Quarantine Kids in...Tenerife, Spain
Because kids all over the world have to stay home due to Covid-19, Itty Bitty Itineraries is launching Quarantine Kids. We want to show kids that even if they have to stay home, they can still explore the world and make new friends. This is our second installment. If you want to be included in Quarantine Kids, just send us an email at ittybittyitineraries@gmail.com.
Meet Norah, 8 and Elliot, 10
Norah and Elliot live in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. Tenerife is an island in the Atlantic Ocean between Spain and the northern coast of Africa. It’s the largest of the seven Canary Islands. The Canary Islands were formed by volcanoes a long time ago, and if you go to Tenerife, you might see a volcano called Mt. Teide. Mt. Teide is the volcano that is on the southern part of Tenerife. It’s so tall, that when it’s summer on the beaches, it feels like winter at the top of Mt. Teide. Walking around Teide National Park is like walking on the surface of Mars. The rocks are reddish and very sharp. It’s also very quiet there.
Santa Cruz, where Elliot and Norah live, is on the northern part of the island, away from the volcano. On Norah and Elliot’s island there are lots of palm trees and cactus, but there aren’t a lot of animals. There are some birds and small lizards. Elliot has a bearded dragon as a pet. Its name is Rocky.
What They Miss
Elliot and Norah speak Spanish and English. Elliot is also studying German in school, but he hasn’t been in school for a while. He’s taking an Outschool Class on Bearded Dragons to learn more about Rocky. Elliot definitely misses being able to go to school and the parks. He also misses being with his friends. Norah misses her friends because they are nice to her, and she especially misses playing with them.
The two also miss going to restaurants and eating their favorite food. Elliot likes the pinza (which is another name for pizza) at Cacio y Pepe in Santa Cruz. Norah likes that vegetable thing with all the cheese. Her mom reminds her that it’s called eggplant parmesan. They like to order it from Da Izan, which also serves pizza.
Favorite Things to Do at Home
Elliot likes to spend time with his family because they are all home. He also loves to makie comics. His comic book series is called “The Reptile.”
Norah made a store where she sold Uno and LOL dolls, but she said no one actually went to her store. So she made a traveling store instead and took the store to her family! That’s pretty smart, Norah!
At home, the siblings play with their parents and watch TV. Elliot’s favorite movie is Avenger’s Endgame. Both Elliot and Norah say that Bohemian Rhapsody is their favorite song. Have you heard of it? The first video is the original Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. The second video is the Muppets’ version.
Favorite Places
There are lots of fun things to do in Tenerife. Norah loves Siam Park, where she can swim and go on water slides. She also recommends you play at the park that’s close to their house. Elliot agrees that Siam Park is a good place to visit, as well as Loro Parque, an animal sanctuary that has whales and hippos and all sorts of animals. He also likes the space museum, and TEA, the Tenerife Espacio de las Artes.
Norah and Elliot have traveled to the United States. It’s a really long plane ride. Norah especially likes visiting her grandma’s house in Bellingham, Washington. Elliot’s favorite place to visit was Florida. In Florida they went to Universal Studios and went on a lot of rides. He also saw a rocket launch. It was really hot and humid. He was sweaty and didn’t like that part.
Explore From Home
Tenerife, Spain
Mt. Teide
Mt. Teide is an active volcano on the island of Tenerife, but people can still visit it. You can hike at the bottom of it, or you can take a cable car further up the mountain. There’s also a special observatory there where scientists study the stars because it’s so dark at night. To explore the volcano, click on the picture below and look around. You can also go to Street View in the lower left corner and explore other areas of Tiede.
Loro Parque
Loro Parque is an animal sanctuary in Tenerife, Spain. You can take a virtual tour of the park, or you can see the animals on regular videos that the park posts on its YouTube Video Page.
Museos de Tenerife
The Museos de Tenerife has a lot of cool stuff for everyone on its Facebook page. They’re still studying the stars and sharing all that they’re learning. In fact, check out Beyond the Sun, a video about a little girl named Celeste who has lots of questions about her universe. While it’s formatted for planetarium viewing, you can enjoy it by turning out the lights and turning up the sound. It’s also available in Spanish, French and Japanese.
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We believe that introducing kids to new places and cultures is essential to being good a global neighbor. And we want to make travel easier and fun for families, however we can. If you like us, follow us on Facebook. And if you want to contribute a story, send us an email at ittybittyitineraries @ gmail.com.
