Lions and tigers and bears...oh my! If your child has a
birthday coming up, why not throw a Jungle Theme Party for
him or her? What child doesn't love all the furry fun animals of
the jungle?
Planning a Jungle Theme party can get wild and wooly. It's a jungle out
there with all the details to attend to but we have mapped out
the expedition to make your journey a wonderful adventure.
You don't have to hunt around to plan your big day.
We have a safari of Jungle Theme Party ideas. From the
invitations, to the decorations and party favors, we have
tamed the beast so you can relax and enjoy the big day.
My nephew
recently had a Jungle Theme Party so we have a trunk full
of innovative ideas and plenty of tails to tell.
In fact, that's our family behind the masks in the photo. Kim is
the bunny, by the way!
So grab a limb and swing on over to the section of your
choice to learn more. Or, better yet, check it all out, head to
toe, or head to "paw" if you will.
Click on the topic below to Jump to that Jungle Theme Party
Ideas
Here are some sets available in the Jungle Theme Party. Some
offer really good bargains on shipping. You may find you
actually save money by purchasing the entire set.
There's rumble in the jungle about a Jungle Theme Party!
Get the word out with a roar by purchasing invitations that match
your choice of Jungle Theme Partys. Of course, you can
also opt to make your own and we have great suggestions down
those lions too!
To get started, make a list of guests you want to invite.
Then you will want to choose a location, date and time. Include
those details on the invitations but I like to also add the time
the party will end, any instructions such as "please wear play
clothes", "dress like the jungle animal of your choice", or
whatever fits your individual Jungle Theme Party.
RSVP is a nice addition as well.
Include the physical address as well as a map and your phone
number.
I learned the hard way that it's a good idea to state the date
and the day so no one gets mixed up.
Once you have filled in the details of the Jungle Theme Party, slip in a
little confetti and place in the envelope. Seal and
add some fun Jungle Theme Party stickers.
You can often find animal stamps that will go right along with
the theme. Mail out with plenty of time to spare.
Here are some grrrreat invitations. You can get the fill
in the blank type, order with your information on the them or
even purchase personalized invitations.
For those who want to do-it-yourself, here are some other
fun ideas.
This is a very simple but really cute idea.
Purchase sheets of animal print scrapbook paper.Keep in mind
that each sheet should make two cards. You can often find fuzzy
animal print paper for a wild flair! Cut the invitations.
I like to use designed edged scissors. Cut out the
shape of the corresponding animal such as a zebra if you use
zebra stripes, a tiger for tiger paper and so on.
You can use fun colors or white. Print what you want to say on
the animal shape. For a lion you might say,
"Come have a roaring time at Caden's Birthday
Party!"
Make sure to include all the details such as time, date and day,
and the location. You can add some confetti and a Jungle Theme
Party balloon inside too!
Don't forget the thank-you cards! I like to slip in a
picture that I have snapped during the party of each child in
his or her card for a personal touch.
When it comes to decorating, it's a jungle out there! We
don't monkey around. Let us guide you through so you don't get
lost and eaten by the savage beasts. A little organization and
some of our grrrreat ideas coupled with your own creative
touch is all you need.
First off, welcome the guests with a yard sign or banner, or both! You can even purchase
pesonalized ones. This not only greets them but marks the spot of
your party, something the neighbors might appreciate.
Just go wild! If it's jungle, and screams of monkey
business...use it! Whether your party is at the house, at the
park, or in the backyard, you can create a jungle scene. Wall murals add instant decor and create a
wild side.
If you prefer to make your own, simply cut out pictures from
wildlife magazines and glue onto a poster board and cut out. You
can purchase inexpensive posters as well to pin up.
Lifesize animal standeesbring the jungle to
life like this stalking tiger. A few palm tress make the
jungle scene even more realistic. Shindigz has a forest full of
trees rangoing in size, type and price. One is sure to fit your
fancy! Don't forget to scatter about some coconuts for a real
festive flair.
Click here for instructions for our paper
mache coconuts.
If you want to make your own palm tree, you will need
green construction paper, cardboard tubes, brown paper, a brown
marker and scissors, tape and glue. Put cardboard tubes together
to make the trunk of the palm tree.
To do so, connect them end to end then tape the ends together.
Cut pieces of brown paper so they are wide enough to wrap around
the tubes with the edges overlapping slightly. Wrap the pieces
and tape.
Use a brown marker to draw rings around the paper to make it look
like a palm tree trunk. Cut large leaf shapes from green
construction paper. Fold the leaves in half lengthwise
then unfold them for a more authentic effect. Tape the ends of
the leaves to the top of the cardboard trunk, so that one leaf
sticks out to the front, one to the back and one to each side.
Add more leaves if desired.
Gather up all the stuffed animals and toys you can find to
set around in corners, on tables and in chairs.
If you have a stuffed monkey, you can hang him from a standee
tree or even a chandeliers.
If you have a waterfall of any kind, set it up on a table
with some jungle animal toys or figurines. If you don't have one,
you can purchase a tabletop water fountain fairly
inexpensively and keep it for relaxation throughout the year. You
can add a few small palm trees around the area too.
Balloons are a must for every party and you can never have
too many so group them in bunches, use them for balloon bouquets
for the tables, tie them to the chairs, hang them from the
ceilings and stagger them all around the room. balloons too!
You can do like we did and mix solids and animal print helium
filled latex balloons with Jungle Theme Party mylars for a fun
mix and match effect.
Streamers are fun to drape about the room. You can go from corner
to corner or corner to ceiling. We hung Jungle animal bean bags from the ceiling.
During game time, we let each child pick one as a prize for
participating and being a good sport.
A pinata can serve as a great decoration and double for a game
that's always a hit! Here are some of our favorites...
Photo props, like a safari jeep from Birthday Express, can serve
a herd of purposes. They not only add grrrreat decor to
the party area, they offer a nice setting for photos you can take
and send as a nice personal touch with the thank-you cards. You
can also be used at craft time.
Even the monkeys will enjoy hangoing out at your party. We
hung these cute little primates from ceiling fans and drapery
rods. They are even more adorable when
you add some mini bananas to the de-tail. If you don't
want to use real ones, you can dangle some banana balloons from
the scene. Decorated tables make the room roar with
atmosphere and are a great place to tie add more Jungle Theme
de-tail.
Tables can serve for utility as well as just for decoration. I
like to use as many tables as I can fit in! As you can see in the
photo, we used one table for the Jungle Animal masks we had for
each guest to wear. We also put animal inflatables on the table and some fun
squirt toys for the children.
Start each table with a Jungle Theme Party tablecover or a color
coordinated solid if you prefer.
In addition to what you want the table used for, you will
probably want a centerpiece on each table. You can purchase a
centerpiece or make your own with a little imagination.
Of course one table can be used for the cake and all that it
en-tails. Once you have placed the cake on the table, you
can arrange your Jungle Theme Party plates, napkins and eating
utensils. Your cake can be the centerpiece or you can opt for an
additional focal point such as something with heigth, like a
helium balloon bouquet. If you want, you can scatter about Jungle
Animal toys, confetti or even little Jungle Animal novelty
candies like these suckers.
Beverages can be on the same table as the cake or you can
do like I do and set up a table just for drinks.
We had our punch in a fun punch bowl on the table with a Jungle
Theme Party centerpiece then fun coconut cups and Jungle Theme Party beverage
napkins. We covered a tin bucket in animal print for a cool ice
container.
A table can be decorated and used for gifts and you can also
decorate a table for the guests to sit at. When it comes to
tables, in my opinion, they are like balloons...just go
bananas because you can never have too many. Light up the
jungle with these animal print lanterns.
When you have the sights of the jungle all in place, it's time
to add the sounds. Play a CD in the background like Animals Of Africa Sounds Of The
Jungle in the
background and let the safari begin!
Check out this Jungle Theme Party cake my sister made for
my nephew! Scroll on down to find out how she did it.
We all know the cake is the mane attraction as far as kids
are concerned so make sure yours is grrrrrrrreat. You can
order from a bakery or boutique or pick one up at the grocery
store, or you can make your own.
If you are up to baking your own cake, we will help you map
out your expedition. For those who are stretched for
time, a cake topper is a smart choice and they are so cute
and easy.
Simply bake a cake with our basic cake recipe or use your own
favorite then frost and top with a cake topper. You can also bake
and frost a cake and make a scene atop to set these cute animal
toppers on.
This cake decal is ideal for Moms on the go. Bake,
frost and place the edible decal on for a roaring sweet treat!
Picture this...your birthday boy or girl's photo in this Jungle Pals Cake Photo Topper.
This book has some really grrrreat ideas for creative jungle animal cakes.
You'll find a herd of jungle animals to choose from for a
sweet and fun cake that won't cost a lot of dough. And the best
thing is that you can use this book for years to come.
Lindas Jungle Theme Party Cake
To make Linda's Jungle Cake as seen in the photo, bake
three round cakes in small, medium and large.
When the cake is cool, invert. Cover the three cakes with white
fondant that you have rolled out.
Form round balls in fondant that is colored to coordinate with
your Jungle Theme Party decor.
Our colors were orange, blue, yellow and green. Then make balls
but flatten them or use a small circle cutter like a mini biscuit
cutter. Do these in the same colors as the balls.
Make the birthday child's name out of fondant in the same colors.
Place the fondant items on the cake. Also make green foilage to
go around the cake as shown and place on cake.
Make a number for the cake, however old the child is turning. Add
cake topper or toy animals and a small plastic tree on top.
Also add a candle if desired. Enjoy!Jungle Theme Party candles are hot! Light up your cake
with a set.
Cup cakes are fun to make and neat to eat so be sure to
bake up a batch for your party.
Tame the tiger! Make up some really awesome cup cakes
quickly. Just bake and frost and set a Jungle Theme Party one
sugar shape on the top of each one. Or, stick
in a cupcake pick if you had rather.
I like the idea of placing a
Jungle Safari Animal Finger Puppeton each one so
the children can have a toy to take home as icing on the
cake, or "cup cake" I should say.
These cup cake wraps spice up even the most boring
little cup cake. For those who are really stretched for
time, you can pick up a dozen or so cup cakes at the grocery
store and quickly wrap these around them for a cute and fun treat
that looks like you really stuck your neck out!
The kids will work up an elephant sized thirst with all
the fun they will be having so fill their trunks with our
Jungle Juice and other fun Jungle Theme Party drinks.
JUNGLE THEME PARTY JUICE PUNCH
4 cups cranberry juice
1 cup chopped candied goinger
12 ounce can frozen apple juice concentrate
6 ounce can frozen limeade concentrate
2 32-ounce bottles goinger ale
4 cups water
1 to 2 pounds dry ice
This juice is way fun but we cannot stress enough the
importance of keeping the children away from the dry ice.
It is dangerous when touched or swallowed so never leave the
children unattended and make sure none of the dry ice gets into
the cups. It is to remain in the punch bowl only!
Mix all of the ingredients together and chill. Pour into a punch
bowl then add the dry ice just before serving for a steamy
cool Jungle brew.
You can put the dry ice in cheese cloth to keep it separated and
float some plastic alligator toys in the punch
that's a lot of croc!
SUNSHINE SAFARI PUNCH WITH JUNGLE ANIMAL CANDY ICE
RING
PUNCH
1 liter or more of 7-up
1 pint frozen pineapple sherbet
Mix and serve immediately in a clear punch bowl. Add ice ring.
ICE RING
In a gelatin mold bowl or bundt cake pan, fill the very bottom
with water and freeze until hard. Add animal fruit snack candies and fill with
more water to desired thickness and freeze until ready to serve.
TIGER MILK SMOOTHIE
1 large can frozen orange juice
2 cup milk
2 cup water
4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 to 1 cup cup sugar (your call on that)
14 crushed ice cubes
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.
These koozies are perfect for canned drinks such as Gatorade.
GOING BANANAS MONKEY SMOOTHIE
6-8 bananas
4 cups of milk
6 tbs. honey
1 tray of ice cubes
6-10 scoop of vanilla ice cream (optional)
Combine all the ingredients in a blender until smooth and serve
immediately in monkey sipper cups.
Here are some of our favorite Jungle Theme Party cups and you are
sure to find them in the individual Jungle Theme Party of your
choice as well.
Please feed the animals...and the guests! When the
children are hungry as hippos, feed them in true safari
style with our tried and true snack attack ideas and main dish
recipes.
MANE DISHES
Especially if your party falls at mealtime, you will want to have
a beast of a feast. Here are some tasty suggestions.
KING OF THE JUNGLE MEAT AND TATERS
This is a sure fit remedy for those growling tummies!
(This recipe is fantastic and we aint lion. It is from my
Mom given to her by my niece, Carla. Though Mom is no longer with
us, we will pass it on to all our readers so you can love it as
much as Mom did!)
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup bread crumb
1/4 cup chopped onions (optional)
2 tsp. mustanrd
1 package dry onion soup
SAUCE
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
4 tsp. brown sugar
Mix all the ingredients (except the sauce) together and press
into a round pan and then in two cupcake tins. Since you will not
be using the other cup cake compartments, it is a good idea to
put water in the empty ones.
Bake at 400 for about 30 mins. then mix together and add the
sauce and bake another 10 or so. The length of time will depend
on the size of the pans so you might keep an eye out for when
they get browned.
Whip a batch of mashed potatoes. Save back a tablespoon of the
plain white pototoes and then add enough shredded cheddar cheese
to make the color orange.
Invert the meatloaf out of the pans and make a lion, the
cake pan meatloaf being the face and the cup cake meatloaves will
be the ears.
"Frost" with the mashed potatoes. Make whiskers with black
toothpicks and outline a nose and mouth with decorator icing gel.
Use the plain potatoe mix to make eyes and dot with the black
icing gel. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese to make a lion
mane around the face.
You can also insert stick pretzels all around the large circle
meatloaf to add to the mane. I have even made it using
cheetos to make the mane. Use your creativity and you will do
grrrreat!
TIGER TOT CASSEROLE
This is another recipe straight from the kitchen of my niece,
Carla. It's a family favorite and works perrrrr-fectly for
this tiger theme main dish.
1 lb of ground hamburger meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 bag tater tots
shredded cheese
2 googley eyes black pipe cleaner for the mouth and a black
pom-pom for the nose
Brown then drain hamburger meat. Add cream of mushroom soup and
stir together. Let simmer on low heat for a few mins. Lightly
brown the tater tots in the oven.
Place half of the meat mixture in a round cake pan. I use a
springform pan so it is easy
to remove the casserole. Place a layer of tater tots and some of
the cheese on top and then spoon the rest of the meat mixture on
top.
Arrange tater tots on the top. I actually crumble them a little.
Sprinkle with a healthy layer of shredded cheese. Save back
enough tater tots to go around the circumference of the round pan
which will be the tiger's head.
Place in oven on 350' and let the tater tots brown and the cheese
melt.
Once the casserole has cooled, set the pan on a serving surface
such as a cookie sheet. This casserole is moist so a spring cake
pan is best but if you do not use one, you might just leave the
casserole in the pan.
Chances are no one will even notice the pan. Make the lion's mane
with an outline of tater tots and place on large googley eyes
then make a mouth out of the pipe cleaner and glue on the nose.
Place on the casserole. I served this with a large spatula that I
attached a tiger tail to and used the extra tails for
games later in the party.
JUNGLE ANIMAL SANDWICHES
These fun sandwiches are sure to please even the most
finiky eaters.
Make sandwiches using the filling of your choice like chicken
salad or peanut butter and jelly. Use Jungle Animals Cookie Cutters to make animals
the kids will devour in no time.
ZOO ANIMAL CHICKEN NUGGETS
Chicken nuggets are a universal favorite so you can't go wrong
with these tasty morsels. Brakebush and Tegel are two good
brands. Serve them with dip
such as Ranch or even ketchup.
TIGER MINI MELTS
The little ones will enjoy these bite size mini meals.
Simply make and fry a small hamburger patty for each guest plus
of course, the guest of honor. When the burgers are almost
finished cooking, add a slice of cheese to each.
When they are cooled, stick some pretzel sticks around the
circumference of each one to make a lion mane. Add green
olive slices for eyes and thin red bell pepper slices for
whiskers (three on each side).
KID SNACKS
When the little monkeys get the munchies, give them a
smile as well. Here are some of our family favorite
innovative ideas that are simply zoo-licious!
ELEPHANT CRACKERS
Look what we pulled out of our trunk! It's a family
favorite snack that is easy to make and fun to eat. To
make it, just cut out elephant ears from medium to thick
sliced ham and a slightly larger ear for the cheese.
Place ham over cheese and place next the the cracker.
Cut two carrot slices for the eyes and put googley eyes on top
but only if you are prepared to remove each one before the kids
dig in.
Otherwise, leve the googley eyes off. Serve the elephant crackers
on a bright solid tray and watch them go!
BANANARAMA
Banana chips are a nice, healthy treat for the kids. Serve them
up in a banana dish and sit a
stuffed monkey beside the dish
for a fun festive flair.
FRUIT TRAY
A fruit tray is perfect for any party but especially for a Jungle
Theme party!
Monkeys love bananas so be sure to include some slices on the
tray. Kiwi slices along with pineapple and coconut cubes can be
added for that African appetite. Cheese squares can be added too
and don't forget the Jungle Fruit Dip!
JUNGLE FRUIT DIP
Cream together 1 large container of sour cream with one package
of cream cheese and add one large can of crushed pineapple with
the juice. Chill and serve!
GIRAFFE EGGS
If you want to stick your neck out for a really wild
snack, boil up some eggs. Cool and peel. On each egg you will
make a face.
Use a black icing gel pen for the eyes and wmall round cheese
circles for the nose. You can use the icing pen to get the nose
to stick on. Make giraffe ears out of cheddar cheese slices and
lay on a serving tray. Position one egg on each set of ears.
You can actually try sticking the ears on with the icing pen but
the eggs are slick so that sometimes is difficult.
Toothpicks are another option for attaching but do so only with
an older group of children who wont try eating the toothpics.
EASY JUNGLE ANIMAL WATERMELON POPSICLES
Not only will the kids love this yummy snack, parents will
appreciate it too because it is good for the kids. Shhh, I wont
tell if you don't!
Cut seedless watermelon slices 3" thick. Make fun Jungle animal
shapes using cookie cutters. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze on
wax paper. Keep in freezer until ready to serve!
SWEET STUFF
ZEBRA STRIPES RICE CRISPIE
TREATS
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 ounces) marshmallows
semi-sweet morsels and white chocolate morsels for stripes
In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and
stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies
cereal. Stir until well coated. Butter your hands and roll into
balls.
Insert a lollypop or popsycle stick in each one. Use a
decorator's icing bag with small to medium tip to make stripes
with melted semi-sweet chocolates, melted. Clean the bag and tip
and repeat, using melted white chocolate. Once the balls have
dried, wrap in clear celophane wrap and tie with zebra print curling ribbon. Carefully stick
the suckers into a piece of styrofoam. You can even spray paint
the styrofoam black or red if you want to.
BANANAS OVER PEANUTS (OR...PEANUTS OVER
BANANAS)
Elephants are bananas over peanuts and your guests will be
too when you serve them our chocolate covered bananas with
peanuts on top.
Insert popsycle sticks into peeled whole bananas then dip each
one into melted semi-sweet chocolate or milk chocolate.
Roll in gently crushed peanuts then stick into a square or round
piece of styrofoam to set. You can serve from the styrofaom too!
NOTE: BE SURE TO CHECK IF ANY OF THE CHILDREN HAVE PEANUT
ALLERGIES.
JUNGLE ANIMAL JELLO JIGGLERS
Mix up some of our Jello Jigglers and when they have set, cut out
with Jungle animal cookie cutters. Kids love 'em!
2-1/2 cups boiling water (Do not add cold water.)
2 pkg. (8-serving size each) JELL-O
Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 3
min. until completely dissolved.
Pour into 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until
firm. Dip bottome of pan into warm water to make it easier to
lift Jello out.
Cut with cookie cutters or these cool Jello animal shaped Jigglers Wigglers. Another
fun way to prepare this magic jello is to pour into
Nordic Ware Pro Cast Zoo Animal Muffin Pananimal shaped muffin molds) and chill until
set. When made this way, the jigglers will be thicker.
WILD COOKIES
My daughter and her husband made some great Jungle animal cookies
by using fondant Bake up your
favorite sugar or shortbread cookies then cover half with white
fondant and half with orange fondant. Cut black stripes
out of fondant for the white ones and use brown spots made from
fondant for the orange ones. Watch these cookies go extinct in no
time!
Animal crackers are a must! You can find
the classic ones in cute little individual size boxes at most
grocery stores or purchase online.
Tiger's Milk Bars are another fun and nutritional idea. We
put them in Jungle Theme Party favor buckets and set them about
on the snack table.
Speaking of buckets, spread some jungle magic with these
goodies we put in buckets and placed about the food table and
other tables as well. You may want to order extras to fill the
favor bags too!
Love, love, love this dispenser! It adds decoration to the snack
table and the kids have a blast getting the candies out. You can
use plain M&M or order the personlized ones. The best thing
is that you can use the dispenser over and over at all your
parties.
The object of playing Ice Breaker games is so the children can
get to know one another so they are best played at the beginning
of the party. Try some of these fun Jungle Theme Party ice
breakers for some cool fun.
JUNGLE ANIMAL CHARADES
Cut out pictures of Jungle animals from magazines or
download and print some online. Put them all in a bucket like
this safari theme pail. You can use the extra pails
to put party favors in or to hold snacks. Let the children each take a turn picking a picture
out of the bucket then acting like that animal.
The other children can try to guess what animal it is.
For older children, you can have them do so without talking or
while standing on one foot or whatever creative touch you might
want to add. This is an old classic game but it's lots of
fun!
MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO
Pair the children into groups of two. One player will be the
"doer" first and will choose a jungle animal to act like
with movements and sounds that the partner will try to imitate.
Then the two will switch off roles.
STRIPES
For this Ice Breaker, you will need a printout of a zebra for
each child, crayons or markers and a list of questions that you
have thought up before the party. I like to tell the "Zebra
Stripe Story" before getting started. It goes like this: Once
there was a zebra named Stripes who lived with a great
herd of horses.
Though he really liked the horses he lived with, he always felt
different. Stripes had...stripes and the horses did not.
One day, while grazing in the pasture, Stripes spotted a
herd of zebras. He had never seen a zebra before but he quickly
noticed that they were all...just like him.
They ALL had stripes! Stripes no longer felt bad about being
different because he had stripes. He had discovered that
sometimes in our differences, we are all the same!
To get started on the activity, give each child a printout then
ask them to listen to your questions and color in their zebras
according to your questions.
For example you might say "Do you have any pets? If you have a
dog color the zebra'stummy red, if you have a cat color it
blue, if you have both color the zebra's tummy purple." You
can ask about siblings,likes and dislikes, etc. It is best to
keep questions simple with younger children.
When they are finished ask the children to look
at one anothers zebras to see if they spot similarities and
differences between them?
TEN QUESTIONS
Have each player think of a Jungle animal. Each child will then
take turns answering 10 questions from the group about the animal
he or she chose.
Get each to whisper to you what the animal is before the
questions begin. Questions can be something like, "Do you run
fast?"
Or, "Do you swing from a tree?" For young children, you may want
to ask the questions and let the group guess.
ELEPHANT MEMORY
As we know, an elephant never forgets...but do your party
guests? Have each child state his or her name and favorite jungle
animal.
For older children, you can have them briefly tell why they like
that animal. One child will put on the "elephant mask or hat" and
start the game, then the next child will state his or her name,
animal and (if applicable) reason they like that animal and then
will try to remember the same about the player before him or her.
The next will be trying to remember the two prior player's
information along with giving his or her own and so on. The
player who started the game will also end it so he or she will
have lots of remembering to do!
ANIMAL DANCE
Put on some fun jungle jams, songs about the jungle or
jungle animals such as "Bungle in the Jungle", "Hey, Hey, We're
the Monkeys", "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", etc. You can
download from Amazon. Pass out Jungle Animal masks, one to each child. Ask
the children to dance to the music, imitating the animal their
mask represents. The children can vote on the best Jungle
Animal dancer!
JUNGLE TRIVIA
Think up some questions about the jungle and jungle
animals and let the children try to guess the answers. For
younger children you can ask something like, "What animal eats
bananas and swings from trees?"
For older children, you might ask them to name a movie about a
jungle animal. For an added twist with older children, you
can have them take turns asking a Jungle Theme Party question.
GOING ON A SAFARI
This activity is best for older children and is a blast to play.
Have the group sit in a circle. You, or another adult, will start
it off.
If your name is Barbara, you could use this example. If not,
substitute the words in bold to something similar that starts
with the first letter of your first name. "My name is Barbara and
I am going on a safari and I am going to take my
binoculars." Go around the circle and let each child
repeat what you said, but making up what they are going to take.
You will then tell them if they can go or not. If what they are
taking starts with the first letter of their first name, they can
go. Those who do not get to go do not play but those who do
continue the game.
When it is your turn again, you might say, "My name is Barbara
and I am going on a safari and I am going to take my binoculars
and my Bible." It is fun to see who catches on plus everyone gets
to know each other's names!
MASK-ARADE PARADE
Have each child shut his or her eyes and pick a Jungle animal mask. Each child will put on the
mask and act like that animal while forming a line and "parading"
around the party area.
For older children you can have obstacles along the way like a
chair they all must cross over or a box they must go through.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU...JUNGLE PUPPET STYLE
This is really good for a party with younger children who may be
a little shy at first. Put a Jungle animal hand puppetor two on your
hands and talk to each child. Then go around the group and
introduce each child to the others. Add some jokes if you want.
My favorite puppet joke is done with two different animals, like
a monkey and a tiger. Monkey: "What did the little Lion say to
the big Lion?" Tiger: "I don't know, what?" Monkey: "Nothing
silly, Lions can't talk!"
Jungle Theme Party GAMES
Your guests will have more fun than a barrell of monkeys
with these fun Jungle Theme Party games.
With Kim being having a physical education degree and lots of
experience at youth camps and such, she has quite a
background when it comes to games so we have divided our Games
section into three parts. One is for older children, one for the
younger ones and one is suitable for all ages.
YOUNGER CHILDREN
ANIMAL BALLOON TOSS
Inflate Jungle animal print balloons and have the players try to
keep them up in the air. You can also divide the group in half
and let the two teams compete for the longest air time. The two
teams can even pick a name like the "Trusty Tigers" or
"Balloon Baboons".
SAFARI HUNT
This is a grrrreat outside adventure game but of course
can be played indoors as well. Before the game, hide Jungle Theme Party toys. Give each child a set
of toy binoculars and a
pail and let them hunt prizes.
HUNGRY ELEPHANT MILK JUG GAME
Before the party, take a clean, empty milk or water jug and cut
it fro the neck up, just above the handle. Then paint the jug
grey or light blue. Download and print out a picture of an
elephant and glue on the jug. Give each child five unshelled
peanuts and let them take turns feeding the elephant.
OLDER CHILDREN
NAME THAT ANIMAL
Have players form a circle. Give one player a rubber ball. That
player will call out a Jungle animal name. He or she then bounces
the ball to another player in the circle, who must catch the
ball, state another Jungle animal name and keep the ball moving
to the next player. If the player can't name an item, holds the
ball too long, or repeats an item, he or she is out.
SCAVENGER HUNT
Divide the group into two teams. Give each group a list of Jungle
related items they must find. You might include a banana, a
peanut, a tree branch, a book about jungle animals, etc. do be
sure all the items are somewhere in the area the children will be
hunting. The group who finds all of the items on their list first
wins.
ALL AGES
PINATA
This fun game is always a hit for children of all ages.
Hang a Jungle Theme Party pinata and let the children take turns
trying to bust out all the goodies. I like to give the children a
sack to put their candy and toys in. You can blindfold and spin
older children to add more fun and when the party has both older
and younger children, you might consider letting the younger ones
go first. Here are some of our favorite Jungle Theme Party
pinatas. Click on to view your favorites! I might add that the
pull string versions are great for parties with younger
children.
PEANUTS
Give each child a sock to put on his or her hand. This will be
their elephant truck. Divide the group onto two groups and
give each team a peanut. The first team to pass the peanut (using
their trunks) to all the team members and back to the first
player wins.
PIN THE TAIL ON THE TIGER
Print out a picture of a tiger minus the tail. Decorate it
up a bit and glue it to a poster board and tack it to the wall.
Cut tails out of gold construction paper, one for each player.
Add black stripes with a marker or paint pen. You can also use
tiger print paper if you would
rather. (You can use the exta paper for invitations and thank you
notes as well as scrapbooking in your memorty book!) Write each
child's name on the back of his or her tail. Place two way tape
on the top of each tail.
Line the children up and let them take turns being blind folded
and spun around then tying to place the tail on the tiger.
The one who comes the closet wins.
TEAM TAILS
Divide the group into two equal teams. I like to have the kids
number off, "One, two, one, two,..." so that those who tend to be
next to each other are separated and they can get acquainted with
other children too. Have the children line up, so there will be
two lines, one for each team. Give them a Jungle animal tail to hold between each of the
players. You will need one less than the number of players in the
group because the last player will not need one. Have the two
groups race to "the jungle" We used two inflatable palm trees,
one for each group to race to. They will race to the jungle and
back, holding tails. If one player drops a tail, that team must
start over!
KING OF THE JUNGLE
Who wants to be the king of the mountain when you can be king of
the whole jungle? This game is played like King of the Mountain
but with a twist and most importantly, does not allow pushing or
shoving like the classic game does.
Let the children draw straws to see will start the game being the
King of the Jungle. Have the Lion wear a Lion headband or a lion hat and will stand on a hill or on any
raised surface like a folded towel. The other players will be
blindfolded and will try to make their way to the King of the
Jungle who will be roaring. The children will try to follow the
roar and touch the Lion, thus becoming the King of the Jungle and
the game starts over.
JUNGLE ANIMAL GOLF
Here's a game that will have the children going
wild! Purchase one inflatable zoo hammerfor each player and a
set of balls. Have each child take a turn
trying to knock a ball to the finish line. Each child gets to hit
the ball and if it does not cross the finish line, they hit it
again where it landed, much like the game of golf.
RACING FOR PEANUTS Divide the group into two teams and let
the teams compete. You will need two peanuts and a plastic spoon
for each player and two buckets or bowls to be placed at the
finish line. Designate a starting line and line the children up.
Have the first player on each team put the spoon in his or her
mouth with a peanut in it. On the count of three, the player will
run or walk as fast as they can to deliver the peanut to the
container without touching or dropping it. If the peanut falls
out, the player must start over. The team that finishes first
wins. peanut in it. Place a bowl or bucket at the finish line.
SAFARI RACE TO THE FINISH
This
is one of the funnest games we played. The kids just loved it!
Purchase a safari pull car for each player. Designate a
starting point with bright colored electric or masking tape and a
finish line can be made from crepe paper that is tied on either
side to two chair legs or something similar. On the count of
three the players pull back the cars and race to the finish
line!
Check out these
spectacular Jungle Animal Template games from Amazon.
Entertain your safari guests with fun things to do! Face painting is a favorite
activity at our parties.
Purchase face paints that are specially made for the
face and let your artistic abilities shine. There are books and
instructions to help you out if you need some lessons or
suggestions but as long as the kids have paint on their faces,
they are happy! Warpaint stripes are always an easy way
out that the kids will love.
Put on a puppet show! Set up a puppet stage, put on some
puppets and let the show begin. You can adlib or get ideas from a
book about Jungle Animals. Throw in some jokes or even a moral
and the little ones will think you are a pro!
Jungle animals are crafty creatures and chances are your
little guests will be too when you bring out the fun arts and
crafts we have hunted down for you.
ANIMAL MASKS
Let the children unleash their wild side
making Jungle animal masks. This set is from Birthday in a Box and comes in sets of 12.
Elephants, monkeys, toucans and tigers are the animals featured.
Crayons are not included so set out some containers of crayons,
waterpaints, markers and glitter paint pens.
Have a little "show and tell" time afterwards if you want so the
kids can tail about their animal artwork. Be sure to let
each child take his or her mask home as a token of the safari
adventure.
JUNGLE ANIMALS PLAY DOUGH
This
Play Doh Animal Activities Bucketis a great
craft for all ages. Simply prepare an area and set out the all
inclusive activity set. The children will be rolling in the dough
in no time!
Bring out the animal in your birthday boy or girl and his
or her guests. Kids have more fun than a barrel of monkeys when
they dress the part. Let the roars begin with a furry lion
costume.
Or, let him go bananas over this monkey suit.
We've scouted out some fun duds for you too!
And don't forget the family pooch!
Here are some wild accessories to go along with your costume
de-tail!
Save bucks with all that junk in the trunk! Pull out old
costumes and misc. items from the attic and let the children get
creative. You can always purchase one item to complete the
ensemble. Costumes can also double for next year's Halloween
costumes. If your child is not into that, consider donating the
costume to a needy child.
If you run low on ideas where costumes are concerned, just ask
your little one for suggestions and you might just be amazed
at what he or she comes up with! For instance a rainforest party
theme would be great as well.
Send the kids home with plenty of momentos from the grrrreat
expedition. Jungle Theme Party favors are an awesome way to
thank the guests for coming and to remind them of the fun they
had.
The first thing you will want to do is to decide what container
you will use to put the goodies in. Jungle animal theme buckets and sacks are fun
and festive. Or, you can opt for one of these fillable boxes. You
can also add a creative touch by choosing to use something such
as a safari hat turned upside down and filled with
favors.
Making your own is easy too. A zebra sack can by made by
adding white stripes to black sacks or visa versa. Use slick or
puff paints, construction paper to make the stripes. You can
dress the sacks up with Jungle Theme Party stickers or print each
child's name on his or her sack. Add animal print tissue inside and fill
with favors.
Now for the fun part, filling the container. We have tons of fun
ideas from many suppliers. You can purchase them individually or
as a set. You can even purchase sets that include the containers
to put them in.
Balls, theme cups, books, notepads,pencils and erasers...the
possibilities are endless.
I love adding personalized items such as these buttons,
bookmarkers, zipper pulls and more. You can even order personalized coloring books!
Jungle Theme Party candies are sweet surprises to include. Check
these out!
Designed
2B Sweet is a great source for Jungle Theme Party favor items
and they are very reasonable.
Purchasing pre-assembled sets saves you time and often times,
money as well. Click on a set to find out more.
NOTE: Be sure to check out ideas from some of our other sections
like Mod Monkey to get even more Jungle Theme Party ideas!
My nephew
recently had a Jungle Theme Party so we have a trunk full
of innovative ideas and plenty of tails to tell.
In fact, that's our family behind the masks in the photo. Kim is
the bunny, by the way!
So grab a limb and swing on over to the section of your
choice to learn more. Or, better yet, check it all out, head to
toe, or head to "paw" if you will.
Keep in mind
that each sheet should make two cards. You can often find fuzzy
animal print paper for a wild flair! Cut the invitations.
Cut out the
shape of the corresponding animal such as a zebra if you use
zebra stripes, a tiger for tiger paper and so on.
You can use fun colors or white. Print what you want to say on
the animal shape. For a lion you might say,
fairly
inexpensively and keep it for relaxation throughout the year. You
can add a few small palm trees around the area too.
in the
background and let the safari begin!
You'll find a herd of jungle animals to choose from for a
sweet and fun cake that won't cost a lot of dough. And the best
thing is that you can use this book for years to come.
on each one so
the children can have a toy to take home as icing on the
cake, or "cup cake" I should say.
These cup cake wraps spice up even the most boring
little cup cake. For those who are really stretched for
time, you can pick up a dozen or so cup cakes at the grocery
store and quickly wrap these around them for a cute and fun treat
that looks like you really stuck your neck out!
in the punch
that's a lot of croc!
PUNCH
1 liter or more of 7-up
1 pint frozen pineapple sherbet
Mix and serve immediately in a clear punch bowl. Add ice ring.
ICE RING
In a gelatin mold bowl or bundt cake pan, fill the very bottom
with water and freeze until hard. Add 
and fill with
more water to desired thickness and freeze until ready to serve.
so it is easy
to remove the casserole. Place a layer of tater tots and some of
the cheese on top and then spoon the rest of the meat mixture on
top.
Arrange tater tots on the top. I actually crumble them a little.
Sprinkle with a healthy layer of shredded cheese. Save back
enough tater tots to go around the circumference of the round pan
which will be the tiger's head.
Place in oven on 350' and let the tater tots brown and the cheese
melt.
Once the casserole has cooled, set the pan on a serving surface
such as a cookie sheet. This casserole is moist so a spring cake
pan is best but if you do not use one, you might just leave the
casserole in the pan.
Chances are no one will even notice the pan. Make the lion's mane
with an outline of tater tots and place on large googley eyes
then make a mouth out of the pipe cleaner and glue on the nose.
Place on the casserole. I served this with a large spatula that I
attached a 
to make animals
the kids will devour in no time.
and sit a
beside the dish
for a fun festive flair.
FRUIT TRAY
A fruit tray is perfect for any party but especially for a Jungle
Theme party!
Monkeys love bananas so be sure to include some slices on the
tray. Kiwi slices along with pineapple and coconut cubes can be
added for that African appetite. Cheese squares can be added too
and don't forget the Jungle Fruit Dip!
Carefully stick
the suckers into a piece of styrofoam. You can even spray paint
the styrofoam black or red if you want to.
Kids love 'em!
2-1/2 cups boiling water (Do not add cold water.)
2 pkg. (8-serving size each) JELL-O
Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 3
min. until completely dissolved.
Pour into 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until
firm. Dip bottome of pan into warm water to make it easier to
lift Jello out.
Cut with cookie cutters or these cool 
and chill until
set. When made this way, the jigglers will be thicker.
Bake up your
favorite sugar or shortbread cookies then cover half with white
fondant and half with orange fondant. Cut black stripes
out of fondant for the white ones and use brown spots made from
fondant for the orange ones. Watch these cookies go extinct in no
time!
Imagine the children's faces when they see this 
GETTING TO KNOW YOU...JUNGLE PUPPET STYLE
or two on your
hands and talk to each child. Then go around the group and
introduce each child to the others. Add some jokes if you want.
My favorite puppet joke is done with two different animals, like
a monkey and a tiger. Monkey: "What did the little Lion say to
the big Lion?" Tiger: "I don't know, what?" Monkey: "Nothing
silly, Lions can't talk!"
if you would
rather. (You can use the exta paper for invitations and thank you
notes as well as scrapbooking in your memorty book!) Write each
child's name on the back of his or her tail. Place two way tape
on the top of each tail.
Line the children up and let them take turns being blind folded
and spun around then tying to place the tail on the tiger.
The one who comes the closet wins.
This
is one of the funnest games we played. The kids just loved it!
Purchase a 
and
instructions to help you out if you need some lessons or
suggestions but as long as the kids have paint on their faces,
they are happy! Warpaint stripes are always an easy way
out that the kids will love.
Put on a puppet show! Set up a puppet stage, put on some
puppets and let the show begin. You can adlib or get ideas from a
book about Jungle Animals. Throw in some jokes or even a moral
and the little ones will think you are a pro!
Jungle animals are crafty creatures and chances are your
little guests will be too when you bring out the fun arts and
crafts we have hunted down for you.
This
inside and fill
with favors.
Now for the fun part, filling the container. We have tons of fun
ideas from many suppliers. You can purchase them individually or
as a set. You can even purchase sets that include the containers
to put them in.
Balls, theme cups, books, notepads,pencils and erasers...the
possibilities are endless.
I love adding personalized items such as these buttons,
bookmarkers, zipper pulls and more. You can even order 
