The jungle has three layers of shrubbery: the emergent, understory and forest floor. Recreate this feature of jungle habitats in a sand table with fake flowers and trees. Stand tall plastic trees in the sand for the emergent layer, short, thin ones for the understory and line the sand with soil and flowers to compose the forest floor. Adding plastic jungle animals, such as snakes, tigers, monkeys and giraffes will complete the jungle scene and give the students interactive materials.
Using sand tables to present language activities will invite children to learn while playing. Bury word puzzles or flashcards in the sand table for students to dig up and match while playing in that center. The children can match letter and word cards as a phonics activity or link up pictures with words to promote reading. Use jungle related words, such as tiger, snake, lion and monkey to coincide with the theme.
Many types of monkeys reside in jungles and rainforests. The small plastic monkeys from the popular children's game Barrel of Monkeys will provide an interactive game for children to play in a sand table. With the monkeys scattered about the top layer of sand, students can use one monkey to retrieve the others by linking their arms. They can then count the chain of monkeys and record the score on a class chart. Teachers might also stick small plastic trees in the sand for students to hang the monkeys on.
Rare, tropical birds and insects frame the jungle environment. Filling a sand table with a variety of plastic and rubber insects will create an interactive jungle scene. Supplying the table with magnifying glasses allows students to closely inspect insect features. To represent the birds of a jungle, place small plastic eggs and brightly colored feathers in the sand table. Students can dig out the eggs and feathers, sorting them by size and color.