Amy Houston Oler Archives - Molly and the Magic Suitcase

Another New Friend and New Game!

admin — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 20:22:53 +0000

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!

The post Another New Friend and New Game! appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Local Legends

Chris Oler — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 18:36:00 +0000

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!

The post Local Legends appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Meet Our Friends!

admin — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 16:31:41 +0000

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.

The post Meet Our Friends! appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Beautiful Mosaics

admin — Thu, 04 May 2017 14:35:57 +0000

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!

The post Beautiful Mosaics appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Dancing in Peru!

admin — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 19:17:24 +0000

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.

The post Dancing in Peru! appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Yummy quinoa!

admin — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 21:31:01 +0000

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:

2 cups quinoa
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup canola, olive, or vegetable oil
1 clove minced garlic
½ of a white or yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn (frozen, canned, or fresh)
Salt and pepper

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.

The post Yummy quinoa! appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Animals in Australia

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 13:27:50 +0000

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.

The post Animals in Australia appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Capybaras in Rio

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:16:47 +0000

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.

The post Capybaras in Rio appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Amazing Painting Elephants!

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 14:56:53 +0000

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!

The post Amazing Painting Elephants! appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.

Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 17:23:46 +0000

My last, but definitely not least, post for Garden Week is Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai. Talk about beautiful! Yuyuan was started way back in 1559 and has huge rocks and even caves. My favorite part is the “Inner Garden,” which has ponds and Chinese-style pavilions. Different sections of the park are separated by walls that look like dragons!

I hope you enjoyed all these gorgeous places during my first theme week. Next week look for another fun surprise theme!

The post Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai appeared first on Molly and the Magic Suitcase.