Jungle safari party

What it is

A jungle expedition at home. Children make binoculars, then follow a trail of animal footprints to find and “spot” hidden animals. It works in a garden or around the house on a rainy day.

Plan ahead

• Two weeks before: buy toy animals, explorer hats and jungle decorations. Make passports with a page for each animal.
• The day before: cut paw prints from card and lay a trail; hide large toy animals along it.

Set the scene

Paper palm leaves on the walls, green streamers hanging like vines, inflatable animals, and a “Safari Base Camp” sign. Play jungle sounds from a speaker.

Activities

Safari trail

Footprints lead to each animal. At each one, children spot it through their binoculars, shout its name and get a stamp.

Animal moves relay

Each leg is a different animal: hop like a frog, waddle like a penguin, stomp like an elephant, slither like a snake.

Feed the lion

Throw beanbag “meat” into a lion’s mouth cut from a box.

Food and drink

• Animal crackers and monkey bananas
• Snake sandwiches (a long baguette with a pepper tongue)
• Jungle juice (orange and pineapple)
• A cake with toy animals and green icing leaves

Tips

• For under-4s, make the trail short and the animals easy to see.
• Indoors, hide animals behind sofas and curtains.