10 Fun Things to do with Kids in Ecuador

 I am delighted to be taking part of Multicultural Kid Blogs’ Hispanic Heritage Month Giveaway. Today I’m sharing 10 Fun Things to do with Kids in Ecuador. Ecuador’s natural beauty and incredible biodiversity make it a great place to visit with kids… families can explore the coast, the Andean region and the Amazon too! There are quite a number of fun activities to do in every region… Sometimes, the simplest things will be the ones your kids will enjoy the most and remember. For my son, it was when he ran into the beach (clothes and all!) in Montañita and when he watched the street vendors make “salchipapas” from scratch. My advice is to let your kids experience Ecuador (and any other place!) using all their senses! I’ve picked the places I think will spark their curiosity and where they will learn as well!

Here are 10 fun things to do with kids in Ecuador:

1. Visit La Carolina Park in Quito.  

You can bike, rent boats, visit playgrounds, Carolina park is about three miles big! So there’s definitely a lot to discover!

 By H3kt0r (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

2. Visit el Parque Histórico Guayaquil.

3. Ride the Teleférico in Quito. 

4. Check out the iguanas in Guayaquil. 

Photo credit: Flickr/oskay 

5. Ride the Swing at the end of the world. 

For all you adventurous families out there… this looks awesome…. for those of you like me that prefer something a bit less thrilling, the view is spectacular and a great place to take pics!

Photo credit: Flickr/wurglitsch

6. Stand on the equator. Kids have read about it in books, but how much fun is it to say “I stood on both hemispheres?” (I did it, so much fun!)

(Foto: Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador/ecuador.travel).

7. Visit Ingapirca. Incan ruins… what a great way to explore history, pre-colonial times.. better than any lesson in a history book!

Delphine Ménard [CC BY-SA 2.0 fr or CC BY-SA 1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

8. Shop the markets in Otavalo. This is an experience that heightens all the senses! There are vibrant  colors, smells, different fabrics, things to taste! It’s so wonderful! You can give your children money and have them choose their special souvenir.

By David Adam Kess (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

9. Visit the Malecón Simon Bolivar. 

Simon Bolivar is perhaps one of the greatest men in Latin American history, and chances are your kids won’t learn about him in history books. Simon Bolivar, called El Libertador (the Liberator) was responsible for freeing some colonies from Spanish rule. The Malecón stretches along the river and has plenty for kids to love: parks, statues and trains to climb and even an IMAX theater! At the end, you can climb the Cerro Santa Ana and see a panoramic view of the city (this might be better for older kids because there are over 200 steps!) 

Photo credit:Flickr/michaelmullerc

Photo credit: Jose Dimitrakis, Tourism office Guayaquil 

10. La Ruta de Spondylus 

Beaches, whale or bird watching, eating fresh fish, visiting national parks and so much more– the Ruta de Spondylus (formerly known as the Ruta del Sol) stretches down the Coast of Ecuador and is full of beautiful beaches and fun activities for kids and adults! We went and had a blast!

Looking for more ideas on where to go when you visit Ecuador? Check out my Ecuador Bucket List here. 

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Multicultural Kid Blogs Hispanic Heritage Month Series and Giveaway

Multicultural Kid Blogs is excited to be hosting its FOURTH annual Hispanic Heritage Month series and giveaway! Throughour the month (September 15 – October 15), you’ll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can enter to win in our great giveaway! Visit our main page for a full schedule of the articles in this series

Enter below for a chance to win one of these amazing prize packages! Some prizes have shipping restrictions. In the event that a winner lives outside the designated shipping area, that prize will then become part of the following prize package. For more information, read our full giveaway rules. Giveaway begins Monday, September 14 and goes through October 15, 2015.

Grand Prize

Home Learning Series Level A Curriculum from Calico Spanish US Shipping Only

Puzzle and app from Mundo Lanugo US Shipping Only

Sheet of Mexico themed nail wraps from Jamberry US & Canada Shipping Only

Complete set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books (15 countries) from Carole P. Roman US Shipping Only

Large Latin American prize basket (scarves, purse, bracelets, books, map) from Spanish Playground US Shipping Only

Growing Up Pedro & Mango, Abuela, and Me (in English or Spanish) from Candlewick Press US & Canada Shipping Only

The Giraffe That Ate the Moon and Caroline’s Color Dreams (bilingual books in English and Spanish) from Bab’l Books US, UK, & Europe Shipping Only

Bienvenidas las raras (bilingual book in English and Spanish) from Delia Berlin

Los Animales CD from Mister G US Shipping Only

Hola Hello CD from Mariana Iranzi US Shipping Only

Bananagrams game in Spanish from Bananagrams US Shipping Only

Kids’ T-shirt from Ellie Elote US Shipping Only

First Prize

Perú, México and Portugal books from the If You Were Me and Lived In… series from Carole P. Roman US Shipping Only

Smaller Latin American prize basket (scarves, purse, bracelets) from Spanish Playground US Shipping Only

Bienvenidas las raras (bilingual book in English and Spanish) from Delia Berlin

Los Animales CD from Mister G US Shipping Only

Hola Hello CD from Mariana Iranzi US Shipping Only

Bananagrams game in Spanish from Bananagrams US Shipping Only

3 picture books: Finding the Music/En pos de la música by Jennifer Torres
Water Rolls, Water Rises/El agua rueda, el agua sube by Pat Mora
The Upside Down Boy/ El niño de cabeza by Juan Felipe Herrera (in honor of his recently being named the Poet Laureate) from Lee and Low Books US Shipping Only

3 board books: 3 Board Books – Loteria, Zapata, Lucha Libre from Lil’ libros US Shipping Only

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage – Musical Craft and Coloring E-Book from Daria Marmaluk Hajioannou

Kid’s foreign language T-Shirt (available in Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Swahili, Hawaiian, Italian, in infant onesies, toddler and youth sizes tees and tanks; women’s tees and tanks SM-XL) from Mixed Up Clothing US Shipping Only

Second Prize

Perú, México and Portugal books from the If You Were Me and Lived In… series from Carole P. Roman US Shipping Only

Smaller Latin American prize basket (scarves, purse) from Spanish Playground US Shipping Only

2 picture books: Maya’s Blanket/La manta de Maya by Monica Brown
Call Me Tree/Llámame Árbol by Maya Christina Gonzalez from Lee & Low books US Shipping Only

Bienvenidas las raras (bilingual book in English and Spanish) from Delia Berlin

Los Animales CD from Mister G US Shipping Only

Bananagrams game in Spanish from Bananagrams US Shipping Only

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage – Musical Craft and Coloring E-Book from Daria Marmaluk Hajioannou

Bonus Prize!

Mexican luchador piñata from Las Piñatas de Laly EU Shipping Only

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