South and Central America week for the Global Service Advent is sponsored by Cotopaxi. Join us as we journey to the incredible country of Ecuador! During this virtual tour of Ecuador for kids, we’ll enjoy fun and inspiring Ecuador activities. … Read More
I’ve attended a favorite things party every year for 7 years. They’re some of my favorite girls’ nights, and they’re fun whether you know everyone there or not. Essentially, these are parties where everyone brings a “favorite thing” to trade … Read More
South and Central America week for the Global Service Advent is sponsored by Cotopaxi. Join us as we journey to the incredible country of Venezuela! During this virtual tour of Venezuela for kids, we’ll enjoy fun and inspiring Venezuela activities. … Read More
South and Central America week for the Global Service Advent is sponsored by Cotopaxi. Join us as we journey to the incredible country of Colombia! During this virtual tour of Colombia for kids, we’ll enjoy fun and inspiring Colombia activities. … Read More
South and Central America week for the Global Service Advent is sponsored by Cotopaxi. Join us as we journey to the incredible country of Brazil! During this virtual tour of Brazil for kids, we’ll enjoy fun and inspiring Brazil activities. … Read More
South and Central America week for the Global Service Advent is sponsored by Cotopaxi. Join us as we journey to the incredible country of Guatemala! During this virtual tour of Guatemala for kids, we’ll take a fun and inspiring Guatemala … Read More
I’m not a big shopper, and Black Friday tends to stress me out rather than help. But there are a few amazing things that are on super sale for Black Friday 2020 that genuinely make our family life better. I’m … Read More
I started playing the violin when I was 5 years old. Since that time, I’ve practiced, played in orchestras, performed solos, played with small groups, and done lots of teaching. I’ve taught lots of other children, and I’ve also taught … Read More
When people find out that I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life, one of their first questions is, “Do you celebrate Thanksgiving?” And then that is often followed by, “Do you have any vegetarian recipes for Thanksgiving?” This has always … Read More
It’s here! The Global Service Advent calendar! I loved putting together the Global Children’s Book Club so much. It was an incredible experience finding opportunities for global education and to virtually travel the world with so many of you. And … Read More
This post was updated in December of 2021. I tend to lean slightly minimalist. With 5 kids, that doesn’t always happen, but the mindset and style appeals to me and I love decluttering. I hate buying knicknacks and tchotchkes, and … Read More
For about 7-8 years now, we’ve spent the month of December doing Christmas family advent activities each day. These simple religious activities have been such a special part of our holiday season and allows us to remember the reason we … Read More
Join us as we journey to the incredible country of Ecuador! During this virtual tour of Ecuador for kids, we’ll enjoy fun and inspiring Ecuador activities. This Ecuador virtual field trip is a perfect way to explore and also serve the world right from home during this holiday season!
You can find the full list of countries for the global children’s advent right HERE. Be sure to sign up for the email list to get all the information in advance and to receive fun extras!
This Ecuador virtual tour contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. That means I earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, but doesn’t change your price.
The UN Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign helps prevent and treat malaria and similar illnesses within indigenous communities in Ecuador. In 2020, Cotopaxi helped support the delivery of over 10,000 bed nets through the UN Foundation to work towards health and safety in rural communities. Nothing But Nets also supports diagnostics, treatment, and training of healthcare workers.
This is especially important because every 2 minutes, a child dies of malaria, which is a preventable and treatable illness. Insecticide-treated bed nets are cost-effective and work well to protect those at risk of contracting the disease.
Tuki and Moka: A Tale of Two Tamarins by Judy Young (Author), Jim Madsen (Illustrator)
The official language in Ecuador (including the Galapagos Islands) is Spanish. Kichwa, also known as Quichua or Quechua, is also widely spoken, especially in the highlands.
Color in Ecuador on this map of South America!
Flag from HERE
HERE is a fun printable Ecuador flag coloring sheet!
The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago (series of islands) off the coast of Ecuador. The islands are in the Pacific Ocean and are knwon around the world for their incredible wildlife. Many species exist only in this isolated province of of Ecuador. Charles Darwin visited at one point and developed his theory of evolution based on some species he saw there.
Matilde Hidalgo Navarro de Procel was one of six children. After her dad died while she was still young, Matilde’s mom worked as a seamstress to support the family.
Even though girls finished their education by 6th grade, Matilde wanted to go to high school. The high school principal, after a month of deliberating and popular opinion recommending otherwise, allowed her to study there. She was not allowed to sit in the room with the boys sometimes and had to sit outside the door on the steps to listen instead. When she graduated, Matilde became the first woman to graduate from high school in Ecuador. But her education did not stop there. Matilde also became the first Ecuadorian woman to earn a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate degree in Medicine.
In 1924, when she was 35 years old, she announced that she was going to vote in the national election. When she did, and her local voting jurisdiction decided in her favor that her vote would count. By so doing, Matilde became the first woman in all of Latin America to vote. She later ran for public office – the council of Machala – and won, which is another first for women in Ecuador!
Backup Plan: Manuela Saenz: not as much known about her because it was so long ago, but appears to be Simon Bolivar’s faithful girlfriend for 8 years and once saved his life, so he called her the “Liberator’s Liberator.”
Poet/Writer: Winner of 5 national poetry awards throughout her life, Fulbright Scholar Fanny Carrion de Fierro has given voice to the lived experience and worldview of Ecuadorians from diverse walks of life. Her book “La mazorca de oro y otros cuentos – The Golden Ear of Corn and Other Stories” (Printed in English and Spanish in the same copy) teaches the importance of living the values of your heritage, even despite opposition, through a series of stores based in two of Ecuador’s UNESCO World-Heritage Cities: Quito and Cuenca.
Selected Works: These Are Not Sweet Girls: Poetry by Latin American Women (1994) and Eye to Eye-Women: Their Words and Worlds (1997). De Fierro electronically published “Towards the Fifth Power”, on the importance of civil society participation to consolidate democracy in the fall 2006 elections.
The Andean condor is the national bird of Ecuador. You can create your own with a toilet paper roll and some basic supplies!
This is a very traditional form of dance, typically from northern Ecuador.
The rondador, or a type of pan pipe, is the national instrument of Ecuador. See if you can spot it!
Locro de papa is an Ecuadorian potato and cheese soup. Soups are common at mealtimes, and this is a very traditional one that is simple to make and delicious to eat!
Here’s the recipe for locro de papa.
We’ve loved putting together this resource to virtually visit Ecuador. We’d love to hear if you do any of these activities for a homeschooling Ecuador unit, or if you visit in person!
We hope to inspire curiosity and connection through exploring and learning, and we hope this guide helps you and your families. Please share any activities you do with us over on our Instagram. And we’d be delighted if you passed this Ecuador for kids virtual tour and homeschooling resource along to others, as well!
AAPI Month Learning Packet