Early Learning Centre’s 8 Pack of Plasticine is half price at Amazon, selling for just 50p instead of £1, and free delivery to boot.

• Shape and mould for 50p

Actually, I’m terrified of this stuff – if I look at how much playdough our sofas have absorbed over the last six months, I can just imagine adding plasticine to the mix and needing a new sofa in the next six months, but I do re remember having tons of fun with plasticine as a child myself. I must ask my mother if she ever had fits over the armrests of the furniture being covered in the stuff.

The Plasticine 8-pack contains basic colours like white, black, red, yellow, green, blue and purple and but don’t worry too much about that – it’ll soon be a big grey mess!

Suitable for ages 3 – 8 years, the up side to this over play dough, is that it apparently never dries out.

Thanks to linny13 at HUKD 

Now here's an excellent present for a Christmas Stocking. This Plasticine Mega Pack is £8.50 at Tesco Direct, reduced from £20.

• Click here for your Plasticine Mega Pack at Tesco Direct

Plasticine is fun on its own, and also great for making accessories for other games and toys. Like rocks and plants for toy train sets, or to go with a Lego set.

It was a favourite of mine when I was a kid too. What I really liked about plasticine is that unlike Play Doh, it doesn't dry out. Also, it is harder so you can make proper models with it.

However, it can get mucky and won't necessarily last forever. Especially if it is used to help accessorise other games! Replenishing their plasticine stock is an excellent use of the good old Christmas stocking. And this is a huge pack, at a good price.

This Plasticine mega pack contains 20 different colours of placticine plus loads of cool accessories, allowing your offspring to make hundreds of cool models. Placticine will never dry out so you can use it over and over again. Plasticine is suitable for children in the age range of 3 years and upwards, although I think they get the best use out of it if they're 5 or older.

Thanks to mummybones at HUKD!

Tesco are selling this Plasticine Master Crafter set, which includes 15 (yes, 15!) tubs of plasticine, for half-price - £5 instead of £10.

• Click HERE to go over to Tesco

Plasticine fills me with less horror than PlayDoh; it's not so easily trodden into your best Axminster and it reminds me of carefree days spent making models with it at infant school.

I like the fact that it doesn't involve anything with a computer chip, require a TV, has no flashing lights, annoying noises and just needs your imagination and creative flair.  For those who might need a bit of inspiration, the Plasticine Master Crafter set comes with an ideas booklet along with, as previously mentioned, 15 tubs of plasticine, 12 cutters, two modelling tools, a roller and a play mat to work on.

If you bought the Trap Door DVD then you could have a bash at modelling your own Berk whilst your child works on their own plasticine creations; when the teenagers were little, I found this sort of thing great for spending time together on rainy afternoons, doing things that weren't going to cause fights between them and which we all got utterly engrossed in.

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD