Jungle-themed music with tribal beats can provide a calm working environment in the classroom. Soft background music without words can help children work and concentrate. Songs from the Disney animated film "The Jungle Book" can be used for group activities, and playing "That's What Friends Are For" may help children to co-operate and work together. The words in the song can be discussed and the importance of group work can be explored while using the different ideas about what friendship is about, for example, helping someone when he is feeling down.
Drums can be used to practice tribal beats. Listening to different types of tribal music from different parts of the world can provide ideas about rhythms and drumming techniques. Use an African drum set and let the children take turns playing a solo part while the rest of the group provides a gentle background rhythm. Use a container, like a popcorn tin or an aluminum can, covered in cardboard to make a drum. Pencils can be used for drum sticks.
The online site Songs for Teaching has a wide selection of songs about animals living in the jungle, such as the songs "Giraffe" and "Baboon Baby." Singing songs with a jungle theme can be mixed with authentic songs from the Amazon or the jungles of Africa or India. There are also CDs with recordings of music inspired by sounds in the jungle.
A jungle dance can be created with either tribal beats or a song with a jungle theme. Many yoga poses require that children imitate an animal, and different poses can be added to the dance. The traditional tree pose can be renamed the flamingo pose; the song "Doing the Flamingo Walk" would be an accompaniment to the activity. The book "Alef-Bet Yoga for Kids" shows poses for different letters and words, including "Jungle" that can be spelled out with the body.