Jungle Themed 1st Birthday

First birthday parties are a memorable occasion for the parents and family of the infant. If you are looking for a great theme for your one year old's first birthday party, look no further than a jungle birthday party! A jungle themed 1st birthday is the perfect theme to have some roaring fun.

• Invitations: Send out jungle birthday invitations to your guests to let them know about the party. You could make your invitations completely jungle themed or choose a specific animal to focus on like a zebra, lion or monkey. Wording ideas for jungle themed invitations include: “You are invited to a safari!” or “Lions, tigers, and Brendan’s first birthday, oh my!”

• Decorations: Turn your party space into a jungle with jungle party decorations. Print out pictures of jungle animals like zebras, cheetahs, monkeys, and elephants and hang them on the walls. Twist yellow, brown, and green streamers to look like vines. You can also place groups of green balloons together with brown ribbon to look like trees. Another great jungle party decorating idea is to hang up various signs around the room like “Lion’s Den” and “Jungle Rainforest.”

• Food: Fresh vegetables and fruits are perfect to serve at your jungle themed birthday party. You can also serve foods like monkey bread, banana splits, pineapple and shrimp skewers, and animal crackers to add to your theme. No jungle themed party is complete without a jungle birthday cake! You can bake your own delicious birthday cake for the occasion using a variety of different frosting colors to make it look like a specific animal or the jungle. If you want a lot of detail on your cake, it may be easier to have it professionally made at a local bakery.

Try this easy lemon shortbread cookie recipe for a DIY version of animal crackers:

Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• turbinado sugar for topping

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk the salt and flour together. Next, beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice until fluffy (2 to 3 minutes using an electric mixer). Reduce speed, and slowly add the flour. Mix just enough to blend all ingredients together. 

Lay out a piece of parchment paper, and press the dough firmly to form a rectangular shape (roughly 12” x 12” x 1”). Wrap up the parchment paper and put in the refrigerator until firm, about 3-4 hours or so.

Heat your oven to 350º. Take the dough out and cut into 1/3-inch thick slices and place on baking sheets spaced a bit apart. Sprinkle with the turbaned sugar.

Bake until the edges being to brown (12-15 minutes), making sure to rotate the baking sheets halfway through. Cool slightly once done, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

• Activity: Here is a fun game for them to play at a jungle themed 1st birthday party: Have everyone sit or stand in a circle. Tell each person that they have to choose a jungle animal. Each person must then come up with a noise and a motion to represent their animal. For example, if a person chooses a monkey, they could start saying “ooh ooh ahh ahh” as they reach to their armpits like a monkey would do. Once each person has their animal established, go around the room so that you can see each other’s animal noises and motions. Then choose one person to start the game (A). Person A must first do their own animal noise and motion and then call out to another person (B) by doing Person B’s animal noises and motion. Person B must then repeat their own animal and then they call out to another person. This game keeps everyone paying attention because you never know when your animal will be called out. Make sure someone has a camera to capturing everyone doing their animal motions!