Category Archives: Ecuador

Day of the Dead Slideshow

Posted on October 29, 2012 | 1 Comment

This weekend we visited MECA in Houston (Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts) for their annual Día de los Muertos exhibit and celebration. Here is a slideshow of what we saw. Look for:

Ofrendas (the altars families made for their loved ones)
Food & water left for the visiting spirits (calabaza en tacha, pan de muerto, mole) because they are hungry and thirsy from their journey
“Favorite items” from hobbies, vices, activities
Photos, poems, prayers and memories
Lots of skeletons and skulls
Cempasuchitl (“flor de muerto“= marigold flowers)
Candles and incense to light the way Continue reading →

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Posted in Celebrations, Ecuador, Field Trips and Travel, Guatemala, Mexico, The Americas

Tagged Day of the Dead

Using Bilingual Stories to Teach “un Poquito de Español”

Posted on April 14, 2012 | 10 Comments

When people hear that I’m a Spanish teacher, or that we speak Spanish at home with our kids, I am immediately asked for resources that I recommend to introduce their kids to Spanish. When searching for bilingual books, you will find millions of books written- or translated into- Spanish. The huge majority of these books are at a language level that only Spanish-speakers would benefit from. How could an English-speaking parent read “Curious George” in Spanish, if neither she nor her child understands the language?

You will also find thousands of picture dictionaries… and one word per page boardbooks… and textbooks. There are also terrible translations (Azul el sombrero, verde el sombrero being my biggest pet-peeve!). What my friends are looking for are none of the above. They would like simple stories that teach a little Spanish (but are not too advanced that the parents can’t read or understand them!): here are my best recommendations. Continue reading →

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Posted in Belize, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Europe, Guatemala, Honduras, Language, Literature, Mexico, Panama, Spain, The Americas

Tagged fiction children's books, spanish

Rainforest Resources

Posted on February 27, 2012 | 6 Comments

A trip to the Rio Napo, Ecuador in 1996.

Last year, my kids and I studied a different biome each month. When looking at biomes, the world is generally divided into 5 major types: aquatic, deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundra. The plants and animals in each biome have adapted to their environment with special features that help them survive. Under the forests category, it is sub-divided into different types of forests, such as tropical rainforests, temperate forests, and boreal forests. Because I have visited parts of the Amazon as well as Costa Rica, I was excited to share what I had learned and they were really excited to take a closer look. We took a month to read books, watch films, and do some art projects related to tropical rain forests. Here are the resources we used. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Animals, Around the World, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Games and Toys, Geography, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Madagascar, Panama, The Americas

Tagged biomes, education, educational technology, on-line activities, rainforest, science

Make Miniature Figures out of Ecuadorian “Migajón” Clay

Posted on November 29, 2011 | 7 Comments

Our migajones

Migajón (pronounced “mee-gah-hone) clay has 2 simple ingredients that you probably have at home right now: bread crumbs (migas) and regular glue. Contemporary crafters in Ecuador use it to make miniature figures such as flowers, decorations for weddings, quinceañera parties, or baptisms. You might find some delicate flowers on an invitation, or tied onto a candle, figures as a wedding favor, or even miniature migajón sculptures made into a Christmas tree ornament. This is a sticky craft for kids who don’t mind getting their hands messy. Continue reading →