The Jungle Book (CVE Style...)

"So, we're dressing up."
"As what?"
"Like we're from the jungle."
"Ummm... why, again?"
"Oh, you know... back to school and whatnot..."
"So when?"
"Oh, tonight..."
"Holy cow."

Rush, scramble, frantic and excited thinking about what in the world I could come up with in an hour or two to sufficiently "jungle-out" my little kidlets.

Meanwhile: Rush, scramble, frantic and excited preparation by each and every person on campus to get ready for the "jungle-out" that was starting in less than an hour.

An hour, "jungle music," and a bottle of hairspray later... we were ready to do some damage!! ;)

Last night was great fun as the CVE staff and kids poured lots of creative thinking, and some incredible dress-up skills into an end-of-summer party to be held in the CVE Jungle a.k.a. comedor (dining hall). When the youngest kids and I got to the hall, it was being transformed with logs, bamboo sticks, and vines into a "jungle-y" wilderness, ready for the wild animals and warriors to invade!

Prize #1: The Cutest Kids

Definitely a biased decision, but the "Señores de la Selva" (Lords - meaning conquerors - of the Jungle) and the "Niños de la Selva" (Kids of the Jungle) were just pretty cute in their frayed costumes, explorer hats, colored leopard print towels, and cat ears!

Prize #2: Best Costume

Michael's crocodile costume was AMAZING... kudos to Jo-el for the great job on creating this monster! The downside??? Michael was only able to wear the costume for about ten minutes before having to take it off... every time Eduardo saw him, he started screaming and having panic attacks which resulted in a death-grip on my neck, claw marks from his toenails on my side, and partial deafness in one ear... ;)

Prize #3: Best-Dressed

Allow me to introduce you to CVE's own Indiana Jones! I think I heard that Seth will be hiring himself out for birthday parties and social gatherings, but you might have to ask him about that. I'm sure the list will grow quickly, though, so call now to make sure he puts in an appearance... ;)

Prize #4: The Biggest Faker

Not a negative connotation at all, since this was a night for "disguises" and Jo-el had some of the kids "believing" that he actually injured his leg. Upon viewing his hobbling entrance, I was amused to see some of the older girls roll their eyes and then keep checking (out of the corners of their eyes, of course) to see if that was really blood on his clothes... lol.

So... those were just a few prizes from our Jungle Night, and I'm pretty sure the kids (and the adults) had a great time. I mean, I've personally never eaten monkey brains before, but they might become my new favorite... ;)