Our Back To School Favourites

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It's back to school is in a matter of days and if you are anything like me then you'll still be scrambling to get everything sorted. I like to think that it will all come together when it's ready. That said, I hope this blog post will give me the nudge that I need to be more prepared, and maybe it will introduce you to a couple of new bits and pieces.

First, on my list are the new BIC Gelocity quick drying pens - RRP £6.49 for a pack of 3. They have been my first port of call as they are ideal for making back to school lists. Noah has also been practicing his handwriting with them and likes how there are so many different colours to choose from. They also dry super quick and are suitable for both lefties and righties. You can buy them at Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Ryman or online at Amazon.

We are all delighted with this personalised art set from I Just Love It. It retails at £29.99 and contains everything needed to become a little artist. In fact, inside are an impressive 63 pieces; coloured pencils, crayons, markers, pastels, paint, a ruler, paintbrush, eraser, and sharpener. I had it personalised with both of their initials and I'm sure they'll use it for years to come.

I adore books and thankfully, so do Noah and Ava. We have our day to day picture books, bedtime books and themed books for events like Christmas and Halloween. Then we have books which are designed to help children through different stages in their lives, like Mummy having a new baby, potty training, going to school and so on. I won these two books in a competition a while back and they've been perfect for Noah and Ava with school and nursery coming up. The sticker book is from Galt and the board book is from Campbell books. I'm not sure on the RRPs but I'm sure you'll find them on Amazon for a great price.

My kids are constantly eating so these Squeezie fruit snacks from Del Monte made our list in a heartbeat. These pouches are 100% real fruit, great for lunchboxes and after school treats. They are great for snacking on during long journeys, enjoying as a refreshing fruit burst or added to cereal or porridge in the morning. They come in in three fantastic flavours, Apple, Strawberry & Banana, Apple & Mango,and Apple, Strawberry & Blueberry. They also contain no preservatives, no added sugar and one pouch is 1 of their 5 a day. You can buy Del Monte Squeezies from ASDA for just 50p a pouch.

Next, we have two essentials that are a must-have for school, for days out, for picnics at the park - lunch boxes! These personalised lunch boxes are from The Gift Experience and cost £12.99 each. There are a variety of different designs and colours to choose and can be personalised with up to 15 characters. They are a great size and fit right into lunch bags.

Name labels are essential for every parent when their child is starting nursery or going to school. These stick-on and iron-on name labels are from Stickerscape and I received them last week as part of a Peppa Pig back to school collaboration. I've already labeled half a dozen things ready for their big days and they seem like they are such great quality.

Noah and Ava are milk fiends, even more so if it's milkshake! Shaken Udder sent us half a dozen of their school-approved kids milkshakes, to pop into their lunch boxes, or to enjoy after school and they've already guzzled most of them. They contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and come in two yummy flavours, strawberry and chocolate. Find out more about them here.

Last but not least, I have a toy that we reviewed a while back, one that is so fantastic that I just have to mention it again. The Super Sorting Pie is from Learning Resources and is one of the kid's favourite toys, however, it's not just lots of fun, there are lots of benefits to it too. It's great for shape, number, and colour sorting, for building hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and much more. The grippers have really helped Noah build the muscles in his hands, which are needed for writing and they also use them in his school. Read our review of the Super Sorting Pie here.

What's your favourite item on this list? Are you ready for back to school?

Getting Ready For Back To School With Peppa Pig - #PeppaBackToSchool

AD - We were sent these products for the purpose of this post.

We've almost made it, it's almost time for the kids to go back to school! Woohoo! I'm saying that in jest of course. We've had a fantastic summer and really enjoyed the quality time together, without school or nursery getting in the way. This time next week Noah will be back in school and at the same time, I'll be starting the nursery admission process for Ava. With two big changes on the horizon, I was delighted to receive a huge bundle of Peppa Pig goodies to help prepare the kids for the next stage in their lives and to enjoy in the lead up to it.

The first two products are two essentials needed for both school and nursery, a lunch bag and a drinks bottle. The Peppa Pig lunch bag retails at £9.99 and is available at CDS (The Range), John Lewis, Amazon and at Peppa Pig World. The matching Peppa Pig drinks bottle retails at £4.99 and can be ordered online at Amazon or at Peppa Pig World. I adore the design and colours on them, they make a change from being just bright pink. Noah and Ava have been sharing the since they arrived, though I think Ava has claimed them! She's really taken a shine to the lunch bag in particular.

Next, we have the Count with Peppa toy and Peppa Pig memory game, two fantastic products. We reviewed the Count With Peppa Toy a few months ago which you can read here. It's a fun, engaging, interactive learning toy and the Noah and Ava play with it all the time. It retails at £19.99 and is available online at Argos. The Peppa Pig Memory game, on the other hand, was new to us and the kids really enjoy playing it together. It costs just £3.99 and can be bought online or instore at Smyths. 

Another back to school essential has got to be name labels. We received a couple of sheets of iron and stick-on labels for both Noah and Ava and they are just the ticket for labeling everything, from, water bottles and lunch boxes, through to school pumps and sweaters. Stickerscape name labels come in an array of different designs, are superb quality and prices start at £7.95. I've already stuck half a dozen on their drinks bottles, next up is the iron in uniform labels.

The My First Peppa Pig Activity Calendar was something that really caught Noah's eye and was one of the first things we opened. It's a large plastic calendar which can be hung up, or propped up on a shelf. It's a great resource for teaching children about dates, seasons, weather, temperatures, and so on. We filled ours out together and now it's now proudly on display in our kitchen. The Peppa Pig calendar costs £8.99 and is available on Amazon.

Wellkid Peppa Pig Multivitamins were a nice addition to our box of back to school goodies and brought a smile to my face. He has quite a balanced diet but I do like to include vitamins as extra support to his nutritional needs. Noah tends to have his daily vitamin after a hearty breakfast before he starts his day. You can purchase these vitamins from Holland and Barrett for £7.95.

Last, but certainly not least is the Peppa Pig stationary set and the Peppa Pig pencil case which retails at £1.50 and £3.00 and both are available from Asda. Together, they make a great back to school bundle and one that doesn't break the bank either. Noah has used them quite a few times over the past couple of days, practicing his writing and doodling some sketches.

Are you ready for back to school? Which do you like the look of the most?