fun things to do with kids in panama - family travel   Travel for Kids
   
     
   

Panama

Panama Canal
Panama is a treasure trove for kids. Spanning the isthmus, the Panama Canal is an engineering marvel, a system of locks and artificial lake, ringed with tropical rain forests. Historically, Panama was the point of departure for Spanish ships laden with gold and silver, and today you can still see rusted cannons in forts for defense against pirate attacks. Sir Francis Drake stole a whole mule train loaded with treasure and the gutsy pirate Henry Morgan sacked Panama City. Traveling with kids in Panama, it's a marvelous combination of natural wonders, man-made wonders, and tales of the Spanish Main.
Panama Photo Album
  Panama Canal (and Rain Forests)
    Panama City
    Caribbean Zone
      Tip: You can drink the water out of the tap in Panama, and it's delicious. The water in Panama is abundant and well-purified, so you can brush your teeth or drink the water in restaurants without usual concerns.
kids books panama
     
The Panama Canal kids books history  
The Panama Canal
Elizabeth Mann, Fernando Rangel

Before you visit the Panama Canal, read the exciting story of this engineering feat – lock and lakes design, how the canal was constructed, building the three sets of locks on the Atlantic and Pacific, and two page spread of how the canal works. (Picture book)

 

     

What is the Panama Canal?
Janet B. Pascal, Tim Foley

Exciting history of one of the most dangerous engineering projects in the world, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Photos and drawings of the construction, leaders and events. (Illustrated chapter book)

 

 
What Is the Panama Canal?
     
panama kids Conejito: A Folktale from Panama  
Conejito: A Folktale from Panama
Margaret Read MacDonald, Geraldo Valerio

Conejito, "little bunny," goes to visit his auntie, dancing and leaping all the way. But on the way home, how can Conejito avoid the fox, tiger and lion who want to eat him for lunch? (Picture book)

 

     
One Tiny Turtle
Nicola Davies, Jane Chapman

Loggerhead turtles swim year round in the waters around Panama, and here's a delightful story of one baby turtle, "not much bigger than a bottle top." The tiny turtle outgrows her underwater nursery, wanders far and wide, leaving no trace, until one summer night she returns to the beach where she was born. (Picture book)

 

 
One Tiny Turtle kids books panama
     
Over in the Jungle picture book costa rica  
Over in the Jungle
Marianne Berkes, Jeanette Canyon

A rhyming story with gorgeous collages takes you into the tropical rainforest. “Over in the jungle, wearing wings of shiny blue, lived a morpho butterfly, and her little morphos two.” (Picture book)

 

     
Goodnight, Little Sloth
Amanda Wood, Vikki Chu, Bec Winnel

A little sloth takes life slowly, swaying in the breeze, munching on leaves, taking long naps. But from his branch he watches life in the rainforest – a butterfly hatching, spider weaving its web, lizard walking on water, hummingbird like a flying jewel, orchids blooming one after the other. Delightful story. (Picture book)

 

 
     
the umbrella  
The Umbrella
Jan Brett

In the cloud forest, a tree frog drops into a leafy green umbrella, then a toucan leaps in, followed by a kinkajou, baby tapir, and quetzal bird. And what happens when an impulsive monkey tosses the umbrella in the river? A delightful rain forest story. (Board book)

Another board book: Pop-Up Peekaboo! Rainforest

 

travel for kids | panama
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