My daughter had a set of those when she was little - we all liked them
Thank you, all! Great ideas.
Unfortunately, because the parents put so many restrictions on what can be given or not, everyone gives the kids wooden blocks! Our last gift was a giant Jenga which was a hit! Now need something different. 
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I know it is not your call but at some point the parents will have to give up the ‘no plastics’ rule. Computers have plastic, headphones have plastic, real cars have plastic, life has plastic. Even a cooking set will have some plastic measuring cups and while a rolling pin can be wood, there might be some bacteria retained on it.
How about a bicycle? Most of it is going to be metal, but there might be a plastic seat, pedals, or handlebar grips.
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Are they too young for a Mancala set? (I still have mine from age 6 or so!).
Or…a wooden Labyrinth set – the one with the maze and the large steel marble? (I think I still have that from age 6 also!!)
Uno cards? Board games where you can personally substitute wooden pieces for the plastic markers?
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How about wooden easels with pads of paper and all natural paints?
Or wooden musical instrument sets?
Stoie’s International Wooden Music Set, Percussion Kids Musical Instruments, Montessori Unique Play Toddler Musical Instruments for Kids Ages 3, 5, 9, 12- Baby Musical Toys, Baby Musical Instruments https://a.co/d/42z4fKW
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Yes, I gave my niece & nephew a wooden easel & art set. It was enjoyed. It had a roll of paper too, i believe.
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If he’s an animal lover, my S just adored adopting animals from the wwf. He would spend hours pouring over the catalogs and picking his animal. https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center
This is another fun one where you can track your animal. You get a bracelet when adopting and a QR code and on the app you can see where your animal is and had gone. H and the kids each have things they track.
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When my in-laws went to Australia they brought back these amazing wooden animal balancing puzzles, my kids loved them for years, in fact we still have them.
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For the 5 year olds with no plastic, the Vermont Country Store looks like it has some options-a marionette, Vermont wooden noise makers, all wood checkers, a bocce game, etc. It’s always fun to look at their catalog. If they like stuffed animals, Bears for Humanity seems to meet the family’s requirements.
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Are these boys twins? How about subscriptions to Highlights and Ranger Rick magazines? They will look forward to their own mail each month.
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Bocce ball is SO fun, easy to learn and fun for a couple people or many! And great for active 5 year old boys.
Amazon has a bunch of sets: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bocce+ball+wood&crid=2GTY3TG8D93MF&sprefix=bocce+ball+wood%2Caps%2C96&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Croquet is another idea.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=croquet+sets+for+kids&crid=267XNF30GTPLY&sprefix=croquet%2Caps%2C99&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_5_7
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Just curious…do the parents put as many restrictions on other aspects of the lives of these boys? Food, friends, school?
In the wooden toys category, I have kept plain primary colored blocks, castle blocks, pattern blocks, colored wooden dominoes (line up and then topple them all with a bell that rings), and a Brio train set. My oldest was given some handmade wooden trucks purchased at a craft fair by my in-laws that I no longer have – I was always a little leery of them around very young children because they weren’t built to any government safety specifications (small wheel pieces).
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@BunsenBurner - how about Clixo? Per their website: Clixo pieces are made from recyclable and durable synthetic paper with strong-embedded magnets for maximum safety. The materials are proprietary, kid-safe (non-toxic), and specially developed for our brand. Our packaging is made from recycled bamboo and is sustainably manufactured.
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I love @mominva idea about subscriptions! My son loved getting his own magazines in the mail.
These are super cute too. They look colorful and slightly more mainstream.
https://www.amazon.com/DIY-Wooden-Monster-Truck-Stickers/dp/B0C7HY31K1
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Try looking through https://atoygarden.com/ it should be all natural stuff. It’s very Waldorf.
I used to get the Hearthsong catalog in the mail and it was full of natural and wooden stuff but looks like they have a lot of plastic now but still might be worth a look.
NovaNaturals is another Waldorfy natural toy company. My kids didn’t go to Waldorf school but I got on all these catalog mailing lists somehow.
We did like the big cardboard bricks. I think they were Melissa & Doug. The nice thing about them is they can’t really hurt anything. Deluxe Jumbo Cardboard Blocks - 40 Pieces | Melissa & Doug If they do t already have those that’s what I’d vote for. Lots of fun for 5 year olds.
There are all wooden off brand tinker toys. https://www.forsmallhands.com/makeit-toy?
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And the cardboard blocks will weigh much less…and if someone throws one…no big deal. And part of the fun of blocks is knocking them down. The wooden ones can actually be pretty heavy and can hurt someone when a kid knocks them down.
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Awesome! These wood cars and trucks look like something the kids will like and the parents will approve.
The parents use plastic… the crazy “rule” applies to toys. No plastic, no batteries, and nothing that connects to the internet. I’m not sure how long this will last. So hopefully by next Christmas it will be over!
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Great suggestions, everyone! Many thanks. 
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What?!! If you don’t get hurt by your toys, you don’t get your kid badge. I can’t tell you how many times I got burned by my Easy-Bake Oven and cooking that Plastigoop making those rubber insect things. Throwing heavy toys with sharp edges at my brother was my only defense when he got bigger than me. What’s a kid to do these days? 
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How about Tonka Trucks? Some are metal.
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