Sorry to be gone; I was taking a small holiday break. However, I’ve got something totally great for the first post back – Grimm’s Fairy Tale Village Wooden Blocks. I love almost all wooden blocks; and have plenty of favorite earth-friendly sets, but the blocks made by Grimm’s Spiel & Holz Design pretty much take the cake.

These beautiful and unique blocks are toxic-free and safe for tots who like to munch, instead of stack their blocks. Once your little one is past the eating blocks stage, years of building delight with this fun set will follow. All of the blocks made by Grimm’s Spiel & Holz Design (except building blocks 10180 & 10190) are hand sanded separately, and have no sharp edges. Since this company’s blocks are unvarnished they stay together better when your child is building.

I love the dreamy look, unique lines, and lovely colors of these blocks – it’s complete block love! I especially adore the idea of adding a set of mini dolls or dwarves, as shown in the images above and below.

Grimm’s Fairy Tale Village

Seven Dwarves (Ostheimer)

Dollhouse Family (Evi Dolls)

+ The Wooden Wagon

Time is seriously running out for holiday shopping. Few online shops can guarantee a before Christmas delivery at this point. If you’re still looking, Amazon Green is one place to shop, that will still get gifts to you on time. I’ve been there; almost every year I end up grabbing some last minute Amazon.com deal.

Here are some nice green last minute gift picks:

Above is Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone – I know it’s cold, and the last thing on your mind is ice pops, but honestly, this is a great book for keeping it green all year that will help you make ice pops for the kids with less packaging and better ingredients. Along with this book, you might like to pick up some Tovolo Popsicle Star Molds or Tovolo Yellow Groovy Pop Molds.

We’ve had three sets of Tovolo pop molds for a good long while, they work great, make beautiful ice pops, and cut down on trash. If you want to learn more online, read my post; 32 Unique Homemade Popsicle Recipes & Ideas.

My son and me both have a Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Colored Water Bottles with Poly Loop Cap. My son LOVES his bottle, and never uses anything else. This is a great stocking stuffer gift that helps save the earth’s resources. Read my review of Klean Kanteen.

Green Toys Tea Set – Made of recycled milk jugs, there’s a lot to love about Green Toys. The Tea Set is my fave Green Toy brand product.

If you’re looking for baby toys, both the eco-friendly, child-safe, Plan Toys Shape Matching and FAO Schwarz Alphabet Blocks Wagon – Sustainable Wood fit the bill. Both are made with non-toxic paints and sustainable wood.

For adorable plush fun the Idbid’s are great. These Earth-friendly pals come in three sets:

• Idbid Lola Eco-Friendly Starter Kit in Pink
• Idbid Waverly Eco-Friendly Starter Kit in Blue
• Idbid Scout Eco-Friendly Starter Kit in White

My favorite is the little rain drop friend. Read more about the Idbid’s in the post; Amazingly Cute & New Eco Friends.

There you go, some nice green last minute gifts. Later I may post some cool last minute green books for kids – although, I’m pressed for time right now too, so we’ll see.

Pandabo is an awesome little kid’s game. Totally cute and made out of lightweight earth friendly bamboo, this game is not only fun but helps tots to practice fine motor skills. Comes with 1 panda, 24 sticks in 3 shapes and 1 dice. This game was also winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold and Silver Seal Awards for 2006.

Number Snail – Not truly a game, but since this is as close to a game as you’ll get for very small kids, I’m including this idea anyhow. Made in Sri Lanka from plantation-grown Rubberwood and hand-painted with non-toxic paints. Nice for tots who are too young for real games.

Bug Balancing – Made by eco-friendly Plan Toys, this challenging game exercises planning and thinking skills. Kids must learn to balance the bugs on the tree. Comes with bugs in difference sizes, a disc and the lovely tree all made of natural, chemical free recycled rubberwood and finished with non-toxic water based dye.