Spring brings budding trees, blooming flowers and chirping birds and, we don't know about where you live, but in New York it also brings construction on seemingly every block. All day long we see children stopped on the street, mouths agape, as they stare at cranes, cement mixers and excavators while their patients wait (mostly) patiently. Of course kids can build with anything - empty cereal boxes, playing cards, sand - but we've also put together some of our favorite toys (Look, Ma! No Plastic!) for young builders.

First Row

• Fabric digger ($55).


• Toddler Workbench ($110).


• Hardware Store Alphabet Cards ($25).

Second Row

• Plan City Road Construction Set ($18).


• Melissa and Doug Take Along Took Kit ($13).


• Tools and Ton by Taro Miura ($16 each).


• Wooden Bricks, set of 3 ($20).

Third Row

• Knit Toolbelt ($85).


• Spanner and Hammer Rattles ($14 each).


• My First Tool Set ($50).

Any favorites to add to our list?

We also found a great website for young builders, Kikki's Workshop, which has pictures and video of real construction vehicles (in case your kid needs a midnight fix), videos and Flash animation that describe how different construction vehicles work, downloadable coloring pages and nine online mini-games.