Classic wooden cars with a modern twist

My son received a set of cool-looking Automoblox Minis last Christmas. They've been among his favorite toys ever since.

The small beech wood cars (half the size of full-blown Automoblox) are loads of fun to zoom around. They're nicely sized for small hands and stand up to rugged preschool-kid playing. But their genius is in the way they pull apart into several fully interchangeable pieces. He mixes and matches the parts to create all sorts of creative custom vehicles, from stretch limousines to itty-bitty autos.

I wondered if connecting the parts might be too difficult for him at his age, but they go together easily enough that it hasn't been a problem. And given how much fun even us adults have playing with them, I think this is one toy that will have a shelf life well into the elementary school years.

$10 for one or $28 for three at NW shop Child Trek

Through the end of August, Automoblox is running a great Cars for Classrooms campaign. For every car sold through the Automobox website, the company will donate one car to a school specializing in educational services to kids with autism. To participate, enter the promotional code 'donation' at checkout.