Book Review: My kids LOVED this book. Especially my 3 year-old, who doesn't usually have the attention span of his older brother. He loved that the animals had names, and he knew who each one of them was. He also loved that Dr. Dolittle could talk to the animals. I thought the language was pretty easy to understand for the kiddos, and the characters and adventures were fun for them. They especially loved the Pushmi-Pullyu and they asked if we could go to the zoo and see one. :o) I'd definitely recommend this for any age range.
I remember watching the old 1960s version of this movie when I was a kid, but didn't remember much of it. I rented it from Amazon and streamed it to our TV. I didn't realize the movie is 2 1/2 hours long! The first little bit of the movie is good, and followed along with the book, but then it starts to go it's own course and only loosely follows. It didn't hold my kids attention for the whole movie. I haven't seen the Eddie Murphy version, but I don't think it follows the book either. If you've seen that version, feel free to review it for us!
Book Party
Supplies from your craft kit:
empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls
Ribbon
empty cereal box
ribbon
glue stick
scissors
Supplies from around the house
Two chairs
rocking horse or large stuffed horse
kiddie pool
2x4 piece of wood
stuffed monkey
bandages
3 small jars
scraps of material
tape
Food Supplies
small wrapped treats
recipe for Jungle Jell-o (see below)
recipe for cheese popcorn (see below), or buy pre-made
transparent sundae dishes
Printouts
Pushmi-Pullyu Pull-Me Crackers
So I agonized over how to incorporate one of my kids favorite character, the Pushmi-Pullyu, into our party. Most of my ideas included strapping the kids together so they'd have two heads, but I couldn't think of a way that that wouldn't end in someone crying. Then I remembered these crackers that are filled with treats and you pull them apart. Originally I was thinking that since it's close to the Fourth of July, I'd actually include a "pop" in the cracker. So I went searching for those little pull string poppers that used to be everywhere when I was a kid. You know the kind? They were just strings, and in the very center was a little paper with some "pop powder". I couldn't find them anywhere, so maybe they don't make them anymore? If you find some, include them in your cracker. Things are always more fun with a little mini explosion! Anyway, here are the instructions. This is the craft I made with my kids. They LOVED it!
1. Print out the pushmi-pullyu cracker heads. Cut them out. You will need four heads for each cracker. Trace head onto an empty cereal box and cut out. With a glue stick, glue a paper head onto each side of the cardboard. Repeat so that you have two double-sided heads for each cracker.
2. Cut toilet paper roll in half, or cut paper towel rolls in half, and then half again.
3. Hold two pieces of a roll back together and fill with wrapped candy or little toys.
4. While holding the pieces of the roll together, wrap a piece of tissue paper around the roll and cut to size. Secure with a piece of tape. You don't want to wrap it too many times around the roll because it will be more difficult for your kiddos to pull the two sides apart.
5. Tie a piece of ribbon to both ends.
6. Now that you have a filled cracker, fold over the bottom edge of each head. Using a glue stick, glue the folded edge to the top of your cracker.
The kids LOVED these Pushmi-Pullyu Pull-me crackers! I found the best way for the kids to pull them apart is to grab both ends firmly and twist a little. If your kids like to color (mine don't!) have them color them! They'd be super cute all decorated too!
Polynesia Language School
While the kids ate their Jungle Jell-o, I decided to have a little animal language class. Since my husband is good at being silly, I had him teach the class and come up with the animal phrases. We decided to teach them one phrase for each of animals; Gub Gub, Dab Dab and Jip. So my husband made up some phrases and how each animal would say it- think Emperor's New Groove, when they were learning squirrel language. Jeremy was really good at it, and if you asked my kids how a dog would say, "This is a fun party!", they could tell you.
The Dr. Dolittle Obstacle Course
Since the weather is so nice, I decided to have an obstacle course outside for the kids. The obstacle course goes along with Dr. Dolittle's adventures and the kids were able to follow the story line throughout the course. I've listed each obstacle below in order. After the last obstacle, they had to run back to the beginning. It was exciting for the kids and got out some of their energy.
The Crocodile Crawl
In honor of Dr. Dolittle's pet crocodile, I had the kids crawl like a crocodile under two chairs. Obviously, they could crawl under anything you have handy. I think the kids liked trying to squeeze through the tight space.
Horse Spectacles
We happen to have a rocking horse that we used for this one, but you could use a stuffed horse too. If you don't have either one, ask around to family members and friends and see if anyone has one you could borrow. I put a pair of glasses on the table and the kids had to put the glasses on the horse. We invited some friends who had read the book as well. This cute little girl is named Reesa. She was brave to join the 5 boys who were also at the party. By the way, we got out the top hat we used for the Willy Wonka party and had them wear the hat throughout the course.
Boat Float
Then the kids had to sail a boat to Africa! We used this little kiddie pool and a boat we already had. The kids had to push the boat from one end to another. If they didn't get it the first time, they had to keep pushing it until it reached the other end.
Monkey Bridge
Simple, but one that the kids like doing over and over. The kids had to cross this "monkey bridge" (just a 2x4 we had in the garage), without touching the ground!
Help a Monkey
For this challenge, I got one of the kids stuffed monkeys and had each kid put a bandage on him.
Jip Sniff
For this challenge, I wanted the kids to use their nose to "see" things, just like Jip did in the book. I got three mason jars and, using a nail and hammer, I poked holes in each of the lids. Then I got some scraps of fabric and lined the mason jars so the kids couldn't see into them. I found some normal household items that have strong smells that the kids could identify. In one I put cut up onion, in another, a cut orange, and in the last, a candle that smelled like a flower. Each child then had to identify what was in each bottle by putting the corresponding picture next to it.
Food
For the snacks I made "Chi-Cheese Popcorn and Jungle Jell-o". One of my best childhood memories is when my dad would make us his own made-up treat that he called "Jungle Jell-o". I think we loved it so much because we knew my dad made it up for us, and it had a fun name. I am so excited to share this recipe with you and pass on my dad's legacy to other children. Thanks dad! I love you!!
This recipe is great because it's so versatile. In the recipe below I've included what I used this time, but you can use any flavor of Jello along with any fruits that you have on hand and it would be equally yummy! For fruits, we've used blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, or mangos. The possibilities are endless! Don't forget the animal crackers- they put the "Jungle" in the "Jello"!
3 flavors of jell-o. I've used lime, orange and raspberry
2 bananas, cut
raspberries
lemon juice
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
animal crackers
1. Make each jell-o according to package directions. Refrigerate for time indicated on package
2. Pour whipping cream into large bowl. Make sure that the cream is cold or it will not whip properly. Beat with a mixer until cream begins to thicken. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. You may add more powdered sugar if you prefer it to be sweeter. Continue to beat until just stiff. Be careful not to over-beat or you'll end up with sweet butter!
3. Place sliced bananas into a bowl with a little lemon juice and stir. This prevents browning.
4. Layer your Jungle Jell-o. In clear sundae cups (so you can see the layers!) layer a couple spoonfuls of jello, whipped cream, fruit and animal crackers. Layer another flavor of jello and repeat layers until all flavors are used. End with whipped cream layer and garnish with fruit and animal crackers.
When I was in high school I worked at the popcorn shop in the mall. I learned how to make all the flavored popcorns, including cheese popcorn. The recipe that I learned isn't very practical for home cooks because it includes a bunch of gloopy cheese that comes in a bucket, lots of oil and powdered cheese. It's delicious, but not so good for you. I decided to try using a cheese that probably anyone with kids already has in their kitchens; macaroni and cheese powdered cheese. Let me know what you think!
1 cup popcorn kernels
1/2 C vegetable oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 packages of macaroni and cheese powdered cheese
1/4 tsp dried mustard
salt to taste
1. In a large pot, warm 1/4 C vegetable oil over stove. When hot, add 1/2 C popcorn kernels. Cover with lid. Leave lid cracked a little for steam to escape. Pop corn over stove, shaking occasionally, until popping slows. Take off heat and pour popcorn into a bowl. Scrape out leftover kernels into trash and repeat process with remaining oil and popcorn.
2. Pour powdered cheese, mustard and salt into a small bowl and mix.
3. Melt butter and pour slowly over popcorn while stirring with a slotted spoon.
4. Slowly pour cheese mixture over buttered popcorn while stirring with a slotted spoon.
Enjoy!
Oh, my kids had so much fun! Thank you! You do such a fantastic job with these parties! Just let us know the next time you want some company for future parties--my children would be ecstatic to oblige!!
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