As we approach Christmas, the supermarkets and high street retailers are all vying to win you over with discounted toys and games to lavish on your children at Christmas.  There are some great bargains to be had at this time of year!  Online retailers also have some great offers and you can often find the best prices using online price comparison sites such as Google Products or Book Butler for books.

If you have a 'smart' phone, such as iPhone, Android or one of the new Windows Phones, with rich internet access, you can get the best of both worlds by looking for ideas in supermarkets or high street shops but then using price comparison sites to see if you can get a better price online.  If you can, you could even order it there and then, if you can't then you can buy the one off the shelf!  Don't forget that you must add on postage and packaging costs to many online stores, although most large online retailers offer free delivery in order to remain competitive.

If you can save just a pound off the price of each gift you buy this Christmas, that could mount up to a pretty good saving overall, although you'll probably find you can save much more by shopping smart!

Think ahead beyond Christmas as well - stock up on some bargains for birthdays that you know might be coming up over the next few months.  Provided you have a place to store them, you can buy presents and keep them on hand well into the New Year!

We're delighted to announce the launch of our new app for iPhone, Shape Bugs, aimed at teaching preschool children to draw and recognise simple shapes.

If you trust your children with your iPhone or iPod Touch then let them choose a shape to draw.  They can select their favourite colour and must draw the shape as cleanly as possible - squares, rectangles and diamonds must be drawn with four straight lines, triangles with three straight lines and circles and ovals with one.  Don't take your finger off until the shape is complete!

If the shape is reconisable as the one you set out to draw, then you'll hear a cheer and a face will appear to make your Bug.  If the lines weren't drawn cleanly then you'll hear a comiserating 'Ohhh!' and can try again!

Download Shape Bugs from the Apple store, and have hours of fun...!