This is our new friend, Nigel. We met him on a recent trip to London, England. Nigel showed us so many fun things in London. Michael’s favorite thing we did was to play rugby. Rugby is a sport sort of like American football, but the ball is a little different and the players don’t wear pads. It can be a rough game. Look out, Michael!
Michael and I see many things around the world. There are so many kinds of music, food, and especially animals. We wondered if there was anything we could find no matter where we went. Michael asked our Mom and Dad and they had an answer.
Ants! There are over 12,000 different kinds! We searched the internet for more information and found AntARK, a place that tells all about ants. You can find out what ants may live near you.
We share music, art, and even games and sports with people around the world, but I never thought about ants. I wonder if they bug everyone’s parents as much as they bother our Dad!
Hi, everyone! Our whole family, not just me and Michael, made a trip to Puerto Rico. There was so much to show our Mom and Dad. We took them nearly everywhere Alana showed us. We also found some new places like the one in this photo.
The statue is called “La Rogativa.” A rogativa is a special religious walk made by a large group of people where they ask for help. 
The story of this statue goes back to a time when San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, was surrounded by enemy forces. The Bishop led a rogativa that was mostly women and children, but the enemy thought it was more troops arriving and decided to leave! The city was saved by the march!
One of our favorite parts of traveling is making new friends. Over the next month, Michael and I are going to feature some of our friends from around the world.
This is our friend Francesca who we met in Barcelona. Francesca is an artist, and she loves to paint, draw, and sculpt. Lucky she lives in such a wonderfully artistic city! She even made the shirt she has on here. Everywhere she goes in Barcelona, Francesca can see art – from street vendors, built into the sidewalks, and even in the beautifully designed buildings.
Have you ever seen a mosaic? A mosaic is a piece of art made by arranging colored tiles. A great place to see mosaic artwork is in Barcelona, Spain. A famous architect named Antoni Gaudi made tons of buildings and sculptures using mosaics. Our favorite is the giant lizard in Park Guell – his name is El Drac (The Dragon in English), and he’s enormous.
Michael and I like to make our own mosaic patterns and pictures out of construction paper. Try your own and see what beautiful things you can make!
Michael and I did a fun dance in Peru called the huayno (pronounced why-no). It originated in the Andes mountains and is practiced mostly by the native people, the Quechua people. They have cool instruments there too, including one called a charango. It’s like a small guitar made out of an armadillo shell! Check out this fun video of people dancing the huayno.
Have you ever had quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)? It is one of my favorite grains. Quinoa comes from the Andes mountains, and Michael and I tried it when we were in Peru. Here is a yummy recipe that you can make with your family. Try adding your own favorite flavors as well!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, oil, and garlic. Once mixed, add in cooked quinoa and stir. Add in black beans, corn, peppers, and onions, and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in the refrigerator.
Michael and I saw such cute and unique animals when we went to Australia. There was lots of sea life, and of course kangaroos and koalas, but also some animals I’d never seen before. We saw cute little echidnas (pronounced eh-KID-na), which are also called spiny anteaters. They are prehistoric animals and one of only 2 mammals that lay eggs. We also saw quokkas, which look like really small kangaroos – but they can climb trees! They’re about the size of a house cat, and they are very friendly with humans.
Check out these unusual animals! They’re called Capybaras and Michael and I saw them when we went to Rio de Janeiro. They’re so cute and playful, but they’re actually the largest rodents in the world! They live in forests and near water, and some people actually keep them as pets.
Welcome to my second theme week – animal week! This week we’ll be sharing some of Michael’s and my favorite animals from around the world.
Something we saw in Thailand that was SO cool was painting elephants! The elephants hold the brushes in their trunks and paint pictures. The money they raise by selling the pictures goes to help save the elephants. Check it out on YouTube!