National Kids & Pets Day

Created in 2005, National Kids & Pets Day celebrates the bond between little ones and their furry friends!  It also helps create awareness of the abundance of pets living in shelters waiting to find a forever home!

Please visit the site below to learn more about National Kids & Pets Day!

 

National Kids & Pets Day

Pictures Of The Week - Kids & Animals, Part 2

We got such an overwhelming response from our first "Kids & Animals" photo gallery that we decided to do it again! Last time we went with a black and white photo theme; this time we decided to gather pictures of future equestrians with their horses.

If you missed our first "Kids & Animals" post, click here. And to see even more pictures of children and their animal friends, visit our "Kids & Animals" board on Pinterest!

Play Date Themes For Kids

It's true, you don't need much to host a good play date. Just a pile of toys, some cookies and juice and the kids are happy. But if you want to get more creative with your next play date, we have some quick and (very) easy themes and ideas you can incorporate!

Tell Me A Story: Read a few of the kids’ favorite stories to them, then have them write their own story. Afterward, have them act it out with puppets – or, if the kids are younger, have the parents do this while the kids watch.

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth: Have the kids draw their own dinosaurs. What would it look like? What kind of things could it do? Make some yummy fossil cookies, then let them loose with some dinosaur figurines and toys.

Animal Tea Party: Perfect for little girls. Have each one dress in her favorite outfits (or pick one from your dress up box), bring their favorite stuffed animal and have “tea”.  Serve them “fancy” finger foods like tiny peanut butter and jelly squares. This is also a good opportunity to give them a quick lessons on manners, such as using napkins and silverware properly, saying please and thank you, etc.

Under The Sea: Set up a babypool in the backyard or garage and fill it with plastic fish, sea creatures, even mermaids for some imaginative play. Make toilet paper roll octopuses or styrofoam cup crabs, then finish the date with some Goldfish crackers and watching "Finding Nemo".

The Jungle Store Back To School Checklist

It's hard to believe that it's already time to start thinking about back to school, isn't it? Time to meet new teachers, pick out first day outfits and, of course, go shopping for back to school supplies!

If you only know The Jungle Store as a place to get your favorite stuffed animals, think again! We have a great selection of school supplies, from notebooks to backpacks and more. Check out the great animal-themed back to school items we have for your kids, from pre-K to high school!

Backpack & Bookbags 

Binders

Notepads & Journals 

  

Lunch Bags & Boxes

Pens & Desk Accessories

With fun school supplies like these, your kids will be excited to go back to school so they can use their new things! Visit the school supply section on our website to see our entire selection.

 *And don't forget to pin or Facebook share your favorite items!

How To Use Safari Limited Toys In Educational Learning

We came across this post from the Blessed Elements site and just had to share! The author, a grandma, wrote about how she uses different Safari Limited figurines and Toobs each summer to have fun with her grandchildren while also teaching them lessons about different subject!

"One year it was pirates and we ended the week with a day long water fight extravaganza.Three years ago it was butterflies joined with planting butterfly flowers,crafts, and a field trip to a live butterfly exhibit," she writes.

Rainforest Toob Set

This year her lessons plans focus on the rainforest. Here are some of the ways she uses her Safari Limited toys:

• For animal recognition. She uses the figurines to show the kids the different animals and teach them about which part of the rainforest they live in.

Hyacinth Macaw and Amazon Parrot figurines

• To add a hands-on element to the lesson. The kids not only see the animals, but can pick them up and study the details of them.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog figurines

• Encouraging imaginative play. The kids love to play with the figurines, creating their own stories for the animals.

Want to try something similar with your children or grandchildren? With the range of Safari Limited products, you can teach them about everything from the Civil War to dinosaurs to farm animals. Visit our website to see our selection of Safari Limited figurines and toys!

Pics Of The Week - Kids And Animals

We're featuring more than one picture in today's Pic Of The Week posts, but can you really blame us? These black and white photos we've collected are just too precious - how can we pick just one?

Want to see more adorable pictures of children and their animal friends? Then visit our "Kids & Animals" Pinterest board!

Pillow Pets - A Perfect Traveling Companion

We could on and on about how comfortable and snuggly our Pillow Pets are, but it's always better to hear it from a parent who's been there, done that with her own children. La Jolla Mom recently posted about her experience with the Lulu Leopard Pillow Pet on an overseas trip. Check out some excerpts from her review:

A small My Pillow Pet usually travels with us, but I was interested in taking the large size on our recent long haul flight to Asia. Airplane pillows, even in first class, are not as comfortable as a My Pillow Pet (especially the large size) and I believe that familiar items like pillows, blankets and pajamas help kids sleep on airplanes while traveling.

The blanket has a Lulu Leopard head on it, which she also cuddles with. Not only does Lulu’s head provide extra cushion, but it enables her to keep the blanket from slipping off by holding it or I’d snap the seat belt just underneath the head to totally secure it.

In all honesty, I thought carrying around a large Pillow Pet was going to be a pain. It wasn’t, because she willingly did it and was able to wear a backpack and pull her Trunki at the same time. Let’s recap the benefits:

• Kids can prop My Pillow Pets up against the airplane armrests to use them as pillows. 
• La Jolla Girl used to wake up bumping against the armrest while shifting positions in her seat.
• They’re much more comfortable than airplane pillows, if you even get one.
• My Pillow Pets provide familiarity in an unfamiliar space.
• The 18″ size is supportive enough to substitute for a real pillow.
• Lulu’s head on the blanket helps keep the blanket in place when you buckle the seat belt just under it.
• They’re pretty cute.

After reading that, a Pillow Pet seems like a road trip/travel accessory, doesn't it? To see our selection of Pillow Pets blankets and throws, click here!

Top photo and review excerpts via La Jolla Mom.

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!

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!