Do you remember stacking up a pile of little wooden blocks in various shapes, as a child, and pretending you were building a fantasy castle?

And all the time you were learning a whole range of skills, from problem-solving techniques to small-motor skills, not to mention the exercise of creative imagination!

All that, from little blocks of wood…

Just tell me why they didn’t make building blocks like Haba‘s “international and architectural” toy blocks when I was a wee tot! The Russian building blocks are particularly gorgeous — $39.95 at GummyLump.

With this unique set your child can construct the buildings of Moscow and St. Petersburg. This beautiful set contains the domes and arches that Russian Czars and religious leaders used in constructing buildings in Russia. Let your child create his own amazing structures with 55 Maplewood blocks in 17 shapes.

[H/T to Jen, the Reading Goddess, for her pointer to Gummylump toys.]