For his 6th birthday party, my son wanted to invite his Kindergarten class. We decided on a Jungle Theme. I made the invitations on the computer, and used animal print paper. On the white side of the paper, I made up the following poem: "It's Daniel's 6th birthday and we're going to celebrate! We're having a party, and it's going to be great! We'll be going on safari, wear something jungle-y, khaki or bright. Bring your favorite stuffed animal and your lion-sized appetite!" I made the invitations 1/2 sheet big so 2 would fit on a page. I also added a clip art elephant and tiger, folded the invitation in half, and sealed with a rainforest animal sticker. We used the church's fellowship hall. We moved the tables around to form a maze (which we later used.) Several large potted plants were scattered around the maze, along with inflatable zoo animals (monkeys, elephants, tigers, etc.)We used raffia table skirting in green and khaki, cardboard parrot decorations, cargo netting, a treasure chest with lots of "jewels", silk flowers and lots of stuffed animals. We created a "water hole" using an old wash tub with a few rocks and a little water. Around the tub we placed several silk potted plants, and a tiger-striped piece of fabric. I have a train tent that we turned into the "Lost Train Cave". I covered the sides and top with silk plants and jungle print fabric. Inside I scattered spider/bug rings. The kids got to go in a few at a time and pick out a ring.   The part my son liked the best was the "hut of the jungle king." (My son became the jungle king. We used a crown from Burger King, redecorated to say "Jungle King", and I made him a cape out of tiger-print material.) We used a cardboard box, 4 ft.x4 ft. square, tipped on its side. I draped tiger-striped material around the sides, tearing the ends so they looked ragged. On the top, I placed raffia skirting, and let it hang over the front. We also accented the top with silk orchids. My son opened his presents in the hut. There was enough room for each child to take a turn sitting with Daniel while he opened the present they brought. To keep order with that many kids, I used a whistle. I told the kids that when they heard the whistle, that meant to freeze...you never know when there is danger in the jungle! It worked like a charm. We played the soundtrack from the Jungle Book II while the children arrived. All the gifts were placed on a table called "Offerings for the Jungle King". They first went to the "Animal Hunter" station where they received a cardboard animal visor with their name on it and a lei. Then they proceeded to the "Tribal Painting" station, where their faces were painted with spiders, snakes, ladybugs or butterflies. The next station was called "Get your loot bags here." I bought jungle/rainforest stickers and provided markers, and the kids decorated white lunch sacks to put their loot into.  After all the kids had arrived (20 in all), we played "Spider Bite" (hot potato) with a squeaky spider toy we had. Then we played animal charades. Each child picked a piece of paper out of a bag. The paper had a picture of an animal. The child had to pretend to be that animal while the other kids guessed. Then they all got to act like the animal.  We then divided into 2 teams and went on a treasure hunt. Each team received a photo of something in the room. Once they found the item in the picture, they received the next clue, and so on until they each found their treasure chest. To make the treasure chests, I bought cardboard treasure chests at a craft store and spray painted them gold. Inside the chests, I put animal print bracelets, pens, novelties, candy necklaces, rings, and sticky lizard toys. When the teams found their loot, each child, in turn, got to pick something from the chest until it was all gone.  Next we went on a lizard hunt. I bought several packages of toy lizards and scattered them all over the room. The kids had a great time finding them all! And the lizards worked great as weights for the balloons (which we filled with a helium tank.) For lunch, we made it simple and ordered pizza. My sister-in-law made a jungle sheet cake. She made a lake out of blue piping gel, then placed trees and several jungle animals on top. She even put alligators in the lake with one half in the water and half out. My son loved it! After lunch, each child grabbed the stuffed animal he or she brought and got ready for the animal parade! We played a maching song from the Jungle Book CD. Earlier, I had taped xeroxed animal footprints (about 4" in diameter) to the floor in a path around the table maze. As the song played, the kids marched, then tiptoed, then crawled, skipped, etc. around the tables to wear off some of their energy! We ended our parade in front of the Hut of the Jungle King. As Daniel opened his presents, the person who brought the present sat in the hut with him while he opened it. The kids loved the hut! They were able to stand up in it, and at least 10 kids could fit in it at once. They later spent a lot of time playing in it. The kids had time for free play and exploration until their parents picked them up. So many of the parents commented on what a wonderful party it was! (Many of them had stayed for the party). The kids all had a blast! I have heard rave reviews weeks after the fact. It was truly an adventure we'll always remember!