A Jungle Theme Party

Jungle Theme Party Activities

Face Painting -- Set up a face painting station and let your guests choose which jungle animal they would like to be for a day. Have an older sibling or adult help out with this activity, or if your budget allows, hire a professional.

Jungle Sounds -- Play animal noises or soothing rainforest sounds as a background to your jungle setting.

Balloon Animals -- Do a little research before your party about making balloon animals. Then impress your guests by making each child an animal to take home.

Safari Binoculars -- To make this project, you will need empty cardboard toilet paper rolls (2 per guest), tape, yarn, stickers, markers, crayons, colored cellophane and glue. To construct the binoculars, tape together two toilet paper rolls. If desired, tape two circles of colored cellophane to one end of each roll to make a “lens”. Then instruct the children to decorate their binoculars by using the construction paper, stickers, markers and/or crayons. Once they are decorated, punch a hole at one end of the outside edge of each tube (the end opposite the lens end). Pull a length of yarn through the hole (long enough so that it will slip easily over a child’s head) and knot it on both ends to secure.

Necktie Snakes -- Your guests will love making their own boas and rattlesnakes that they can wear around their necks. You can ask each child to bring their own necktie, or purchase some from a thrift store. Let them open the large end of the tie and carefully cut the seam apart. Have them stuff each tie with cotton balls (or any other materials you may have), making sure to push the stuffing all the way up to the skinny end. Afterwards, sew the end up or glue it shut with a hot glue gun. Have your guests decorate their snakes with felt, glitter, wiggly eyes, buttons, etc.

The Roar of the Jungle Patterned Reading Play -- Click Here for a great patterned reading script where the children at your party become noisy jungle animals as you read their names aloud in this fun Reader's Theater play.

Jungle Theme Movies -- Need something to wrap up the party or quiet things down a bit? There are lots of great jungle themed movies that you can show at a jungle party, such as Tarzan, The Jungle Book, George of the Jungle, and Jungle to Jungle.

GAMES

Monkey Knot -- Have your group stand in a large circle. Have everyone reach out their right hand and grab the right hand of someone else (preferably not the person next to them). Now have everyone reach out their left hand and grab the left hand of someone new. Your group will be in a tangled monkey knot! Have them work together to untangle themselves without letting go of anyone's hand.

What Animal am I? -- Write the names of different zoo animals on index cards and tape a card to each child's back (without them seeing what animal they are). Have them go around to the other party guests and ask yes or no questions to try and figure out what animal they are.

Animal Tail Tag -- Give each child a "tail" made from a sock, a piece of fabric, or a long strip of construction paper. Have them stick these into the back of the waistband of their pants to look like a tail. The goal of this game is to grab the other players' tails without losing your own. The last animal with a tail is the winner.

Elephant Race -- Divide your guests into two relay teams. Put half of each team on one end of your race course and the other half on the other. Have your first elephant race to her teammate. She should put her arm between her legs to make a trunk. The teammate should stand behind her and grab the end of her trunk. Together these two elephants should then race back to their next teammate, who should grab the second player's trunk to form an elephant chain of three. Keep going until all teammates are connected. The team who has all its members back to the starting line (without ever breaking their chain) is the winner.

Banana Relay -- Divide your group into two teams. Give each team a banana. The object of the relay is to have each person race from point A to point B and back, holding the banana either between his knees or under his chin (you decide). They then pass the banana to the next person in line. The first team with all of its members back wins.

Jungle Animal Freeze -- Play music (something jungle or animal inspired like "The Lion Sleeps Tonight") and then instruct the children to jump up and down or dance to the music. Stop the music and then shout out a name of a jungle animal. The kids then have to stop and strike a pose like that animal!

Jungle Theme Party Favors

Pick Your Nose Safari Animal Party Cups

Send your guests off with a memory of the day. Here are some favors with a jungle party theme:

• Pith Helmets
• Binoculars
• Safari Animal Masks
• Jungle Animal Lollipops
• Stuffed or Plastic Jungle Animals

Jungle Theme Party Menu Ideas

• Wild Zebra Sandwiches -- Use a slice of light and a slice of dark bread for each sandwich. Stuff with your choice of turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, etc. Cut the sandwich into 4 or 5 strips, each about 1 inch wide

• Ape Kabobs -- Grapes and banana chunks on a stick. (Optional chocolate diping sauce)

• Monkey Bread

• Jungle Mix -- (dried bananas, coconut, raisins, chocolate chips, peanuts, etc.)

• Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey Ice cream

• Jungle Juice -- Usually some form of fruit punch...float some plastic bugs frozen into ice cubes for an extra touch!

Jungle Lion Cupcakes

Ingredients:
• 24 cupcakes, premade
• 1 (14 ounce) bag flaked coconut
• 1 (16 ounce) container chocolate frosting (or caramel frosting)
• 96 pieces thin black licorice (approx 3/4-inch)
• 48 small white gumdrops
• 48 brown miniature M&M's chocolate candies (or brown reeses pieces)
• pink icing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Toast coconut on a cookie sheet in a single layer for 6-10 minutes until lightly brown (stir coconut every 2-3 minutes while toasting).
3. Frost cupcakes with frosting.
4. Roll edges of cupcake in toasted coconut to make the lion's "mane".
5. Place 2 gum drops side by side in the lower/middle of the cupcake.
6. Place 2 licorice "whiskers" on each side tucked partially under the gum drops to adhere.
7. Place 2 m&m "eyes" above the gumdrops.
8. Place a dab of pink icing below eyes and above the gumdrops to make the "nose".

If you enjoyed these jungle theme party ideas, you might also enjoy these parties:

Zoo Party

Monkey Party

Under the Sea Party