currently have a nice deal on this Chad Valley Motorised Track, having been reduced by half from £14.99 down to £7.49.

• Click HERE to speed on over to Argos

My cousin, Stuart, used to have something similar to this many moons ago; I loved going round to my Aunty and Uncle's house on a Saturday so I could play with it.

This Chad Valley Motorised Track is so nicely priced at the moment that it almost falls into the stocking filler realm!

It's suitable for little speed demons aged three years and over and comes with three diecast cars.

There are two 'motorised slaunch pads' for you and your opponent to launch your car from. They then ZOOM off around the track around the corners and upside down through the loops - the thing is, at some point the tracks cross!

WHO will get there first? Will there be a huge CRASH?!

Ahhh it was that sort of mild peril and  the anticpation that meant my cousin's yesteryear version of this never got boring.

This Chad Valley Motorised Track is currently available for home delivery - which will set you back an enormous £5.95 *mutter mutter - or you can collect one from your local Argos, subject to their stock availability.

Thanks to Haylhoo over at HUKD

This Chad Valley Wooden Dolls House is wonderfully elegant and wonderfully half-priced at £19.99, instead of £39.99.

• Click HERE to give this dolls house a home

I admit it, I'm a wooden toy snob! If I can avoid hideous and nasty, brightly coloured plastic toys I WILL.

Give me traditional toys that don't require share in Duracell any day (shares in other battery manufacturers are probably available), no flashing lights, no bells and whistles and no American voice announcing, "Thaaaat's RIIIGHT!"

This Chad Valley wooden dolls house fits the bill perfectly.

It's pretty pastel pink scallop-edged roof sits atop pale pine walls.  It just oozes elegance and will encourage imaginative play that is refined and sophisticated (ha, all I need now is an Edwardian nanny sitting in a rocking chair in the corner, darning stockings and I'll be well away!).

On a serious note though, even though there are benefits to all the bells and whistles educational toys, you can't beat playing just for fun; where everything comes from your own imagination rather than being led by buttons and voices telling you what to do.

Ok, here comes the frustrated estate agent in me: this Chad Valley wooden dolls house has a kitchen, lounge, bathroom and one bedroom; ideal for couples, making it the perfect size for the two clothed dolls it comes with (their arms and legs move too!).

You can collect your Chad Vally wooden dolls house for free from your nearest Argos, or pay their hefty £5.95 delivery charge and have it delivered to your bricks and mortar house.

Thanks to whizzkid over at HUKD!

Sometimes a little can go a very long way, and with this 25% off offer at Argos on brands such as In My Pocket, Baby Born, Hot Wheels, Halo, Playskool and Thomas and Friends, stocking up for Christmas gifts, birthday presents and stocking fillers doesn't have to cost the earth.

• Click on over to Argos to see what's on offer

Some of the hottest items on sale at Argos this week are the Toy Story 3 Ultimate Buzz Lightyear for £99, a saving of £50 and the Chad Valley Wooden Dolls House, down to £29.99 from £39.99.

There are many smaller savings to be had too, like £1 and £2 savings on the In My Pocket range or £1 - £16 savings on the Thomas the Tank Engine range of toys.

Argos haver regular toy sales, and weekly special offers, so it's always worth checking to see what they have on offer when you're looking to buy. (This week they have 60% off on some kitchen basics too)

Argos offer order tracking on all home deliveries, which cost £5.95 on small items, delivered in the UK and Northern Ireland, and selected small items also have a free Royal Mail delivery option. Alternatively you can check stock in your local store, reserve items online and pick up at your convenience, which all sounds pretty stress free to me!