Around the Blogosphere

A few tidbits for you to enjoy:

• Darren at Problogger wants to know what you recommend for getting a blog started in terms of writing a reserve of posts. You want to create a good impression and grow your readership right away! Great tips. Now, if I'd only ever read a blog before I started I might have been ready on Day 1. Oops, I'm letting out my secrets :-)
  
• Lori has started a club for kids at Campcreek blog. If you are not familiar with what Lori does she has a great open thread today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday). The discussions are always interesting and I love to read Lori's insights and ideas. She also launched a new blog this year which I already love at Heywood's Meadow. This blog is brand new but it already has a ton of wonderfully illustrated nature themed posts up. I guess Lori had the same idea as Darren at Problogger, either that or she's not slept for a week!
• Scribbit would like to invite you to be a tour guide to your local area and guest write on her blog. I've signed up to write about the Kansas City area, which is now my backyard (or frontyard maybe).
• Holly has posted her favorite math and science resources and math encouragement for unschoolers. Apparently Chemistry is Holly's friend too.
• I was over at Kayla's Webitect blog today and I found an intereresting link about The Principles of Design.
• I just came across Zazzle today. I knew there were other services similar to Cafe Press out there, but I didn't know how to find them. Artist Girl has her own store at Cafe Press. Right now she has a laughing dog, hippocampus and a seahorse picture on products. Maybe I should ask her to add her Waterdragon. It would absolutely make her day if someone bought one of her products!
  

Have you found a great new blog, or an article you really like this week?

Porridge Tales from Grandma's Kitchen

Many was the happy hour of my childhood which I spent in my grandmother's kitchen. I was fascinated by the tales of her own childhood which she would share with me as I stirred a pot for her, or watched her making scones. The most fascinating tale of all for me was the one of The Porridge Drawer.

Apparently when my Gran was a little girl her kitchen had a special wooden drawer into which was poured homemade porridge. This idea really caught my imagination. I would visualize gloopy oatmeal being poured into a drawer, which was presumably then closed up, hiding the contents from view. In my experience drawers were for keeping underwear in, which made the tale all the more fascinating! I would ask about this over and over. Each time I was told that the porridge was left to cool. Later it was cut into blocks which were given to family members to pack with them for lunch. Frugality was the order of the day; I've no idea whether there was anything other than porridge available at those meals, but I suspect not.

Nowadays I'm not a true Scot. I eat my porridge with dried fruit or with honey, and not just with salt. I'm totally spoiled and always have milk available to make it creamy. I even, more often than not, resort to the microwave to make my oatmeal. I've not forgotten my Scottish roots though and I own a real wooden porridge spurtle, which was passed down to me from an older generation. When the mood is right, I enjoy stirring my oats while they bubble and gloop. With a touch of patience my porridge turns creamy and smooth ready to "stick to my ribs" and keep my appetite satisfied until lunchtime.

Here are some porridge and oat related learning links for you to explore:

• Scottish porridge tradition and trivia and The World Porridge Making Championships where the winner gets the Golden Spurtle!
• Porridge has it's place in history. Read about porridge then learn about Scots history with an Edinburgh experimental archaeology group.
• Here's a little insight on peas porridge and cooking in medieval times.
• A musical lesson on Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow.
• Recipes at Quaker Oats - they have a whole section of kid pleasing recipes.
• A very comprehensive lesson plan that explains all about the different kinds of oats and the benefits of having them in your diet (suitable for elementary ages).

Grain mills and oats at Amazon.com. Usborne books which contain oat recipes: Starting Cooking contains muesli and oatmeal bar recipes; Children's Book of Baking contains apple squares and cherry crumble cake; Healthy Cookbook contains granola and peachy crumble.

Waterdragon for Wordless Wednesday

Learning link for teen artists - Artist Girl recommends Fan Art Central. However, a word of warning, the site won't work if you have adverts blocked.

Wordlesss Wednesday.

Find dragon drawing books at Amazon.com.