Summer Entertainment Ideas For Kids

School's out, the backpacks and books are away and... your kids are bored. Even with the pool and sports and camps, somehow, at some point during the summer, your kids manage to have "nothing to do".

But that's OK, because you'll be prepared! Melissa & Doug have some great arts & crafts sets that will keep your kids entertained for hours... or at least until it's time to hit the pool again.

Horse Stamp Set - This stamp set lets your child mix and match the stamps to create hundreds of horses scenes and pictures! The set includes 10 detailed stamps, a two-color stamp pad and 5 colored pencils.

Paint-Your-Own Dinosaur Figurine - This kit comes with two plain dinosaur figurines ready for kids to paint. They can try to recreate the look of their favorite dinosaur, or maybe make up their own new species!

Butterfly Friends Bead Kit - Your budding fashionista/jewelry designer will have a ball making necklaces and bracelets with these wooden butterflies and accessory beads.

50-Page Jumbo Coloring Pad - This is one coloring book they won't tire of quickly! Picture themes include animals, sports and vehicles.

Build Your Own Birdhouse Kit - Your kids will love all the new feathered friends they meet once they build this easy-to-assemble bird house!

6 Incredible Pictures Of Tigers Swimming

Did you know that tigers are one of the only big cats that like to swim? Much like humans gather at the pool during hot weather, so do tigers. And, like humans, they love to splash and play underwater. Take a look at some of the amazing underwater pictures we found of tigers swimming in their zoo habits - just don't get too jealous that they're in the pool and you're not ;-)

  

That last guy looks pretty ferocious, doesn't he? We'd hate to see him swimming laps at our neighborhood pool!

The Best Toy Brands For Stuffed Dogs

We're always happy to see the brands we carry get recognition. It just reinforces that the brands we love are well-loved by others as well! A recent post from Dogster.com features some of the "most adorable and realistic" stuffed dogs and guess what? Several of the selections are some of our biggest brands available at The Jungle Store!

Melissa & Doug

Dogster.com says: "Melissa & Doug are a toy-designing couple whose company produces an impressively broad range of canine likenesses, from Beagle (shown) to Border Collie, Basset Hound to Boxer. M&D get extra credit for creating a cuddly stuffed Rottweiler (shown), a lovely breed that isn't always perceived as cuddly."

JooJoo

Dogster.com says: "For little kids who are irresistibly drawn to big dogs, the gift of an oversize (60-inch) plush canine is just the ticket. JooJoo's Jumbo Bernese Mountain Dog ($89.95) was created to stay permanently in the "relaxed" position (i.e., lying down,reclined to resemble a cross between a rug and a pillow) and is extremely soft with friendly features. This dog also conveniently doubles as a neck and back rest, offering support to little ones reading their favorite comic books (or least-loved school books)."

 Gund

Dogster.com says: "Gund has been making what it modestly calls the "world's most huggable" stuffed animals since 1898. Among its offerings are a cute white-and-brown mutt puppy named Daisi Daisy Dog ($18), and a convincing likeness of a famous Pomeranian named Boo ($20, shown), aka the fluffy Facebook phenomenon billed as "The World's Cutest Dog." In this case, the stuffed dog looks arguably more realistic than the too-cute, flesh-and-blood canine it's modeled on!"

Webkinz

Dogster.com says: "Advocates of shelter dog adoption will be pleased to know that Webkinz uses highly evolved lingo -- when you acquire one of its plush dogs, you "adopt" (nice). Plus, profits help support Webkinz Foundation, a charitable organization focused on supporting programs for children worldwide. The Shar Pei ($29.99) sports just the right wrinkle ratio, while the Bull Terrier ($49.95) will score a bullseye with fans of bully breeds."

Want to see what other brands Dogster.com recommended? Click here for the full blog post!

More Awkward Cat Sleeping Positions

You might remember that we posted some pictures of cats in awkward sleeping positions (and places). Well, we've found more fun cats sleeping pictures for you! Because, come on, you can never look at enough funny cat photos, right?

Want to see more sleeping animals picture? Then take a peek at our Pinterest board!

A Royally-Named Bird With A Mohawk: The Crowned Victoria Pigeon

The Crowned Victoria Pigeon is a distinctive-looking bird, with its "mohawk" crest of feathers and blood-red eyes. It can be distinguished by from its similar-looking cousins, the Western Crowned Pigeon and the Southern Crowned Pigeon, by the white tips on its crests.

The Crowned Victoria pigeon lives in the lowlands and swamps forests of New Guinea, where it feeds on fruits, figs, seeds and bugs. Like common pigeons, it is tame, which is a setback for the species. They are easily hunted for their feathers and for their meat.

And yes, in case you were wondering, the Crowned Victoria pigeon's name does in fact come from Queen Victoria of Britain. Supposedly it was because she had a habit of wearing elaborate, feathered hats.

Rare Calico Lobster Found In Restaurant Tank

An extremely rare (we're talking a 1-in-30 million specimen) calico lobster was recently found in Maine, in the 1,200 gallon lobster tank at Jasper White's Summer Shack Restaurant, to be exact. The lobster was rescued from becoming dinner after the staff noticed it's unusual orange and yellow coloring.

It was a bit of good fortune that save the lobster, which Chef Jasper named Calvin, from the boiling pot. As he told The Boston Globe: "We happened to be cleaning the tank and I happened to be there," White, who has presided over a number of Boston restaurants since the late 1970s, said last week. "One of my guys said, ‘Chef, look at this lobster,' and from across the room I knew it was special."

Calvin was picked up by the New England Aquarium and will eventually make a permanent residence at the Biomes Marine Biology Center in Rhode Island. The calico lobster is the second most rare lobster, coming behind only the white lobster which are an estimated 1-in-100 million specimen.

Endangered Species Day

Did you know that today is Endangered Species Day? It was started by the U.S. Senate to raise awareness about the American species that are getting closer and closer to extinction.

Endagered animal: Red Wolf

What can you do to help our country's endangered animals? StopExtinction.org has a list of 10 things you can do to help protect endangered species. It includes:

• Visiting a national wildlife refuge or park. These are protected lands and provide safe habitats for wildlife. One of the best way to protect animals is by providing them a safe place to live, so supporting these places helps support the animals' habitats.
• Don't buy any products made from an endangered species. As much fun as getting souvenirs is when traveling, many souvenirs are made from animals that are nearing extinction, like crocodile skin and tortoise shell.
  
  

  

  Endangered Animal: Pygmy Raccoon

There are approximately 6,500 species in the United States that scientists believe are at risk for extinction, but only 1,200 are officially unlisted as threatened or endangered. That's a lot of animals that we could lose! For more ways to get invovled, visit the StopExtinction.org website to learn how you can take action today!

The Mighty Ant

Ants might be some of the smallest insects out there, but they are also some of the strongest! Did you know an ant can lift more than 50 times its own weight?!

To put this feat of strength into perspective, the average adult male weighs 191 pounds. Fifty times his weight would be 9,550 pounds; that's roughly the equivalent of lifting two mid-sized cars! Think you could do that?

Want to see an ant in action? That watch this short video we found of an art hauling off a large crumb he found on the sidewalk - and check out how fast he moves with it!

Star Wars Animals

We’re smacking our foreheads that we didn’t think to post this blog earlier this month on May 4, aka International Star Wars Day! (For you non-Star Wars fans, May the 4th sounds a lot like the start of the popular Star Wars phrase "May the Force be with you," get it?)

But, better late than never, right? In belated celebration of Star Wars Day, here is a collection of our favorite pictures of animals dressed as Star Wars characters. Which one is your favorite?
 

Summer Essentials For Kids

School will be out for your kids in just a couple short weeks! Make sure they're ready to greet the summer with the Jungle Store Summer Essentials!

Protect your children's face from the sun and keep him cool with one of our animal-themed visors or bucket hats.

Keep the sun out of their eyes with a pair of our fun animal sunglasses!

Flip-flops are an absolute must for the summer! Easy to slip on, doesn't matter if they get wet at the pool/beach, they're the ultimate summer essential.

And speaking of the pool/beach, don't forget the towels! These fun, hooded towels are among our most popular items.

Finally, every kid needs their own summer tote bag, whether they're carrying summer library reading program books, pool toys or whatever else they need. And this set even comes with beach toys!

And there you have it, just a few of the summer essentials that you can get for the best price from TheJungleStore.com!

Animal Mothers & Their Babies

In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, we thought we'd put together a gallery of some of our favorite pictures of animal mother's and their babies. Enjoy these sweet pictures, and happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there!