![](https://iditarod.com/wp-content/themes/iditarod/images/icon-instagram.png"){kind=icon}
Teach and Learn
Engaging lessons based on Insider video clips.
Our four-legged correspondents write for all ages..
Collection of all things Iditarod.
Latest Teach and Learn Posts
What does it take to prepare for a long mission in an extreme environment? So far in this series, we have compared training for the Iditarod and astronaut training. We have learned about some differences and similarities between sleds and spacecraft. Now it’s time to talk about fuel and food. It must be getting close …
When a class “gels,” it’s a beautiful thing. Students work together willingly and support one another. They get along, and they tolerate one another’s differences. One thing you can do to really move this process along is build a shared culture of stories. For me, that’s sled dog stories. The first sled dog book I …
I love how numbers can tell stories of the world around us. One of my challenges as a 2024 finalist was to write a post with lesson ideas using math. This was the night of the Anchorage Musher Banquet, and I found myself poring over the 2023 Musher Stats page in the Iditarod program. I …
There is still time to join the postcard challenge!!! We are looking for classes or homeschool families from several states to round out our fifth annual Iditarod Postcard Challenge! If you join the project, you are committing to sending postcards to each class on the list between the start of school and when the …
By now teachers are back in the swing of the school year. We are diving into curriculum, analyzing data, working with coaches and mentors, and planning with our teams. We have our routines established. Our lives have returned to the rhythm of the school year. One thing we do here in Texas is a silent …
Attention 5th – 12th Grade Artists, Teachers, & Parents: We have a special art contest just for you & your students! It’s time again for our student art contest to create the 2024 Iditarod Trail Mail envelope design. The official design will be selected by official Iditarod artist Jon Van Zyle and artist Jona Van …
Welcome back to school! We are looking for classes or homeschool families from several states to round out our fifth annual Iditarod Postcard Challenge! If you join the project, you are committing to sending postcards to each class on the list between the start of school and when the first musher leaves the Iditarod starting …
A roaring noise rumbles overhead. Suddenly a jet screams through the sky, followed right behind by another one! This is a common sight and sound in my area of Houston—it is the excitement of astronauts in flight training with T-38 Talons. You may not exactly be training your students using high-powered aircraft, but teachers everywhere …
NOTE: This lesson plan was updated August 2023 to reflect active links and current race information. One more idea for room set up as the summer starts to wind down…. I am calling my classroom the 3A Dog Yard these days…. for reasons that I am sure you can understand! To get my students in …
When was the last time you got completely lost in a book? I confess—for me that was yesterday. I love to read! I recharge by being alone and quiet, so I grew up filling my quiet time with amazing texts describing travel, adventure, and wonderful characters. As we enter the fall training period for young …