Do you have primary school age children? Government guidelines state that children in year one should have 60 minutes of homework a week. That's a whole hour. At the age of 5. Yikes.

Even before that, when they are in Reception and even Nursery, they will start to practice their letters. Gripping pens and pencils isn't that easy, and for some children it is even harder.

My son is in year 2 now, and has even more homework. I've tried lots of different types of grips, but none have really helped with his particular problem (he can't put a lot of pressure on his fingers). Last year he did his homework in felt tip pen, as a way around the problem. But that's not really something we want to keep doing.

Even if your child doesn't have any issues, a good grip on a pen or pencil can get them started in the correct writing position right from the beginning. And also, they'll find it a lot easier to draw for fun as well.

Stabilo are a brand of stationery that all parents of school children are familiar with. I had the opportunity to try out some of their latest products, to see how they work and what the quality is like.

Here's what we found.

Pencils, pens, notebooks, pencil case. All necessary stuff for the return to school but not so exciting. How about throwing in some items to perk their days up a bit? Or maybe your own - there's a few here that I'd definitely like to get hold of.

Find Me A Gift specialises in finding unique products that make fabulous presents. They offered us the chance to have a look at a few items that they thought would be fun for the kids when they go back to school. So of course we said yes. PlayPennies mum of one Theresa is our tester this week. Here's what she thought of these fun products.

Back to School stationery madness is in full swing with all the usual suspects competing for your hard earned cash; Toys R Us have a Buy 2 get 3rd Free offer on ALL stationery.

• Click HERE to go over to Toys R Us

Now when they say ALL stationery, they mean it...unless you want to buy anything Crayola, in which case it's tough luck, because 'all' doesn't include them (so it's not really ALL then, is it.  Or am I just being pedantic now?)

There aren't any promotion codes to remember to apply at the checkout either, all you have to do is browse through all the stationery bits and pieces on the Toys R Us website and add the things that take your fancy to your basket.

By the time you get to the checkout, the lowest price item - or items, if you buy things in multiples of three - will have been adjusted to zero.

That's as tricky as it gets.

Of course you don't have to take advantage of this stationery deal for just back to school things; pens, pencils, pencil cases and sharpeners always make great stocking fillers and little incidental birthday pressies.

Happy Stationery Shopping!

I am SO buying these 100 HB pencils with eraser tips from Sainsbury's!

• You'll need to go to Sainsbury's and physically grab your pencils

I'm breaking with tradition here because, it would seem, that this is an instore offer only but I'm THAT sure I'm not alone in being sick and tired of there being no pencils when I reach for one, that I'm taking the 'risk'.

Let me describe the scenario that plays out over and over and over  in my house, and then you can let me know whether it is a universal phenomena or whether I'm completely alone in my pen and pencil pain...

So, I've tidied my desk; all my pens have lids and are happily sitting in the pen pot. I've sharpened all my pencils and they're getting on very nicely next to all the pens.

I have post-it pads too and they are just where I like them - to my right, next to the phone and in front of the fully stocked pen and pencil pot.

I am a very happy desk occupent.

Within two days, at the most, and because I live with teenagers, my pen pot is reduced to containing one blue colouring pencil, a pair of scissors, a CD marker (green), a biro that doesn't work and a rogue paper clip that rattles around in the bottom of it.

WHERE have all my pens and pencils gone?!!!!

The funny thing is, no one seems to know.  It's amazing - we must have an evil pencil fairy who comes and steals them all the moment my backside leaves the office chair *scowl*

Sainsbury's have a 'buy one get one free' offer on all stationery at the moment, so you're actually buying a pack of 50 HB pencils and getting another 50 free.

I'm breaking with tradition here because it would seem that this is an instore offer only but I'm SO sure that I'm not alone in being sick and tired of there being no pencils when I reach for one that I'm taking the 'risk'.

I think I might just buy 10 packs and land myself 1000 HB pencils - let's see how long it takes for THAT many pencils to vanish!

Thanks to kooltariq at HUKD

Mention the word 'stationery' to me and I'm almost already sold on whatever it is - this Toy Story 3 backpack, filled with stationery, is no exception and Tesco are selling it for just £6 .

• Click HERE to go over to Tesco

My youngest has a bit of a thing for backpacks so this would tick the boxes for him; I love stationery so it totally does it for me, although I don't think with all the fun bits and pieces this Toy Story 3 backpack with stationery contains, I'd actually be allowed to get my hands on any of it.

It includes a backpack (nothing like stating the obvious, I know), a sketch pad, scribble pad and a pencil case containing a pen, pencil, ruler, eraser and a sharpener.

I don't know what it's like in your house but sharpeners are like gold dust in mine so any set that includes one is worth of a gold star as far as I'm concerned.

The Toy Story 3 backpack and stationery set also comes boxed so it'll make a lovely, and inexpensive, gift for any Toy Story fan that has a birthday coming up.  Or, dare I mention it, a present to be stashed away for that festive event that happens at the end of the year.

Having this delivered for £5.95 makes the backpack a bit pricey so, if you can, arrange to collect it from your local Tesco for free.

Thanks to dobson64 at HUKD

The last time I wrote about this Ben 10 pencil case it FLEW out of stock, so PLEASE don’t hang around if you want one!

• Click HERE to go over to Tesco Direct

This Ben 10 Pencil Case isn't just any old boring pencil case, oh no!

It’s a triple decker beast of a pencil case and has more pens, pencils and bits and pieces in it than you can shake a pencil sharpener at!

It actually contains a notepad, ballpoint pen, pencil, ruler, set square, protractor, sharpener, eraser, 14 felt tip pens, and 14 colouring pencils.

I have no idea whether this Ben 10 Pencil Case is available to buy in-store or not, but delivery TO a Tesco store of your choice is free - seriously, don't pay for home delivery otherwise your Ben 10 Pencil Case will end up being the most expensive set of pencils, rulers, rubbers and protractors you've ever bought.

The Ben 10 Pencil Case is up for grabs for half-price - £4.00 instead of £8.00 - and like I said they tend to vanish off the virtual shopping shelves pretty sharpish, so don't dawdle if you want one.

Thanks to lucersymum at HUKD

Here's another half price deal from Amazon for you; perfect for keeping kids amused on rainy days, this Crayola Super Stationery Set is £10 now instead of £19.99.

• Click HERE to go to Amazon

This Crayola Super Stationery contains 120 different pieces.

It comes with 24 crayons, 36 coloured pencils, 12 supertip markers that have a pointy nib so you can draw thick and thin lines, 10 twistable pencils, 24 special effect mini twistable crayons (these intrigue me, I must confess), six flip top markers and pad of white A4 paper.

If you were to buy all of these things separately it would definitely cost you more than a tenner.

The official guidelines say that it's all suitable for budding Picassos aged six years and over but with supervision, and some common sense - oh yes Health and Safety Executive,  us parents have bucket loads of that - there's no good reason why you can't buy this for younger children.

There is one review, on Amazon, for this Crayola Super Stationery Set and I think it's worthy of quoting here as her point about Crayola branded products lasting longer than cheaper alternatives is valid...

"I bought this for my 8 year old sons stocking and he has had lots of fun with it only thing i thought not for his age group was the beginners felt tips as he is more advanced. worth the value and they do last longer than non brand products."

Thanks to shadow1 at HUKD

The last time I wrote about this Hello Kitty filled pencil case it FLEW out of stock, so PLEASE don't hang around if you want one!

• Click HERE to go over to WHSmiths for this deal

It's a triple decker beast of a pencil case and has more pens, pencils and bits and pieces in it than you can shake a pencil sharpener at!

It actually contains a notepad, ballpoint pen, pencil, ruler, set square, Protractor, sharpener, eraser, 14 felt tip pens, and 14 colouring pencils.

Now I'm not one to go with, and reinforce, gender sterotypes, but I appreciate that anything 'Hello Kitty' is a MORE than a bit girly for boys.

I don't know if you could buy the contents of this for less, so you could buy this for what it contains and find a more suitable pencil case that your little boy would be happy with...? It's just a suggestion.

Smiths have reduced this Hello Kitty pencil case from £9.99 down to £4.99, delivery is free if you arrange to collect it in-store or are spending over £15.

If you just order this one item then Saver delivery should only be £1.49 as it's a single stationery item.

Thanks to HesFamily4 over at HUKD!

Four printable vouchers that will get you £5 off books, stationery and kids stuff at WH Smith. The minimum spend varies - £10 on a book, £15 for stationery and £12 for kids stuff. The fourth voucher is for anything in the store, as long as you spend a minimum of £20.

• Click here to get £5 off books, stationery and kids stuff at WH Smith

• Discount: £5
• Applies To: Books, stationery and kids stuff
• Voucher: Printable click on the link above
• Expires: 26th September 2010

Click on the link above to be taken to a PDF page with four vouchers. You can get £5 off when you spend £10 or more on a book; £15 on books, cards and stationery; and £12 on kids games, books and toys. Also, there's a voucher to get £5 off a £20 spend in the store. This last one exludes mobile phones, games, DVDs, CDs and consoles however.

Personally I'm  not ever going to buy a book from WH Smiths, not when it is so much cheaper to buy them online or from a discount book store. And actually, most of my books these days come from charity stores and the second hand book stall run at my son's primary school every parent evening! But for getting stationery for back to school, especially for secondary school, it is a handy place to shop. So that alone makes this a nice little saving.

Thanks to d-j mitch at HUKD!

How organised are you? My 'daily planner' is the side of a bookshelf on which I tack (with bits of  sellotape) scraps of paper with scribbled notes on appointments and events. Not particularly organised!

Which is odd really as I have a huge stationery fetish. I think that is why I am lacking any proper organisers or calendars because I don't trust myself to step into Paperchase, Rymans or even WH Smiths. Not because I'll spend more than I should but because of the huge amount of time it'll take to browse lovingly through all those shelves of lovely lovely stationery.

Beautiful Stationery

The KTWO Products website is more comforting than eating a whole bar of chocolate. I could just curl up on the sofa on a rainy night, with a snuggly blanket and my laptop, and happily browse this site for hours. Which is actually what I did this evening thanks to the wonderful British summer weather we've had this week.

KTWO Products let us know that most of their customers are busy mums. So we got a couple of their items to review and find out just how useful they might be. The company is based in Edinburgh and describes itself as a "specialist in files, calendars and journals, which aim to bring stylish organisation and calm to busy lives."

Canny Calendars

We recieved a School Calendar (£12.99) and a Family Calendar (£9.99). I gave them to Playpennies mum of one, Tamsin, to try out. They are also giving Playpennies readers a 20% discount. I wrote about that yesterday - to find out more click here.

"I got the 2011 family calendar that comes with pockets for each month to put bills and cards and stuff in (SO useful) and the school calendar that runs from August 2010 to July 2011 and has loads of brilliant stuff in it." says Tamsin.

"It has a notepad, stickers (both in cute little carry boxes on the front, space for five people to write notes/birthdays/reminders, colour coded stickers."

The School Calendar has space for up to five family members to record appoinments and events.  The calendar runs from August to July to keep in line with the academic year. The Family Calendar also has space for up to five family members, along with a deep pocket for each month for keeping little bits of extra stuff close to hand. In addition, there's space to help you remember recycling dates, add in useful phone numbers, and a calendar and notes section for 2012.

Did Tamsin find them useful? As she told us "these are brilliant, I think, because of my space constraints at home. The only downy I have with them is that they can’t stick on my fridge. "

The Full Range

I was intrigued to see, in the Best Selling section, a Takeaway Menu Organiser. I know that when my two step children were still at home, I would always have a pile of pamphlets from pizza deliveries, chinese takeaways and indian restaurants. However, I'd never thought of getting a special organiser just for those. It might be nice to have a file specially designed for takeaway menus, but I would have to ask myself if I would really use it. And I probably wouldn't. I could imagine best intentions followed by never taking it out again and just jamming the menus in the corner of the cubboard as I do at the moment.

But that doesn't matter, because I'm sure that there's plenty of people out there for whom it is the perfect product. It would be heaven for anyone who loves being organised. There's an organiser, planner or calendar that covers everything I can think of and a few I didn't!

And Finally

Having liked the look of it on the website, and after Tamsin's glowing endorsement, I've actually bought one of the Family Calendars myself. That doesn't happen to often actually. Since joining the Playpennies family, and getting into the ethos of this site, I limit myself now to buying only the things that I really, actually need. After all, even if something is on sale at half price, it isn't a bargain if you weren't going to buy it in the first place!

KTWO Products is an online retailer that specialises in organisers. They've given PlayPennies an exclusive code to use, which will give you a 20% discount.

Click here to get your Back to School organiser from KTWO

• Discount: 20%
• Promotional Code: PP20
• Minimum Spend: £0.00

If you're looking for a new calendar or organiser, then I would hope you'll be checking in here first. That way you'll be able to benefit from any discounts, sales or voucher codes that might be available. That is, after all, what our canny PlayPennies parents are about - making sure every penny counts.

The Family calenders and organisers, and the School books, are specially designed to meet the need of, well, families and those with kid in the education system. These are definitely beautifully designed products, and highly desirable. An organiser or calender is something you are likely to be using everyday so it helps, I think, to have something that is beautiful to look at as well as functional to use.

That said, the prices on this site aren't that cheap. However, I would imagine the quality would justify the price tag - you can find out if you tune in on Wednesday as we'll be reviewing the Family Calendar and the School Calendar. Plus, with a 20% discount on the price, they could make nice little presents.

Wilkinson has a huge range of stationery to keep kids equipped and prepared throughout the school term. Their back to school savings are pretty impressive with sets starting from 87p and loads of matching options to make kids happy.

• Click here to visit Wilkinson’s back to school range

Some of the items in store include the butterfly wiro notebook for £1.97, an A4 Cars ringbinder for £1.25, a nature wiro notebook for £1.97, a nature stationery set for 87p, and a butterfly pencil box for only 86p.

With these prices you won’t be too grumpy when they lose their notebooks and pencil cases, or drop them down hills, or whatever it is kids seem to do with these things. I know I gave my parents grey hairs thanks to my dottiness!

You can find quite a few items on their site that will supplement your back to school shopping including backpacks and crayons but they aren’t listed under a specific back to school section. You may find that you’ll spend some time hiking about the site trying to uncover the different deals.

Still, it’s worth the hunt because I got some nifty last minute pieces that will really come in handy for my little one (and me).

This Hello Kitty filled pencil case for £2.50 is an absolute back to school bargain!

• Click HERE to go over to WHSmith for this deal

There were a few bits and pieces I needed to get in town yesterday. Not being in the mood for fighting with the masses, I decided to go at the very last minute - 3.30pm!

Everywhere else was quiet but WHSmiths was jam-packed! Queues and queues of fraught-looking parents and bored-looking kids, all armed with a ton of back to school bits and pieces.

Kitting out kids so they're all ready to go back to school is an expensive business, so here's a little deal that might help soften the blow j u s t a little bit.

This Hello Kitty pencil case is a triple decker beast and contains contains a notepad, ballpoint pen, pencil, ruler, set square, Protractor, sharpener, eraser, 14 felt tip pens, and 14 colouring pencils.

With the best will in the world to not reinforce gender sterotypes,  I appreciate that anything 'Hello Kitty' is a bit girly for boys. I don't know if you could buy the contents of this for less, so you could buy this for what it contains and find a more suitable pencil case that your little boy would be happy with...? It's just a suggestion.

Smiths have reduced this Hello Kitty pencil case from £9.99 down to £2.50, delivery is free if you arrange to collect it in-store or choose the Saver delivery option.

Thanks to hk08 over at HUKD!

Funky deal Friday? Work with me on this before you think I've totally lost the plot!

• Click HERE to go to DealExtreme for this deal

Now, I get through a TON of post-it notes, they are uninspiring, boring and cost a fortune.  I'd much rather have this amazing apple on my desk, in the kitchen or by the phone - it would make me smile every time I looked at or used it and I'm all for grabbing slices of happiness whenever I can!

There are 150 pages and it is HUGE, it also comes with it's own apple 'net' thingy which I think is really cute.  I showed it to my kids and they all agreed that it's VERY cool (and could they have one please!).

OK so it might not be your cup of tea but I can guarantee I'm not the only one out here in the big wide world who wouldn't go mad for this - 'an apple for the teacher' perhaps when it comes to those dreaded end-of-term gifts; this is the sort of thing that is ideal things for the emergency pressie drawer.

You don't like red apples...?  No problem....there's a pear one too! I am utterly in love with these and have ordered 2 of each, which is 600 note pages for about £6!

I've stated the price as ISH because we are at the mercy of the US dollar to our Great British pound exchange rate, but working on an average rate of $1.50 to £1 (do you remember when we used to get two dollars to the pound!) it works out at about £1.54(ish!).  Airmail is FREE so you're only going to pay for your apples and pears.

I can't WAIT to have these sitting on my desk - I'm sure it's not right to be quite so excited about these, but I AM!

Thanks to Primalfear over at HUKD!