JUNGLE ART

JUNGLE ANIMAL MASKS –

• Have your children paint the back side of a paper plate the color of the animal they wish to represent.
• When the paint has dried, have them paint on eyes and any other markings that are particular to their animal:  such as white stripes for zebra; spots for leopard; etc.
• Next, give them nose and ear cut-outs to glue on their animal face.
• Tape a large craft stick on the back of the face to use as a mask handle.

 
SPOTTED FROGS
You will need large frog cut-outs for this activity.

• One at a time, have children come up and place a frog cutout on the bottom of a cardboard box.
• Next, show them how to spatter paint across their frog – by tapping their paint brush filled with paint.
• Let children choose two colors to use spotting their frogs.

Variation:  You can also spatter paint, using a large wire mesh grease spatter shield (or a piece of wire mesh- cut into a square and trimmed with plastic tape to make it easy and safe to handle).  Children hold up the wire mesh and paint across it, causing the paint to spatter across the bottom of the box.
 

CIRCULAR SNAKES

• Give your children a white paper plate and have them paint it on one side, let it dry, and then paint it on the other side.
• Now show your children how to cut out a snake, by cutting into the plate and then start cutting around and around the circle, each time cutting closer and closer to the center.

If your children are unable to do this, cut the plates for them.

• Show your children how you can then pull on the center section and the snake will rise up.
• Have children make an eye for their snake using a black marking pen.

Variation:  If your children want more colorful snakes, have them splatter on some brown or black paint, using the process described in the activity above.

 
SAFARI VEST
You will need large brown grocery sacks for this activity.

• First of all take each sack and open it up and turn it up-side-down.
• Then cut up the front of the sack and then cut into the center of the bottom of the sack and cut out a neck hole.
• Finally, cut out arm holes on each side of the sack.
• Give each child a paper vest and some brown paper pocket cut-outs of various sizes to glue on.  Encourage your children to glue on a number of pockets.
• Now let your children decorate their vests using crayons or marking pens, however, they wish.
• When they are finished decorating, have the children model their vests.
   

JUNGLE HEADBANDS

• Give your children strips of green construction paper that are 2” x 24”.
• Then, give them some jungle stickers and let them place 3-4 stickers in the middle of their paper strip.
• When a child is finished, wrap the strip around the child’s head and tape the ends together, to create a jungle headband.

Variation:  If you have pictures of jungle animals, let your children pick one and glue it to the front of a headband.  Or if you have small jungle animal plates, you could staple them to the front of a headband.

 
JUNGLE PLACEMATS

• Give each child a large piece of construction paper and four jungle stickers.
• Have each child place one sticker in each corner of her paper. 
• Later, let the children use the papers as a placemat at snack time.

JUNGLE ANIMAL PUZZLES
You will need some jungle animal paper plates for this activity.

• Take a party plate of an animal and cut it into 4-8 pieces.
• Let your children take turns putting the plate back together.
   

ANIMAL PRINT MATCH UPS

• Go to a fabric store and buy scraps of animal prints.
• Cut out two squares from each type of print.
• Mix up the squares and have your children go through them and match up prints.

 
BANANA TOSS
You will need to make some yellow bean bags shaped like bananas for this game.

• Set out the bananas and a basket.
• Have your children take turns tossing the bananas in the basket.
   

ANIMAL WALK

• Have each child think of a Jungle animal to imitate.
• Then, have the children (animals) line up and pretend to walk through a jungle like their animal would walk.
• Suggestions:  Prowl like a panther or leopard, swing walk like an elephant, hop like a frog, crawl like a turtle; swing arms like a monkey, lumber like a hippopotamus,  flap wings like a toucan, etc.

 
ELEPHANT WATER SPRAY

• On a sunny day, let your children go outside and take turns pretending to be elephants.
• Let them hold onto a garden hose and hold it up to represent their long nose.
• Then have them turn on the spray and spray the rest of the group.
   

ELEPHANT MOVEMENT ACTIVITY

• Choose one child to be an elephant.
• Lie down a long piece of yarn on the floor. 
• Recite the following rhyme:

One little elephant balancing – step-by-step on a piece of string.
He/she thought that it was so much fun – he called for another elephant.

• The first elephant chooses another child to be an elephant and follow him balancing on the string.

Two little elephants balancing – step-by-step on a piece of string.
They thought that it was so much fun – they called on another elephant.

•  The activity continues until all of the children are balancing on the string.

 
MEASURING SNAKES

• Make some snakes using large green or brown fuzzy pieces of yarn.
• Cut each snake a different size (none over 12 inches long).
• Place the snakes on a table.
• Let your children take turns placing the snakes; from smallest to largest (one under the other).
   

SAND TABLE JUNGLE

• Turn your sand table into a jungle.
• Make a river down the middle using a wide blue ribbon.
• Place small pots of fern like plants in various places in the sand.
• Make a grassy area, using cut grass or hay.
• Place some large rocks around the table.
• Set out some plastic jungle animals.
• Let your children take turns placing the animals in their natural habitats.

 
DRESS-UP AREA

• Place safari hats, cameras, binoculars, butterfly catching nets, canteens, etc. in your dress-up area.
• Set up a small pup-tent in a corner near-by for dramatic jungle play.
• Children could also wear the paper safari vests, suggested in the art activities.

JUNGLE  DISCOVERY

JUNGLE HABITATS

• First, read a few books about animals that live in a jungle.  After the story, discuss the environment.  Was it hot?  Was it cold?  Was it wet?  Was it dry?  Was it dark?  Was it light?
• Let your children play with small plastic jungle animals in a simulated jungle environment.  If you do not have a sand table you can set out examples of areas found in a jungle.  Set out a pan of water, a pan of sand or dirt and a pan of dried grass and a pan filled with real or fake green ferns.
• Let your children take turns placing the animals in the environment they think the animal would like best.
   

WHAT DO JUNGLE ANIMALS EAT?
 
                PANTHERS – eat meat.
                SNAKES – rodents, frogs, small animals.
                MONKEYS – bananas, and other fruits.
                ZEBRAS – tall grasses.
                GIRAFFES – eat leaves off tall trees.
                ELEPHANTS – eat leaves from trees, shrubs, and shoots.
                CHEETAHS  - eat meat.
                ALLIGATORS – eat meat.
                RHINOCEROS – eat plants.
                HIPPOPOTAMUS – eat grasses.
                BIRDS – eat insects and seeds.

 
THE ZOO -  take your children on a trip to the zoo, if possible, to see real jungle animals.

JUNGLE SNACK IDEAS

JUNGLE SNACKS

• Set out some jungle food for snacks; such as, banana slices, meatballs, field greens and sunflower seeds.
• Let your children pretend to be different animals as they eat each food.
• Let your children use their placemats if they made one.

JUNGLE MUSIC

JUNGLE SOUNDS

• Try to find a CD that has background noise found in a jungle, or one at least that has bird calls and running water sounds.
• Play the CD while children are playing in the jungle area of your room.
   

OUT IN THE JUNGLE
Tune:  “Down By The Station”

Out in the jungle, early in the morning,
See the little monkeys, swinging to and fro.

See the lepard family out for a walk,
Mother and father, with babies in tow.

Out in the jungle, early in the morning,
See the pretty parrots, sitting in a row.

See the giant snakes, sneaking up the tree.
Bye, bye birdies, off you go!
                                                Jean Warren
[Let your children act out the song.]

 
SWINGING IN THE JUNGLE
Tune:  “The Muffin Man”
 
Have you seen the chimpanzee,
The chimpanzee, the chimpanzee.
Have you seen the chimpanzee,
Swinging in the jungle?

Have you seen the litttle monkies,
The little monkies, the little monkies.
Have you seen the little monkies,
Swinging in the jungle?
                                Jean Warren
[Continue with other Jungle animals]
 

DOWN BY THE RIVER
Tune:  “Down By The Station”
 
Down by the river, early in the morning.
See all the animals, swimming in a row.
First comes the Hippos, then comes the Rhinos,
Then come the elephants, -  spraying water as they go!
                                                                Jean Warren

 
I’M A LITTLE ZEBRA
Tune:  “I’m A Little Teapot”
 
I’m a little zebra, white and black,
With a bushy mane running down my back.
I like to gallop and run and play
In the jungle, every day.
                                                Jean Warren
 

PARROTS IN THE TREE TOPS
Parrots in the tree tops, singing all day.
Parrots in the tree tops, looking for prey.
Parrots in the tree tops, with colors so gay.
Parrots in the tree tops, flying away!
                                                Jean Warren

 
SSSSSS SAYS THE SNAKE
Ssssss says the snake, as he slithers along.
Ssssss says the snake, that is ever so long.
Ssssss says the snake, that is ever so strong.
Ssssss says the snake, as he slithers along.
                                                       Jean Warren
 

I’M A LITTLE GREEN TURTLE
I’m a little green turtle, my home is on my back.
A little green turtle, now what do you think of that?

I like to sit by the river every day,
Catching insects as they come my way.
Snap, snap, snap!
                                                Jean Warren