Wyatt, my woodworking club makes thousands of blocks each year to distribute
to needy kids at Christmas time. We use construction cut-off scraps that
are donated. These are painted by senior center volunteers in non-toxic
paints. It seems the kids go for the bright colors more than natural woods.
I know, hard for a woodworker to understand.

Anyway, if you want to leave them natural, I would not leave them
unfinished. They will get slobbery from the kids and stained and ugly.
Maybe unsanitary as well. My advice is shellac. It's non-toxic, fast and
easy to apply, and super blonde will look great. As for which would wood be
good, the ones you mentioned are fine, as wood any domestic hardwood. There
might be some argument for staying away from exotics that might be toxic,
but with a coat of shellac I don't think I wood even worry about that.

If you do go with natural wood instead of paint, consider routing letters
and numerals in the blocks to add a bit of interest.

--
Bill Pounds
http://www.billpounds.com/woodshop


"Wyatt Wright" wrote in message
...
What kind of wood would be good for children's construction blocks -
Cubes, triangles, etc.

I was thinking ash or maple. I might make some by laminating two
woods with contrasing colors.

I will probably leave them unfinished, but is there an acceptable
finish for something that might end up in a toddler's mouth?

Thanks all.