UPDATED:  Congrats to Tracey!   #8  Timestamp: 2010-01-30 02:26:52 UTC

I'm gonna be honest with you.  Before the holidays I researched these blocks intensively online thinking that my son would love them.  After much consideration, I thought, "Meh. Another building block."  Turns out that they are actually very cool in person.

What are CitiBlocs? CitiBlocs are wooden building blocks and the directions are simple.  Just stack them on top of each other!

Made from durable New Zealand pine from certified renewable forests they are a "green" must-have toy.  The secret behind these eco-friendly building blocks is that each block is the same size and shape.  The 100 piece set is a great set to start out with.  I found that they fit into a standard shoe box making them easy to store for future use.

Each box set comes with an easy to use booklet that sparks the imagination.  My son was inspired by one such example in the booklet but tweaked it to make his own design.

I am always looking out for "new" toys that require creativity not just for my own children but for birthday gifts as well.  Citiblocs are safe and non toxic and designed for children 3 and up.  All three of my children:  seven year old boy, five year old girl and three year old girl spent well over an hour creating cities with their new blocks.

Chances are, if you invite us to a birthday party in Cleveland we will be wrapping a box of CitiBlocs because we all found them to be a perfect toy for our creative family.

UPDATED: Just got word that I can giveaway one set of 100 CitiBlocs like pictured above to one reader!  Woot.  Woot.  Leave me one comment per person.  Tweet/Facebook this giveaway for your second chance to enter (please leave me a second comment with url link).  Giveaway ends Jan 24, 2010.

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was accepted for this post.  Product was given to review.  All views and opinions expressed are my own on every post.